How To Achieve a Dimensional Rose Gold Hair Color at Home

While other hair color trends tend to fade with time, rose gold hair color has never lost its shine. Season after season, this metallic pink hair color continues to show up on runways, red carpet events, and social media timelines. If you’ve been waiting to embrace this jewelry-inspired hair color, now is the time—rose gold is becoming even more popular in 2024. Read on to discover how to get rose gold hair at home, plus tips for maintaining this shimmery shade. We’ll also be sharing eight rose gold hair colors that we’re currently obsessing over.

What Is Rose Gold Hair?

Rose gold hair is meant to mimic the color of rose gold jewelry. This metallic hue combines red, pink, and golden blonde shades to create a fantasy hair color that looks soft and romantic. Rose gold hair can vary in intensity, ranging from subtle hints of pastel pink to more dramatic coppery-pink tones. This versatility means the shade can be customized to complement any skin tone and undertone. Whether you want a bold change or something more demure, there’s a rose gold hair color to suit any of your hair color transformation needs.

How To Get a Rose Gold Hair Color at Home

Good news: You can make the switch to rose gold strands from the comfort of your own home. Follow the three steps below to update your hair color without a trip to the salon.

Step 1: Prepare your hair

Many rose gold hair colors require a light base, especially if you want a vibrant, all-over color. Those with light blonde hair may be able to simply use a rose gold hair dye. But for all other hair colors, even darker blondes, you may need to bleach your hair first. The darker your starting shade, the more sessions it may take to reach the right base color before you can move on to rose gold dye.

If you’re going to DIY, make sure to brush up on everything you need to know about how to bleach your hair at home before you put your gloves on and dive in. Using a bleaching kit is a great option, as it’ll include everything you need. We like the L’Oréal Paris Feria Hyper Platinum Advanced Lightening System Bleach, which can lift hair up to eight levels to lighten even the darkest base colors.

Step 2: Pick your rose gold shade

Anytime a hair color becomes super trendy (just as rose gold has) it’s bound to spawn sub-trends—like rose gold blonde hair and rose gold balayage. You’ll want to decide whether regular ol’ rose gold is your hair goal or one of these variations. While there are no rules when it comes to experimenting with hair color, taking your base hair color and undertones into consideration can help you pick the right shade of rose gold for you.

Rose gold brown or caramel rosé hair are ideal options for those with a darker starting hair color or warmer undertones. These brunette-based shades are the perfect way to achieve rose gold tresses without needing to dramatically lighten your hair first.

For a lighter look with a subtle rosy tint, consider going for an all-over rose gold blonde hair color. Natural and color-treated blondes alike can easily update their hue with this romantic, eye-catching shade. Rose gold blonde hair can be flattering on both warmer and cooler undertones, depending on the exact shade you choose.

If you aren’t quite ready for an all-over hair color change, you can test out the trend with rose gold ombré hair. This way, you can bleach and color just the ends of your hair. Not only is it much lower maintenance, but it also looks playful and chic.

Step 3: Choose the right rose gold hair dye

For dramatic hair color changes (such as going from black hair to rose gold), visiting a professional colorist is often the best idea. They’ll know how to pick the best rose gold color for you and how to lighten your hair while minimizing damage. A professional colorist can also advise you on how to care for and maintain rose gold hair at home.

If you’re well-versed in at-home hair coloring and feel ready to go for the (rose) gold on your own, you’ll need to pick the right rose gold hair dye. For a permanent, classic rose gold hair color, use the L’Oréal Paris Féria in Strawberry Blonde, which comes with a deep conditioning color gel, conditioning developer creme, aromatic shimmer hair serum, and power shimmer conditioner. The box will also include instructions, which you should follow carefully. The same applies for any at-home hair color kit—following the directions is key for achieving the best results.

Editor’s tip: Coloring your hair can be a big decision. If you aren’t 100% sure just yet, use a temporary hair color to test drive a super-metallic rose gold hue. We love the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Hair Makeup Temporary 1-Day Hair Color Spray in Rose Gold, which sprays on for an easy color change, then rinses right out with shampoo.

8 Rose Gold Hair Color Ideas

We mentioned a few rose gold hair color ideas above, but there are so many ways to try out this stunning hue. If you’re in need of some inspiration, check out these looks below.

Rose gold balayage

Balayage can give your strands a natural, sun-kissed look—but add rose gold into the mix, and you get an entirely different effect. With pretty pink and golden tones painted onto your hair, it’ll look as if your mane has been artfully dipped in rose gold.

Rose gold ombré

A rose gold ombré is another option for blending your roots with rose gold. Your colorist (this is one of those shades a pro can really nail) will create a gradient that transitions from your natural root color to a deeper rose gold hue in the middle to a light rosy shade on your ends.

Rose gold for brown hair

Rose gold hair is admittingly easier for blondes to achieve, but there are so many ways brunettes can play with this trend, too. One of our favorites is rose brown hair, where you mix rose gold highlights into a medium brown base.

Dark rose gold hair

If deeper, sultrier colors are your thing, this is the shade for you. It features a dark brunette base with deep metallic pink tones throughout. Try it for fall or winter, when you’re itching to update your look.

Caramel rosé hair

Caramel rosé sounds about as delicious as it gets, and this hair color doesn’t disappoint. The shade features a warm caramel color at your roots and descends into a soft rosy hue. For an unexpected (and equally gorgeous) take on this look, try inverting it—dye your roots rose gold and leave your ends a medium brown shade. It’ll almost look like you were born with rose gold hair.

Amethyst rose gold hair

Rose gold hair has become so popular that it no longer seems like a fantasy hair color, it feels more like a neutral hue. If you want something that stands out more, try an amethyst rose gold shade. This gemstone-inspired color blends purple, lavender, and rose gold hues for a gorgeous finish.

Rose blonde hair

This blonde rose gold hair color is the subtlest take on rose gold. It’s a super pale blonde shade with just the lightest tint of pink. And while it doesn’t qualify as vivid or bright, this hue still packs quite the punch.

Rose gold highlights

Rose gold highlights are one of the best ways to add dimension to all hair types and textures. On wavy and curly hair, they help draw attention to your texture. And on straight hair, they help prevent your mane from looking flat.

Is Rose Gold Hair Hard to Maintain?

How hard it is to maintain rose gold hair depends largely on the look you go for as well as your natural color. If you need to bleach your hair first, your new shade will require more maintenance. But for anyone able to use rose gold hair dye on top of a naturally light base color, there will be less upkeep required.

Either way, the best thing you can do is to plan ahead, so you aren’t surprised when it’s time to touch up your roots or give your color a boost. Consider how fast your hair grows to determine when you’ll need to color your strands again. In anticipation of that time, make sure you have a box of dye on hand (and time to use it). If you’ll be heading to the salon for a touch-up, remember to book an appointment with a professional ahead of time.

Aside from touching up your color, haircare will be a major part of maintaining your rose gold look. It’s important to use a haircare system for color-treated hair, 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, to help prevent fading. This duo also helps strengthen weak hair (something you might be dealing with after coloring) and leaves it looking smoother.

When it comes to styling, try to minimize how often you use heat tools. And when you do reach for your curling or flat iron, always apply a heat protectant beforehand. The L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Moisture 21-in-1 Leave-In Conditioner for Dry Hair is a great option. It offers 450°F heat protection in addition to nourishing, defrizzing, and priming your hair.

Next Up: How To Bleach Your Hair at Home and Keep Your Blonde Bright

Header photo credit: IG/@hairby_emmyg