How to Get Mushroom Blonde Hair at Home

We love — and dare we say crave — our fair share of sweet and confectionary hair colors trends like caramel balayage and toffee blonde, but the savory twist of dimensional, mushroom blonde hair color is awfully enticing. With a name that bears resemblance to the color of the soil-dwelling fungi, mushroom blonde is a cool-toned bronde hue with a visible mix of ash blonde and ash brown tones. 

If you avoid warmth with your hair color at all costs, then you’re definitely going to be a fan of this earthy, cool-tonted shade. Below is everything you need to know about mushroom blonde hair, including how to get the ashy color at home and how to care for it.

What is Mushroom Blonde Hair?

This hair color trend draws its inspiration from the varied, ashy shades of a mushroom and the darker tones found on their undersides. As we said, it’s a mix between blonde and brunette, so it’s a great hybrid shade for blondes that want to spend time on the darker side and brunettes that want to lighten up without making the full commitment of going bright blonde. 

How to Get Mushroom Blonde Hair

If you’re new to hair coloring and want to give mushroom blonde hair a try, we recommend booking an appointment at the salon. The mushroom blonde hair color trend involves an overall ash blonde color with darker undertones and a few subtle highlights throughout, which can require a bit of skill to achieve. 

But for a less complicated take on this trend, you can easily DIY a mushroom color with an at-home hair color kit. For the perfect mix of ash blonde and ash brown, try the L'Oréal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying Shine Permanent Hair Color in Medium Ash Blonde. Be sure to follow the directions included in the box to get the color just right.

For a mushroom bronde color with slightly more brown tones, try the L’Oréal Paris Féria Multi-Faceted Shimmering Permanent Hair Color in Hi-Lift Browns Downtown Brown.

How to Care for a Mushroom Blonde Hair Color

Regardless of whether you’ve gone the professional or DIY route, you’ll want to maintain your mushroom blonde hair color for as long as possible. Ahead, you’ll find the proper hair care routine to do just that.

1. Use a Sulfate-Free Shampoo and Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair

A sulfate-free system like the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Bond Repair Shampoo with Citric Acid and L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Bond Repair Conditioner with Citric Acid helps to prevent fading color. Along with that, this reparative duo uses citric acid to penetrate the hair cortex and rebuild weak bonds. Use it when you wash your hair to repair damage from bleaching, coloring or heat styling.

2. Maintain Vibrant Color With an In-Shower Glossing Treatment

Fight fading mushroom color with an in-shower glossing treatment like the L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss One Step In-Shower Toning Gloss in Cool Blonde. In as little as five minutes, it deep conditions and corrects lackluster and brassy color, leaving hair with a silky, glossy finish.

Blonde hair can succumb to brassy tones so curb them with a purple shampoo like the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Brass Toning Purple Shampoo. The purple dyes in this shampoo neutralize unwanted yellow and orange tones in highlighted blonde, bleached and silver hair. This is an important step because mushroom blond hair is known for its ashy tones — you don’t want yellow and orange hues disrupting the look.

After you’ve washed with the purple shampoo, follow up with the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Brass Toning Purple Conditioner. Depending on how often you wash your hair, aim to use this duo every few shampoos or once a week. 

3. Incorporate Heat Protectant Into Your Routine and Embrace Air Drying

If you coiff your color-treated hair with heat styling, always remember to prime your strands with a heat protectant, like the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Weightless Blow Dry Primer, Heat Protectant, which smooths hair and enhances shine. As an alternative, try the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Frizz Killer Serum Leave-In, which tames frizz and static. 

As an alternative, try to let your strands air dry, even if it’s just once a week to cut down on the heat you apply to your hair. Those with wavy and curly hair can use a curl-enhancing leave-in conditioner, like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Curls Non-Stop Dreamy Curls Leave-in Conditioner to bring out their natural waves. 

Those with straight hair can opt for the L’Oréal Paris Everpure Sulfate Free Simply Clean Midnight Color Care Serum to smooth their tresses and add shine. If you need some heatless styling inspo, try overnight braids, overnight beach waves or trendy space buns. 

Next: How to Balayage Your Hair At Home

Photo Credit: Ashley, IG/@projectsbyashley, Design Credit: Sarah Duvivier