What Is The Dirty Blonde Hair Shade? Dirty blonde is a shade that is somewhere between dark blonde and very light brown. While it is naturally a cool tone, bright blonde hues (like gold) can be added to it to make it warm. You can also add an ashy hue to make it cooler.
Dirty Blonde – or – Dishwater Blonde Hair Color Defined
Experts say it's a dark blonde or very light brown shade that tends to be cool in tone (silvery) rather than warm (golden.) Usually, people with dishwater blonde hair were blonde as babies or children, and their hair color darkened over time.
On the hair colour spectrum, dirty blonde sits smack bang between brunette and blonde. Harnessing different shades from honey to caramel, it can be achieved by keeping a dark base and/or root and integrating lighter shades throughout the rest of the hair.
(also dirty blond) /ˌdɝː.t̬i ˈblɑːnd/ uk. /ˌdɜː.ti ˈblɒnd/ used to describe a hair color that is a mixture of brown and dark yellow or silver, or someone whose hair is this color: She has dirty blonde hair and green eyes.
As seen on Instagram, dirty blonde hair becomes one of the hottest styles that girls ask colorists for in 2023. It's versatile and looks good on pretty much anyone. Besides, if you're a brunette on a color-changing journey, this shade is perfect to help you go lighter without causing any damage.
Blonde is Crowned the Sexiest Hair Colour of 2021!
However, of those who did have a colour preference: Most say that blonde hair is the sexiest (31.5%)
Choosing a Shade: Dirty blonde tends to have a bunch of different colors and tones mixed together. Buck says she keeps her dirty blondes at a level 7 and 8. "Depending on your skin tone that will determine the tones used," she says.
Dirty blonde hair is a hybrid blonde shade that isn't as bright as platinum or light ash hair, as warm as golden blonde, or as dark as full-on brunette - but has elements of all these shades.
Dirty blondes look best in cool tones like pastel blue, lavender, mauve, light gray, off-white, and soft green. Add ash-blonde highlights to make your hair shine and tone your it if you have some orange undertones.
Fun hair care fact: blonde hair color doesn't actually fade, unlike brunette and red shades that require frequent touch-ups to maintain their hue. That said, blondies do have other maintenance issues.
As you can see, Dirty Blonde is a natural blonde shade while Bleach Blonde is more of a bright, salon blond color. Ash Blonde, on the other hand, has a balance of ash and golden undertones, while Platinum Blonde is cool and icy.
How long will dirty blonde hair last? This can vary depending on which method you use to achieve the colour as well as what colours you choose. If your hair is highlighted, expect it to last around 3-4 months before root growth becomes noticeable and requires a touch up.
Many natural blondes go darker over time and end up brunette by early adolescence or even later. If you're wondering why that happened, we can help. In this article, we'll reveal several reasons why blonde hair turns brown.
“Overly lightening the hair can certainly add to a washed out skin tone,” Lordet says. “If you are going for a natural shade of blond and accidentally go a bit too light, your skin can end up looking lackluster. If this happens, have your colorist slightly darken your base color.
A genetic mutation that codes for the blond hair of Northern Europeans has been identified. The single mutation was found in a long gene sequence called KIT ligand (KITLG) and is present in about one-third of Northern Europeans. People with these genes could have platinum blond, dirty blond or even dark brown hair.
Dirty blonde is another way to tread the line between blonde and brunette, one that's low-maintenance and stunning on all pale skin tones.
Essentially, anything that isn't blonde, brown, black, or gray is a no-go.
Colors to stay away from
In fact, pale blondes should avoid warm colors all together. By the same token, warm blondes should avoid cool colors such as pale shades of blue, pink, and yellow, as well as reds that have a blue undertone.
Dirty blonde hair — also referred to as "dishwater blonde" — doesn't get as much attention as platinum, honey, or strawberry shades these days. But if you've been blessed with naturally dark blonde strands, consider yourself lucky.
It is not rare at all. Dirty blonde hair and green eyes are more common than regular blonde hair and green eyes.
If you like blondes that have icy, gray, ashy, or pearl tones to them, that means you prefer a cool toned blonde. If your skin tone has more pink, blue or red undertones cooler blondes will look best on you! When asking for a "cool" toned blonde, tell your stylist that you like your color to be more on the ashier side.
For lighter-colored locks, the oils in dirty hair can actually make your hair look a shade or two darker than it truly is, especially if your strands are naturally a lighter shade.
The bottom line
It's absolutely true that the sun can lighten your hair, but you may need to take some extra steps to help it along. Keep in mind that the sun and other natural hair lightening ingredients can be unpredictable and damaging.
The most common way to go from brown hair to blonde is to do a double-process, which involves stripping your base or natural color before toning it to your desired shade. Two steps equal double process.