‘Ghost blonde’ is the hair colour we're obsessing over this summer

Soft-focus glam is everywhere right now. Rather than acid yellow nails, we've fallen for creamy butter yellow. A statement eye has been replaced by tonal makeup…and ‘ghost blonde’ is the new, dialled down way to get lighter strands this summer.

Not to be confused with TikTok's ‘ghost roots’ – where the ends of the hair are kept dark and the roots an icy blonde – the ghost blonde trend is exactly as it sounds. Rather than harsh highlights or sun-bleached blonde, ghost blonde reads softer and more natural with hushed – almost invisible – lighter hues woven throughout the hair.

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What puts the ‘ghost’ into the blonde is that you shouldn't able to see where your natural colour ends and the blonde hues start. It's sun-kissed without creating too much contrast in the hair. Think of it as the hair equivalent of ‘no make-up’ makeup and it's seemingly already got the Royal stamp of approval after Kate Middleton recently debuted a noticeably lighter, bronde 'do that is the definition of ghost blonde.

Last month, Thai rapper and singer Lalisa Manobal tapped into the ghost blonde trend, too. While at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Bella Hadid debuted a soft sandy blonde with creamy toffee accents and Halle Berry's wavy bob had au naturel blonde accents.

How to go ghost blonde

“Ghost blonde is a barely there blonde tinge added to darker blonde, light brown or brunette hair, in super-faint strands,” says hair stylist Jason Collier, who brought the trend to our attention. “It's not full-on highlights, but more of a lifted glow, like natural sunlight catching your crown. Ghost blonde catches in the light and adds dimension, without screaming 'I’ve had my hair done.'”

It shares similar DNA as ‘glow-lights’, a term coined by Kate Moss' colourist Nicola Clarke, to describe the type of soft glow your hair gets when subtly mixing neutral beige and golden hues with a darker shade underneath.

But ghost blonde is less about playing with light and shade and more about asking your colourist for blended balayage only a shade or two lighter than your natural colour and finely spun highlights on select strands. An added benefit of this is that the colour will grow out with no harsh lines.

If you're a fan of switching up your own hair colour at home, try a DIY balayage kit. Jason is a fan of the Jerome Russell Bblonde Balayage Kit and we also rate Bleach London's Super Natural Kit. The idea is to “paint soft pieces around the face and mid-lengths, keeping application sparse," he says. "Look for a lift of no more than 1–2 levels as ghost blonde isn’t about platinum or bold streaks.”

Alternatively, you could also try a neutral blonde gloss such as Glaze's Supergloss or the dpHUE Gloss in Medium Blonde.

Ultimately, the beauty of ghost blonde is its versatility. “Ghost blonde is ideal for brunettes or dark blondes who want a sun-kissed feel without a major colour overhaul, as it's much less maintenance,” says Jason.

He adds that it's also perfect if you're nervous about going blonder for the first time or “trying to grow out old colour in a softer, more blended way.” It also means you won't be ghosting your colourist afterwards.

More ghost blonde inspo:

For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR's Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.

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