How To Get a Beige Blonde Hair Color

While beige is often (incorrectly!) thought of as bland, beige blonde hair is anything but. This flattering shade—one of our favorite hair color trends for summer—features a blend of cool and warm blonde tones for a dimensional hue that’s flattering on just about everyone.

Whether you’re looking to refresh your existing blonde or are ready for a full transformation, read on. Below, we’ll give you the details on what beige blonde hair is, why we love it, and how to achieve a reflective beige blonde hair color without heading to the salon.

What Is Beige Blonde Hair?

Beige blonde is, as the name suggests, a soft, neutral-leaning shade of blonde. It’s similar in many ways to sandy blonde, though it tends to skew slightly ashier. In addition, a blend of light and dark blonde tones create dimension in this sparkling shade, making beige blonde both customizable and easily adaptable for every skin tone (and undertone).

How To Get Beige Blonde Hair

While you can visit a salon to achieve your ideal beige hair color, it’s not strictly necessary. With the right products and techniques (and a little patience), you can DIY it, too. First, gather your tools: you’ll need, at a minimum, a hair brush, some clips, bleach, and a hair dye kit (a towel to throw around your shoulders so you dont stain your shirt is a good idea too). Once you’ve gotten everything you need for your beige blonde hair transformation, follow our tutorial below.

Step 1: Lighten your hair

If your existing hair color is darker than the beige blonde color you’re looking to achieve, you’ll need to start by bleaching your hair. Those starting with a dark blonde or light brown base can use the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Hair Bleach & Lightener At Home Kit, but if your existing color is darker, we suggest the L’Oréal Paris Feria Hyper Platinum Advanced Lightening System Bleach in Hyper Platinum. The at-home kit can lighten hair up to eight levels and comes with an after-bleach bonding conditioner to help strengthen your strands. For the best results, read (and re-read) the instructions on the packaging before getting started.

Step 2: Shampoo and condition

Once your bleach is finished processing and your hair is lightened to the appropriate level, hop in the shower and follow the aftercare instructions outlined on the directions of the product you’re using. Typically, you’ll want to shampoo and condition your hair with the included post-processing conditioner, but this can vary depending on the product used. Again, reading the instructions is imperative for the ideal end results.

After you’ve finished showering, we suggest letting your hair dry fully and waiting a day before applying your beige hair color. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it’s a good idea to give your hair a bit of a break between processing.

Step 3: Apply your beige blonde hair dye

Next comes the fun part: actually dyeing your hair. For this, you’ll want to pick up a beige blonde at-home hair dye. If you’re aiming for a light beige blonde, we suggest L’Oréal Paris Féria Multi-Faceted Shimmering Hair Color in Champagne Cocktail. For a mid-toned beige blonde, we love L’Oréal Paris Excellence Creme Crème Permanent Triple Care Hair Color in Medium Ash Blonde. And if you’re after a slightly darker beige blonde color (think beige bronde), try L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying Shine Permanent Hair Color in Dark Ash Blonde. Again, you’ll want to follow the directions—and aftercare instructions—to a T to ensure you get the best results possible.

Tips for DIY Hair Coloring

If you want to achieve a professional-looking beige blonde color at home (and we know you do), keep these tips in mind.

1. Start with clean(ish) strands

Generally speaking, it’s best to wash your hair a day before dyeing it. You don’t want your roots to be greasy, as excess oils can interfere with the application, but it shouldn’t be squeaky-clean, either. If you want to get your coloring done in one day, shampoo in the morning and wait until the evening to dye your hair.

2. Follow the instructions

We know we’ve said this more than once, but when coloring your hair at home, following the instructions on your chosen product is a must. Different formulas have different processing times, and if you leave a dye on too long (or not long enough), you could end up with less-than-ideal results.

Consult an expert

It is entirely possible to pull off an amazing color job yourself, even if you’re after something a little bit more involved (like a dimensional beige blonde with highlights). But if you need a bit of help determining the best approach, you can speak with an expert with the L’Oréal Paris Hair Color Concierge. The online resource enables you to speak to professionals live (via phone, text, or video) with any questions you have about achieving your beige blonde hair color goals.

How To Maintain Your Beige Hair Color

Once you have your beige blonde hair color, it’s important to take the proper steps to maintain it. Read on for tips to keep in mind when creating your beige blonde hair care routine.

Use color-safe products

When you dye your hair, it’s important to use color-safe products to help protect your hue’s vibrancy. As such, we suggest swapping out your existing shampoo and conditioner for a system designed explicitly for color-treated hair, such as the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Bond Repair Shampoo with Citric Acid and coordinating L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Bond Repair Conditioner with Citric Acid. The duo gently cleanses, detangles, and smooths while helping to strengthen damaged color-treated hair. If you’re dealing with a lot of damage, consider adding the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Bond Strengthening Pre-Shampoo Treatment to your routine as needed—when used with the rest of the system, it helps repair damaged hair in a single use.

Tone as needed

As we mentioned earlier, beige blonde hair has ashy undertones. That being said, color-treated blonde hair has a tendency to get brassy over time. To keep your mane cool-toned, add a purple shampoo and conditioner into your hair care regimen once a week.

Try the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Brass Toning Purple Shampoo and L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Brass Toning Purple Conditioner to maintain a cool, brass-free blonde.

If you suddenly notice your beige blonde looking extra brassy, it may be worth using a hair toner. We love the L’Oréal Paris Féria Power Toner Long Lasting Anti Brass Toner in Pearl Blonde as it conditions and neutralizes brassy tones in as little as five minutes (with results lasting up to three weeks).

Limit use of hot tools

Heat—like that from your blow dryer or flat iron—can contribute to premature color fading. After dyeing your hair, it’s a good idea to limit your use of hot tools. If you absolutely must reach for your blow dryer, be sure to prep your strands with a heat protectant to help minimize damage. Try the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Blow Dry Primer for 48HR Frizz Control. It helps protect against temperatures up to 450 degrees Farenheit and leaves the hair looking nourished, smooth, and shiny with no weigh-down.

Keep it hydrated

Since beige blonde hair calls for bleaching your strands—a process that can admittedly be pretty drying—it’s a good idea to set aside time once a week to give your hair some TLC. After shampooing (perhaps during your Sunday everything shower), work a generous amount of L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Simply Clean Elastic Fiber Masque throughout your mane. This deep conditioner for color-treated hair wraps hair in essential moisture for renewed softness and shine.

Try a gloss

Last but not least, help ensure your beige blonde hair is as shiny and dimensional as possible by incorporating a gloss into your regular routine. For beige blondes, partial to the L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss One Step In-Shower Toning Gloss in Cool Blonde, as it helps neutralize brassiness while adding shine for healthy-looking hair. If you don’t need any additional toning, reach for the Clear version—it boasts all the shine-boosting, nourishing properties of the tinted gloss, sans any added pigment.

Next Up: How To Get (and Maintain) Bronde Hair Color

Photo Courtesy of L'Oréal Paris