Everything's coming up roses—or, perhaps more accurately, violets. In the past few months, we’ve started to see the fluorescent shade on celebrity manes and social media. That means it’s only a matter of weeks until every cool girl you know has purple-pink locks. Violet hair is happening in a big way.
Have you ever thought about giving the berry-rich shade a try? Thanks to the shade’s red and purple notes, it’s totally wearable for any skin tone. It’s just a matter of finding the color that’s right for you.
If you’re looking to get a little wild with your ’do, try a red violet or a neon shade. For those who want a color that’s laidback and chic, look toward the pastel and silver violet end of the spectrum. Whoever you are, there’s a shade of violet made just for your mane.
Pastel
Pastel violet is a soft raspberry shade, one that makes us hungry for fruit sorbet. Although even pastel hues can edge toward pure pink or purple, we like to see a color that’s directly in the middle. Instead of coping with lifeless, dull hair, you’ll be surprised to see how lively your ‘do can look. Since pastel colors often require bleaching (which leads to hair damage), we love to see this shade on bobbed and lobbed ladies.
Plum
Here’s an opulent shade that’s somewhere between chocolate and violet. Plum is a rich purple-brown with cherry notes. On really well-done hair, it’s reflective and silky-looking—an ideal pick for ladies with dark brown or black hair who want to take part in the trend without totally giving up their natural color. If you were the kind of teenager who erred just slightly on the goth side, plum hair is probably a good fit for you.
Ombre
Ombre, the art of gradually fading one hair color into another, is a favorite choice of ours for statement colors like violet. Instead of totally covering your natural shade, your stylist can blend the violet from your ends to the mid-lengths of your hair. We like to call that a hair compromise, one even the most hair dye-shy woman can try for herself.
Red Violet
If you’re a brunette who’s looking to give your locks more texture and depth, we stand behind red violet as your best pick. The moody shade falls very close to cherry, a deep red hue with slight hints of purple. If you have a golden complexion, red violet hair is your new best friend.
Brown Violet
Here’s a hair color that puts the emphasis on brown first, notes of red and purple second. The shade is extremely versatile and subtle, meaning it’s a fit for even the most conservative office settings. If you’re not sure you’ll like violet against your skin, brown violet is a perfect way to test the theory out.
Violet Purple
For the girl who isn’t afraid of attention, violet purple is the way to go. This vibrant, lustrous shade really packs a punch. As with all very bright colors, make sure you’ve gotten a full hair care routine from your stylist before leaving the salon. This shade has to be kept at full strength.
Cherry
If you’re going to commit to deep purple hair, you might as well do it wholeheartedly. Cherry hair (sometimes also called cherry soda hair) is inspired by the deep red of the fruit. You’ll end up with a head of purple-infused red, a dramatic color that’s nearly irresistible.
Black Violet
As its name might suggest, black violet is a dark, vampy shade with just a hint of violet. We love the color for women with medium and dark skin, especially during the winter. Instead of totally succumbing to flat, dry hair, you’ll be surprised at how springy a flash of violet can feel.
Silver Violet
We are heartbreakingly obsessed with silver violet hair. The shade mixes luminous gray with cool purple, resulting in a near-holographic shade that’s part space alien, part runway model. We particularly love this shade on very dark or very pale skin tones. It’s truly like wearing a fashion accessory around your face.
Blue Violet
While we’re referencing jaw dropping hair colors, it’s incredibly important that we mention blue violet. This shade is outrageously pigmented, resulting in a cobalt-like color that seems as if it should belong to some kind of rare tropical bird. We can’t get enough of it.
Darkest Violet
It’s all in the name when it comes to darkest violet. The inky shade just barely counts as violet, eking in with a hint of reddish undertone. Although the color isn’t for everyone, we fully support your decision to try such a dramatic shade.
Mahogany
In our humble opinion, mahogany is a criminally underrated hair color choice. The rich red shade is a wonderful fit for brunettes who’ve always wanted to try red hair but don’t love the look of true red or bright copper. Mahogany’s underlying notes of purple make it extra wearable.
Eggplant
Think of eggplant hair as mahogany’s sister. Whereas the latter leans heavily into red notes, eggplant is almost entirely purple. The shade retains just enough red to have it technically qualify as violet.
Pink Violet
Here’s one for the ladies who can’t get enough of brightly colored hair. As its name suggests, pink violet is a neon fuchsia that merely hints at purple. The shade is a must-try if you’ve ever wanted to make a serious statement with your mane.
Dusty Violet
Although its name may not sound so appealing, dusty violet is a bona fide cool girl hair color. Although it hasn’t yet taken off in the way pastel pink has, this shade’s cool, ashy undertones make it a guaranteed success. Medium skin tones, this one’s for you.
Rose Violet
Unlike dusty violet, rose violet is a hair color that neatly rides the line between pink and purple. It has all the same ashy undertones, but none of the lavender. Instead, you stylist will create a lilac-inspired pink-purple that’s instantly stunning. It’s an approachable take on the vibrant shade.
True Rainbow
We held our breath a few months ago when it seemed as if rainbow hair would fade away entirely, but the multicolored trend is back with a vengeance. Ask your stylist to incorporate both pastels like violet and vivid shades to breathe a fresh vibe into the style.
Oil Slick
If you’ve ever seen a metallic sheen on the surface of a puddle, you already know the effect oil slick hair recreates. Your colorist will incorporate reflective shades of violet and turquoise to create the illusion of oil on your locks.
Watercolor
We’ve fallen hard for this unconventional blend of pastels and jewel tones over a dark base. As an added bonus, growing out this fantasy look would take almost no effort if your roots are naturally dark brown or black.
Silver Violet
The past year has gifted us with hundreds of different ideas about unconventional ways to use silver hair color. One of our favorites is a silver and violet mélange that feels space age and modern.
Opal
Opal hair color may not be anywhere near low maintenance, but that fairy-like glow of color is worth the touch-up time and product routine. If you decide on opal, make sure to choose a stylist with plenty of experience creating the look—we always recommend checking his or her social media profiles for photos of hair that looks like your end goal.
Violet Gradient
Why choose just one shade of purple when you can put the entire color family to work? This hair look is beautifully imperfect, calling to mind the organic patterns you might see on a tie-dye blanket.
Festival Violet
There’s just one word that does this violet hair color justice: drama. With tones ranging from peach to plum, you’re guaranteed to attract some well-deserved attention.
Violage
Combine violet color and balayage technique to achieve “violage” hair—get it? Corny nicknames aside, this beautiful violet accent on blonde hair is the perfect way to try a fantasy shade. Once you’re no longer feeling the lavender love, just cut it off.
Muted Mermaid
While many mermaid looks lean heavily on cobalt and navy shades, this muted style incorporates even amounts of violet and aqua. We’d recommend wearing such a complex painted look on long hair to get the most from your color.
Plum Balayage
Plum balayage is one for the vamps out there. Dark roots fade into vibrant purple, encompassing all of the punk rock vibes one woman could wish for. When your hue begins to fade, expect to enjoy a muted lavender until your next appointment.
Shadow Root
Dark roots are one of the easiest ways to make hair color look as if it really grew from your follicles, so it makes sense that this violet gradient would appear a lot more naturalistic than other fantasy looks.
Mint And Violet
Mint isn’t the first accent color idea to pop up when you discuss violet, but the combination of the two is surprisingly gorgeous. For spring or summer, brighten your look with a hint of silvery green.
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