4 different ways to play with rose gold hair

A head of roses

One of summer's prettiest and most popular shades, why not go all in and get a full head of rose gold hair? Remember, rose gold hair has several shades, so if you'd rather a more subtle everyday look, opt for a rose brown hair color instead, which uses a little more purple/blue tone to it; creating a darker rose shade that's ideal for transitioning into fall.

Top tip: Whenever you color your hair, make sure you're using color-protecting shampoo and conditioner that will protect and nourish the quality of your hair (especially if you've lightened your hair in order to go rose gold) as well as a weekly masque to lock in moisture and prevent dryness.

Highlights

Not ready to go 100% pink? Rose gold highlights are perfect for summer music festivals, weekends at the beach and anywhere inbetween! Just a few sections of bright, cheery pink-golf against a base of blond can create a hippie-inspired look that shows your free-spirited nature. If you'll need to make your rose gold highlights more discreet once you're back at school or work, ask your stylist to color a section that can easily be tucked behind your ear or hidden under the rest of the hair if necessary.

Top tip: Sun exposure isn't just damaging to the skin, the hair can also suffer from UV rays. When on vacation, or even when just out and about in the sun, remember to apply protection such as the leave-in Invisible Conditioning Protective Conditioner Spray by L'Oréal Professionnel.

Ombré

Usually associated with brunette-to-blond color gradients, ombré hair color can be applied to any shade. A rose gold ombre is a way of working the popular multi-tonal blend into an even more on-trend look, like this gorgeous example by Susanna Poméll @healthyhairfinland. From soft strawberry blond to coral bronze and even dusky golden lilac, there are multiple tones that you can use for a rose gold ombré. Simply ask your stylist what shade is best for your hair and skin tone. Then it's up to you how demarcated you want the color gradient to appear (how obviously the root color evolves into the tip color along the hair.)

Top tip: An ombre hair color is both pretty and practical when it comes to growing it out (if you want to). Just ask your stylist to trim the ends a little each time, and gradually introduce sections of your next goal color into the hair at the top. As the ombre disappears down the lengths, your new color will subtly replace it. Seamless!

Balayage

Not everyone understands the difference between an ombré and a balayage when to comes to hair color. Knowing the literal French definitions helps with picturing the two hair color techniques: "ombré" means "shaded" – think of one color shading into another – whereas "balayage" means "to sweep" – imagine sweeping a brush of color across another color (and sometimes multiple shades), where they exist alongside one-another.

This rose gold balayage show how the different pink tones are swept over a blond base, from root to tip. Your stylist will choose exactly where to sweep over the rose gold pigments to best flatter your complexion, face shape and base hair color.

Top tip: balayage looks its best when the highlights/lowlights share the same tone to your base color. So, if you're working a cool beige blond, for example, opt for golden pinks with blue or purple tones. Alternatively, if your hair is a warm caramel or coppery blonde, pink highlights with red and orange undertones will look amazing.