Spring is here (contrary to the weather) with summer is fast approaching. Our hair is the perfect way to manifest the kind of weather we want to see, which is perhaps why “sunbeam blonde” is having a moment right now. “It’s a fawny tone that is overlaid with a pale gold in a halo section of the head,” explains colorist Nicola Clarke, who counts Kate Moss and Cate Blanchett as clients.
Name-checking the likes of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and a young Claudia Schiffer as great examples of women who have worn the trend in the past, Clarke points out that, more recently, the look was visible at the spring/summer 2024 shows. On the runways at Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini and Emporio Armani, luminescent golden hair brought light to models’ faces, negating the need for copious amounts of makeup.
As well as adding luminosity and the appearance of healthiness to the skin (timely after a long, drizzly winter), sunbeam blonde makes the hair look–as the name suggests–sun-kissed and natural. “It’s the look you get after you’ve been sitting in the sun for a couple of weeks,” explains Clarke. “It just adds sunlight, utilizing different colors, like flattened honey, caramel and syrupy tones, as well as vanilla, through sections of the hair.”
For anyone whose color could be described as “mousey,” sunbeam blonde is the perfect way to segue into something a little lighter and brighter, without being too full-on. But it’s also a great look to try if you’re already quite blonde and want a look that feels natural, wearable, fresh, and youthful. “It’s the perfect golden shade,” agrees colorist Zoë Irwin. “It’s all about building tone on tone color–the highlights don’t look like they are sitting on the natural hair, but rather melt in.”
While in years gone by, both colorists admit that golden tones were a big no-no for most of their clients (“they were so anti, preferring ashier tones,” says Irwin), now they’re realizing that golden tones are more flattering on the skin. Because “from youth to your 70s–they add such a nice glow to the skin.”