30 Modern, Melty Shades of Blonde Hair to Try For Summer and Beyond

Reviewed by

Hair Colorist

on Dec 29, 2020

lauren conrad — @LAURENCONRAD / Design by Zackary Angeline

You might think you have blonde hair all figured out, but the truth is the multidimensional color entails more than just a head full of golden locks. The shade comes in countless tones from icy platinums to warm, summer strawberry blondes, and borderline-brunette ombrés. Whether you're looking to refresh your natural-blonde tones or you don't know where to begin your first foray into the light side, we have the inspiration you need to get it right. Ahead, 40 shades of blonde to consider for your next hair appointment, perfect for summer and beyond.

01 of 30

Natural Roots With Golden Ends

Ciara Blonde Hair — Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Ciara nails the dark-roots-golden-ends ombre, proving that natural brunettes can get in on the blonde action without having to keep up with bi-weekly salon visits.

02 of 30

Beachy Blonde

Karlie Kloss Blonde Hair — Clemens Bilan/Getty Images

Karlie Kloss knows just how to nail that California-cool beachy blonde. With warm-toned ribbons of blonde painted throughout in varying shades, she effortlessly boasts that back-from-the-beach blonde.

03 of 30

Ash Blonde

Taylor Swift Blonde Hair — Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images

If you're trying to cover up gray strands, Taylor Swift's ashy blonde look is the look you need. The cool undertones of this light shade, paired with the variety of highlights and lowlights camouflage all traces of unruly gray, and makes upkeep a breeze.

04 of 30

Blonde Extensions

Serayah McNeil Blonde Hair — Rich Fury/Getty Images

If you’re still on the fence about trying taking the peroxide plunge, experiment with the look via some cornrows with blonde ends like Serayah McNeil.

05 of 30

High-Contrast Roots

Kim Kardashian Blonde Hair — Donato Sardella/Getty Images for The Tot

Truthfully, this might be another one of Kim Kardashian West's incredible wigs, but hair inspiration nonetheless. We love how the dark roots contrast the super light-almost-gray lengths of her blunt lob.

06 of 30

Dark-to-Light Curls

Jasmin Sanders Blonde Hair — Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for BVLGARI

Curls boast tons of dimension on their own, but a perfectly executed dark-to-light ombre is as dynamic as it gets. Proof via this look worn by Jasmine Sanders.

07 of 30

Blonde Dip-Dye

For a fresh take on the artfully blended style, try a high-contrast (and even higher-drama) dip-dye ombre like Vanessa Hudgens'.

08 of 30

Honey Blonde

Serina Williams Blonde Hair — Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic/Getty Images

This glossy honey-blonde ombre with dark roots complements the golden tones in tennis star Serina Williams' skin like a dream.

09 of 30

White-Hot Platinum

Cara Delevingne Blonde Hair — Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images

Cara Delevingne's pixie cut is by far the whitest we've ever seen natural hair bleached and it looks like a nymph dream. Full disclosure: This color is super high-maintenance, but we love the hint of black roots we see peeking through.

10 of 30

Multidimensional Blonde

Sofia Vergara Blonde Hair — Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Sofia Vergara is a pro at pulling off a believable blonde. Her secret is to weave in ribbons of golden caramel, strawberry blondes, and ashy strands with her formerly dark strands, for a look feels totally natural.

11 of 30

Brown Sugar Blonde

Laverne Cox Blonde Hair — Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Turner

It's no secret Laverne Cox is a fan of blonde locks, and for good reason. This brown sugar blonde flatters her skin tone and accentuates her naturally dark roots so well.

12 of 30

Strawberry Blonde

Rose Byrne Blonde Hair — Gregg DeGuire/WireImage/Getty Images

Rose Byrne's blonde locks with reddish undertones make her the perfect candidate for strawberry-blonde inspiration at your next color appointment.

13 of 30

Blueish Blonde

Jennifer Lawrence Blonde Hair — Karwai Tang/Getty Images

The contrast between Jennifer Lawrence's warm and super icy blonde tones create the illusion of pale blue highlights and the whole thing looks so cooler than cool.

14 of 30

Natural-ish Blonde

Romee Strijd Blonde Hair — Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Even natural blondes can use the ombré technique to their advantage. Gradual, hand-painted highlights throughout your ends, like on Romee Strijd, will brighten up your look in a totally natural-looking way.

15 of 30

Platinum Blonde

Gwen Stefani Blonde Hair — Jeff Vespa/WireImage/Getty Images

Gwen Stefani is the queen of platinum blonde hair and we especially love how modern it looks in an updo. Just be sure if you try this look for yourself, to keep plenty of purple shampoo on deck to avoid turning yellow.

16 of 30

Summer Balayage

Chrissy Teigen Blonde Hair — Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Chrissy Teigen has a way of always wearing a medley of blonde and caramel tones painted in unison that give summer vibes all year round.

17 of 30

Blonde Highlight Medley

Jennifer Lopez Blonde Hair — Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Layering shades of blonde highlights ranging from cool to warm and neutral greys, with lighter ends like on Jennifer Lopez is the secret to the perfect foray into blonde for natural brunettes.

18 of 30

Copper Blonde

Rihanna Blonde Hair — Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

When you get the color just right, a copper shade of blonde dye job can act as a highlighter and bring out the natural glow in your skin tone. Rihanna's curls painted in this orange undertone complements her skin to a T.

19 of 30

Blonde With Natural Roots

Selena Gomez Blonde Hair — Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

The next time you second guess embracing your dark roots, think back to the time Selena Gomez went blonde and left her roots totally untouched. No second-guessing needed here.

20 of 30

Warm Platinum

Solange Knowled — Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Stuart Weitzman

While most platinum iterations err on the side of cool, this warm-toned platinum on Solange Knowles is just as modern.

21 of 30

Pastel-Pink Blonde

Hailey Bieber Blonde Hair — Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

If you already have blonde hair, you're just a simple DIY away from wearing the pastel pink trend. A color-depositing toning product like this hair mask gives your hair a wash of pink, like Hailey Bieber's, while curing your dry ends.

22 of 30

Pale Blonde

If there's anything we've learned about Ariana Grande it's the longer your hair, the more room to play with gradients. A set of pale blonde extensions will give you an envy-worthy pony in seconds.

23 of 30

Sunny Highlights

Suki Waterhouse Blonde Hair — Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images

We don’t know if it’s lemon-in-the-sun highlights (Remember that trick?) or the feathered waves, but Suki Waterhouse is giving us all the ‘70s vibes in this look.

24 of 30

Berry Blonde

Emma Stone Blonde Hair — Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Emma Stone is almost always spotted in her signature red, so it's no surprise when she went with a blonde, she stuck with her natural undertones.

25 of 30

Cool Blonde

Rita Ora Blonde Hair — David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Charles Finch

Rita Ora does this thing with her hair that looks cool (literally and figuratively), without coming off as too icy. It's edgy, without going over the top and makes even the most simple ponytail look sophisticated.

26 of 30

Silver Blonde

Sasha Luss Blonde Hair — Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Russian model Sasha Luss does bright blonde with silver undertones like no other. A high-maintenance look, this hair color is the work of some really good bleach and tons of toner.

27 of 30

Poolside Blonde

Miley Cyrus Blonde Hair — Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Miley Cyrus has that summer shade of blonde that looks like she's been hanging poolside for months. It's an ombre with a casual, lived-in quality to it that looks so natural.

28 of 30

Caramel Blonde

Shay Mitchell Blonde — George Pimentel/WireImage/Getty Images

One rule of thumb for making your dark strands pass as a believable, natural blonde (if that's what you want) is to have a few highlights extend all the way up to the roots like Shay Mitchell.

29 of 30

Rose Gold

Kate Bosworth Blonde Hair — Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

Blonde hair is often associated with strands of gold, but there's another metal out there that's just as beautiful. We're of course talking about rose gold—a pinkish, golden hue as seen on Kate Bosworth.

30 of 30

Mushroom Blonde

Gigi Hadid Blonde Hair — Noam Galai/WireImage/Getty Images

Mushroom blonde is just that—a hue that mimics the natural color gradations found on the undersides of mushrooms. It's a gorgeous ashy shade with cool, dark gray tones woven throughout and underneath á la Gigi Hadid.