Are you looking for a truly low-maintenance blond hair color? What about a shade that manages to look low effort and super luxe at the same time? Introducing velvet blond, the latest hair color trend that combines old money elegance with a modern, lived in finish. This glossy shade isn’t just a warm honey or icy platinum, it’s the cool girl’s luxe blond.
Featured Experts
- Sara Botsford is a professional colorist and Redken ambassador.
- Annagjid “Kee” Taylor is a celebrity hair colorist
- Kadi Lee is a celebrity colorist and co-founder of Highbrow Hippie
- Chad Kenyon is a celebrity colorist
What is Velvet Blond?
“Velvet blond is that ultra-rich, soft blond that feels plush and elevated,” explains celebrity hair colorist and co-founder of Highbrow Hippie, Kadi Lee. “It blends golden, buttery and beige tones to create a multidimensional, sunlit effect that’s luxurious without being loud. It’s softness, shine and sophistication all in one.”
Unlike a traditional warm blond, this is an intentionally understated shade.
“Typical warm blonds can lean too yellow or get a little loud, but velvet blond is refined,” explains colorist and Redken ambassador Sara Botsford. “It’s warm with purpose, less sun-bleached, more sun-drenched. I use Redken Shades EQ Hair Gloss to tone with golden and beige blends that create a velvety finish for warmth done the right way.”
Celebrity colorist Chad Kenyon explains that he gets this effect by combining warm shades with neutral and reserved cool tones. “When I create a velvet blond look, I usually am adding in gold to get that brightness that I can bounce off of and create the shine that we all want,” he says. “But, I also add a little bit of neutral and a tiniest bit of cool tones so that we get the creaminess required for a plush velvet blond. For a velvety look, I would probably do two separate glosses, layering them for maximum multi-tonality and a cooler finish.”
A Luxe Way to Go Low-Maintenance
Velvet blond is also an easier shade to maintain than a brighter, bleached blond.
“Velvet blond is a cooler, more muted blond with a soft, creamy finish, making it lower-maintenance than a traditional warm or bright blond,” adds celebrity hair colorist, Annagjid “Kee” Taylor.
And it turns out, we’re all kind of entering our low-maintenance era. “We’re seeing a huge shift away from high-maintenance, icy blonds,” says Botsford. “Velvet blond is part of the new wave of intentional warmth that feels rich, lived-in, and wearable across seasons. Plus, it photographs so well in natural light! Who doesn’t like a great selfie?”
According to Kenyon, you get that expensive look by being intentional with your roots. “A velvet blond balayage hair color (with a two-inch shadow root at the lowest) is great for summer,” he says. “It’s purposely grown-out looking but still with soft bright face framing pieces the surround one’s facial features with light. I apply it in a way that all of the complementary tones are marbled together so that it looks super polished, yet not produced.”
Maintain Your Velvet Blond
This is a look that thrives with a glossy finish, and the experts have a few excellent recipes for a healthy shine.
“Gloss starts with moisture,” says Taylor. “I recommend HASK’s Blonde Care Purple Shampoo and Conditioner ($17) to gently tone and hydrate. Then layer in Matrix Food for Soft Multi-Use Hair Oil ($33), this is your go-to for smoothness, shine and softness without heaviness. Finish with a lightweight leave-in like Cheribe’s Daily Refresh Moisture Milk ($13) to keep it fresh and frizz-free all day.”
You’ll also want to prioritize your hair health. “That’s why we launched Highbrow Hippie Haircare and Wellness with two innovative products, the Essential Wellbeing Complex and Root Replenish Active Growth Serum (available as the Healthy Hair Duo, $206) which both address the root causes of hair health issues,” Lee says. “They work from an inside-out approach, delivering not only thicker, healthier hair but also, more vibrant hair color. For color to be reflective, the cuticle has to be intact. So products that encourage a healthy scalp, moisture retention and a strong cuticle are key, along with regular trims to avoid split ends and breakage.”
In salon, you can opt for a glossing service to get a luxurious finish. “A gloss service like Shades EQ Gloss service is key—it’s like skin care for your hair,” Botsford says. “With Shades EQ, I can dial in the exact tone I want—rich, creamy and plush—all while delivering that signature glossy finish that makes velvet blond feel like the hair equivalent of luxury fabric. I love refreshing the tone with Shades EQ every few months to keep the warmth radiant and never dull. At home, I’d recommend the Acidic Color Gloss Treatment ($40) to keep that soft, high-shine finish going between appointments.”
