Beauty
How To Rock Two-Tone Hair, According To Pro Colorists
Double the color, double the fun.
There’s truly a shade for everyone — and every #mood — when it comes to this year’s most popular hair color trends. If you’re undecided on whether to go for a sweet cotton candy à la Demi Lovato or perhaps an ethereal mermaid blue like Hilary Duff, why not...do both? Two-tone hair has been around for quite some time, but with stars like Bella Hadid, Kehlani, and Sha’Carri Richardson recently sporting locks in two different hues, double dye jobs are clearly experiencing a moment.
“This technique is a great way to try out two different colors at once,” Guy Tang, celebrity colorist and #Mydentity founder, tells Bustle. “It’s perfect for those clients [who] are not sure which color to choose.”
Tang adds that he loves to combine brights and pastels in particular because they’re “fun and playful together.” Pink and lavender is his go-to at the moment, as the colors together make for a “magical combination.” For Jaxcee Challenger, cofounder of The Coily Collective and colorist to stars like Jill Scott and Amanda Seales, it’s all about mixing neutrals. “I personally love neutral brunette tones with neutral blonde tones,” she tells Bustle. “The high contrast gives it a bold look, while the neutral tones are a nod to what’s going on in fashion right now.”
Like the many color combinations you can play with, there’s also a *ton* of different ways to do two-tone hair color. Tang’s favorite strategy is placing one hue underneath the other. “I like the way the colors blend into each other, especially when brought forward around the face,” he says. Challenger, meanwhile, enjoys more of a peekaboo approach (think Richardson’s deeply cool blue): “I absolutely love taking the hairline to the occipital bone in the crown area and placing the lighter color in that hair section,” she says. Of course, you could always go half-and-half for a Cruella-like impact, too. To show off a two-tone look — and you will definitely want to show it off — opt for a half-up braid or a fun twist, suggests Tang. Ponytails are also a great way to maximize the effect, adds Challenger.
Whatever you do, it’s essential to treat your dyed strands with a little extra TLC so that the darker color doesn’t bleed into the lighter, warns Challenger. She recommends “washing the darker part first while keeping the lighter side safe and tucked away” and points to Bumble and bumble’s Color Minded Shampoo as a great color-safe wash. One more tip: While dyeing hair can totally be DIY-friendly, you’re gonna want to leave this one to the experts. “You don’t want to end up with paranormal hair-tivity doing it at home,” says Tang.
Below, see how nine celebrities rock multi-tonal hair color.
1Kehlani
Kehlani recently went for a (mostly) half-blonde, half-brunette look crafted by celeb hairstylist Preston Wada. The dramatic look screamed Disney villain realness — and looked especially cool when the It Was Good Until It Wasn’t singer rocked two French braids.
2Bella Hadid
Bella Hadid’s two-tone hair (courtesy of pro Evanie Frausto) only lasted for a brief moment, but the model got two solid moments out of it: First, a short bob with trendy baby bangs, seen here. Second: a Y2K-friendly half-up, half-down style. Oh, and this Hall of Fame-worthy TikTok.
3Sha’Carri Richardson
Sha’Carri Richardson’s new, two-tone dye job is completely Olympic medal-worthy. The track star called upon her hairstylist Brianna Renee for the task, opting for an icy, platinum blonde which gradually faded into pastel blue on the ends. It was the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cobalt shade in the back that really stole the show, though.
4Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa’s two-tone hair seems like a distant memory now, but it certainly made for one of the most iconic beauty moments for the Future Nostalgia singer. Though she first debuted the look in October of 2019, her blonde and black locks were on fully display at the 2020 Grammys thanks to her ‘90s updo.
5Kesha
Kesha loves a dramatic hair color, but this candy-colored look was super memorable. Though she rocked it all the way back in 2013, this half-pastel blue, half-pastel pink moment felt particularly dreamy.
6Billie Eilish
Though she’s since gotten a platinum blonde shag, Billie Eilish rose to fame thanks to her velvety smooth vocals — and her neon green roots, which really stood out alongside her jet back strands. After having sported this dramatic, two-tone look for nearly three years, it’s understandable the “Happier Than Ever” crooner would crave a switch-up.
7Georgia May Jagger
Model and celebrity spawn Georgia May Jagger looked like an actual mermaid in 2020, when she sported two different shades of blue on both sides of her head. She wasn’t the only star who experimented with DIY hair color while quarantining: Hilary Duff and Dua Lipa also got creative during lockdown.
8Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is never one to shy away from a playful hair color (as evidenced by her Instagram). Out of her many incredible styles, this dip-dyed look, which combined her signature Barbie pink with a platinum blonde shade and extended all the way down to her legs, looked amazing.
9Bree Runway
English rapper Bree Runway also experienced a pandemic-induced hair rut last March, unveiling a ‘90s-esque fringe with flipped out ends, tiny hair clips, and best of all: chunky, bright green strands that framed her face.
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