How can you make your teal hair color last longer?

Teal hair color will fade quickly. Try to wait several days between washing hair, use color-safe shampoo and, if possible, wash with cold water. “Teal hair fades extremely quickly, so I’d suggest having enough of it close by to touch it up once every two weeks to keep the vibrancy up,” says Walker.

What does teal hair color fade to?

Depending on the shade of teal, it often fades to a mint green or pastel blue. To help prevent it from turning green, wash your hair with a purple shampoo, such as Shimmer Lights ($14).

How do you get teal hair color out of hair?

Even though the bright color can fade fast, teal and blue hair colors can be difficult to completely remove from your hair, especially if you pre-lighten or bleach your hair first. Try using clarifying shampoo or even dandruff shampoo to help pull the color out. You can also visit your colorist who can either bleach your hair to remove the teal color–or darken your hair color to conceal it.

Teal Hair Color Looks You'll Want to Pin Immediately

Teal hair—I never really thought it was a commonly worn hair color, but boy, was I wrong. I assume it'd be a hard color to miss if it was trending, given how vibrant of a shade it is, but once I started paying attention I saw it everywhere on each end of the color spectrum, from turquoise blue to sea foam green and all the aquamarine hues in between. I saw women with teal hair on the subway and passing me on the street in my Brooklyn neighborhood. Even my cashier at Whole Foods was wearing teal colored braid extensions—and they were beautiful. When I pulled open Instagram, I realized that #tealhairdontcare is very much happening, and somehow, I'd almost missed it. How can you pull off those colorful and cool shade? We spoke with celebrity colorist Reece Walker to find out.

Meet the Expert

Reece Walker is a bicoastal colorist, stylist, and hair extension expert for his celebrity clientele like Victoria Beckham, Miranda Kerr and Caroline Vreeland.

Walker says that most people will require a bleach process first to achieve the right hue of teal. "I would pretty much always pre-lighten the hair to a pale yellow before putting a teal over it," says Walker. "If you don’t pre-lighten or bleach it, you could be left with a a very dull dusty result."

Fast Facts

Choosing a Shade: "Creative fashion colors, like teal, do not work on natural hair colors unless you’re a natural very light blonde—like the blonde that young kids have," he says. "I would always suggest going to a salon when bleaching is required, but it’s not essential. You can definitely refresh the teal at home once the bleaching is done."

Maintenance Level: "I would say every 5-7 weeks you will need to touch up the regrowth if you want to keep it all one color—otherwise if you like your natural color coming through at the root, that can look cool too. "

Goes Great With: Keep the rest of your makeup more neutral so it doesn't compete with your hair color. A soft, rosy lip gloss will pair well with teal.

Similar Shades: Blue ombré, Dark blue

Price: Price will vary depending on whether you are doing all-over color or small sections of highlights.

Ready to try out this teal trend? Check out these teal hair color looks you'll want to show your colorist immediately.

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Casual Ponytail

A casual ponytail becomes next-level when you add some teal strands and a red lip.

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Baby Bangs

We love the way the natural base here seamlessly transitions to teal at the same eye line as her baby bangs.

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Ditch the Blonde

Hilary Duff hasn't had too many distinct changes in hair color, so we were surprised when she ditched the blonde for teal.

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Classic Ombré

A classic teal ombré, indeed. The fact that such a bright color can fall from a deep, dark base color is simply impressive.

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Kiss Curl

The swirled edges on this short pixie are everything.

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Green and Teal Ombré

A seriously fun, Lisa Frank-inspired 'do right here. This blue to green ombré will have heads turning for sure.

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Princess Braids

This princess warrior braid situation nicely highlights the subtle variation of blues and greens hidden throughout her long, teal hair.

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More Than Just a Hair Color

Kylie Jenner teal hair — Jeffrey Mayer / Getty Images

For Kylie Jenner, teal isn't just a hair color, it's a whole look. The reality star showed off this cool look with her ends dipped in the perfect shade of teal.

If you do an all-over color of teal, you can let it grow out to also achieve this look. To keep the color vibrant, however, you may need your colorist to touch up the ends.

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Rainbow Lights

Sprinkle teal hair with some shimmery rainbow lights and what you'll get is pure magic.

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Water Color

If a bright hair color isn't your jam, try watering it down a bit like this washed-out shade of teal.

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Teal Braids

Let's not forget that getting braids is a fun opportunity to throw another color into the mix. We absolutely love these extra long teal braids, as seen on actress Amandla Stenberg.

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Cornrows

Cornrow designs will only amp up your teal game.

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Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish is often sporting some shade of blue or grey, and we're quite partial to this vibrant hue.

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Around the Edges

Replacing those face-framing blonde highlights with a color like teal will surely add even more drama.

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Gaga for Teal

Lady Gaga wears teal locks like they're basically her natural color.

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All Mixed Up

A purposeful mix up of teals and blues can only be achieved by a color guru like Lena Ott.

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Peek-A-Boo

Not to fear—nothing scary here. Just a fun splash of teal to surprise passersby.

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Textured Blue Bangs

A choppy micro bang on teal blue hair flatters her diamond face shape and pairs beautifully with a smudged orange lip.

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Pin-Up

Katy Perry wears her teal bound up in a beehive with a bubblegum pink lip and Bettie Page-inspired bangs for a classic pin-up girl look.

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Teal Lob

Teal can look great on any hair length without giving the appearance that the hair is totally damaged or compromised.

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Natural Waves

Didi Stone with teal hair — Stephane Cardinale - Corbis / Getty Images

Wearing an unnatural color like teal with your natural hair texture can create a supernatural effect.

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Blue Bob

Katy Perry teal bob — Fred Duval / getty images

A chic bob colored in an ocean-sprayed teal will give off vacation vibes all year 'round, as seen here on Katy Perry.

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Hiding Rainbows

If you're going to incorporate rainbow strands into your 'do, make sure the rainbow ends—teal, in this case—are the same shade as the rest of your locks for an effortless look.

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GOT Style

If Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen dyed her icy blonde strands teal, it'd probably look a little something like this. A breaker of chains and trends.

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Just The Tips

Try adding a pinch of color, as seen here on Fergie, on the very ends to keep your hair in maximum good health. This is also a great look if you want a more subtle hint of color.

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Teal Twins

Friends that go teal together, stay together.

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Layered Blowout

These blown-out, long layers on sea foam colored hair mimic the ocean waves.

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Icy Blend

An ashy, silver base color with teal highlights will leave you with an icy blend sans brain freeze.

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Sea Foam Dreams

Having a dark natural base, or pre-existing color in your hair should never stop you from fulfilling your sea foam hair dreams.

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Perfect Pixie

Just when we thought teal couldn't get any better on its own, we found it on this perfectly textured pixie.

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Teal Highlights

I think this just proves that highlights can make any pop of color seem super casual.

To copy this look without the commitment, clip in a few strands of teal hair extensions ($9) to spice up your look.

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Tinted Top

Halsey and her teal tinted cropped chop are so laissez-faire.

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Teal-Green with Envy

For bright, enviable color like this, you'll want to re-apply your favorite vibrant shade about every three months.

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Undercut

This style makes a huge impact all over and hidden underneath.

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Soft Waves

Jaimie King with teal waves — Allen Berezovsky / Getty Images

To get soft waves like actress Jaime King, use a mixed bristle round brush instead of a metal or ceramic round brush or curling iron. A boar bristle combo is going to be gentler on your color-treated strands too—a major plus.

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Mermaid Vibes

These waves and that color? Total mermaid vibes.

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Pastel Teal

Teal can come in a pastel shade too, with more of a turquoise tinge to it than a pastel blue.

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Teal Pixie

Close crops look incredible with a bold color.

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Teal Ombré

Ombrés are always a great decision when you don't want high-maintenance color. This low-hanging teal ombré will grow out nicely into teal tipped ends.

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Instagram Worthy

Karol G teal hair — Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images

Singer Karol G turns heads with her long, teal waves. To copy her look, part your hair down the middle and use a 1.5 inch curling iron to add in some soft waves. Perfection!

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Teal Melt

This look takes a teal base color and melts it into a frosty, silver finish.

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Knot Average

Seriously, how cute is this knotted half-up style on her teal strands?

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Straight and to the Point

Here, naturally straight hair has been dip-dyed with teal pointed ends.

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Light Hair Not Required

Even the darkest of bases can go full-on, high-impact with teal.

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Marbled Lob

This straightened teal lob is so clean and sleek that it has a marbleized effect, showcasing all of teal's tones and subtleties.

FAQ

How can you make your teal hair color last longer?

Teal hair color will fade quickly. Try to wait several days between washing hair, use color-safe shampoo and, if possible, wash with cold water. “Teal hair fades extremely quickly, so I’d suggest having enough of it close by to touch it up once every two weeks to keep the vibrancy up,” says Walker.
What does teal hair color fade to?

Depending on the shade of teal, it often fades to a mint green or pastel blue. To help prevent it from turning green, wash your hair with a purple shampoo, such as Shimmer Lights ($14).
How do you get teal hair color out of hair?

Even though the bright color can fade fast, teal and blue hair colors can be difficult to completely remove from your hair, especially if you pre-lighten or bleach your hair first. Try using clarifying shampoo or even dandruff shampoo to help pull the color out. You can also visit your colorist who can either bleach your hair to remove the teal color–or darken your hair color to conceal it.

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