This Summer’s Pastel Hair Trend Is Surprisingly Subtle

There are two ways to do a summer beach day: jumping into the biggest wave, or safely dipping your toes into the water. For anyone who falls into the latter camp, this summer 2019 hair color trend is going to appeal to your sudden urge to make a drastic hair change ahead of the warm weather.

While pastel hair colors have been sweeping Hollywood since the beginning of the year, going full-on lilac like Maisie Williams or baby pink like Hailey Bieber isn't necessarily for everyone. While these cotton candy shades practically scream summertime, they're high maintenance. Pastel hair notoriously fades fast and can be damaging for those starting with dark base color because it needs to be bleached first so your desired rainbow shade shows up when you dye it.

RELATED: What to Consider Before Dyeing Your Hair Pink

That's where this summer's dip dye pastel hair trend comes in. It's literally the hair color equivalent of dipping your toes into the water without getting completely soaked. No wonder celebs are into it.

"Unlike ombré which is created with multiple tones to achieve the perfect blend, dip dye looks like you dipped the ends of your hair in a bucket of paint," explains Linda de Zeeuw, master stylist at Rob Peetoom New York. "This gives a strong line between the base color and the pastel color."

Ahead of her seventh album release, Taylor Swift ushered in a new era with pink dip-dyed ends. Since then she's added blue and red to her buttery blonde hair. Cardi B, who's always game to try any hair color, has also embraced this more subtle approach to pastel colors by adding slime green streaks to the ends for her Fashion Nova collaboration launch party.

Dip-dyeing your hair doesn't require as much upkeep as coloring your entire head pink. "This technique doesn't look bad when the hair grows," says De Zeeuw. "The pastel tones will fade quickly so if you’d like to maintain the look, you have to use a pastel toner every two to three weeks, depending on which color you like, and how often you wash your hair."

She suggests washing pastel hair with cold water and only using hot tools when necessary to keep the color fresh for as long as possible. Alternatively, you can just chop your ends off when the pastel color's faded or the summer's over — whatever comes first.

Since the color is only going on your ends, dip dye might seem like a hair color trend you can DIY, but de Zeeuw cautions against it. "Pastels are only visible on very light hair, so if you want to achieve a pastel dip dye you have to create a very blonde dip dye first and then tone it with a pastel tone. If you have dark hair it can be difficult to lift it up all the way to light blonde, especially when you want to keep the quality of the hair in a good condition." To sum it up: Go to a salon because it's better to be safe, than ending up with a botched color.

VIDEO: This Pastel Hair Color Is Already a Celeb-Favorite for 2019

If you want summer 2019 to be the one where you finally fulfill your pastel hair dreams, dip dye is might just be the way to do it.

Keep scrolling to see how celebrities are doing dip dye pastel hair, then save your favorite so you can show your colorist.

Elsa Hosk

Gemma Chan

Taylor Swift

Cardi B