hair color inspo for when you’re at the salon & suddenly forget every reference

from a hair colorist

Apr 15, 2025

hi friends

for those of you that may not know i’m a hair colorist in nyc & basically have been since i came out the womb. most of my time is spent coloring people’s hair and or dilly dallying :)

when i think brunettes- my first thoughts are always monica belluci, penelope cruz, salma hayek, angelina jolie, anne hathaway, sofia vergara, jlo, jessica alba, halle berry, cindy crawford

reds- nicole kidman, kate winslet in the titanic (and eternal sunshine for a punch), julia roberts in pretty woman, drew barrymore, vivienne westwood, florence welch, julianne moore, lindsay lohan, grace coddington, dua lipa, miranda from SATC

blondes- olsen twins (duh), gisele, kate moss, hailey bieber, gwyneth paltrow, jane birkin, hilton sisters, britney spears, pamela anderson, shakira, carrie bradshaw, jennifer anniston, goldie hawn, chloe sevigny, cameron diaz, madonna, claudia schiffer, carolyn bessette

some thoughts on inspo pics:

speaking from a professional pov (&specifically myself) i LOVE seeing a visual. what may be ashy vs warm or dark vs light to you may be completely different to me or the next person. pics help get everyone on the same page.
having multiple images helps figure out what you like/dislike. it’s also a great way to find a common theme to pin point & communicate what it is you want or don’t want. (even if the images are all over the place a good colorist should help you figure it out or straight up tell u you’re being delulu + that’s ok! <3)
i personally love a timeless reference & classic shades. I’m not into the super instagrammy hair pics (no shade) but that’s also my personal style/preference. but! if that’s you & you know that’s exactly what u want go for it. (the more accurate the better).
unless you’re FIXATED on 1 pic or just don’t really care too much & just want a loose version of whatever it is you’re showing- multiple pics is the way to go. just so u can chat about specifics & get into the nitty gritty. also if you’re someone like me who is very particular- don’t be afraid to voice a specific need/question/concern !communication is key! this way no one ends up crying :)
when in doubt- pick up a magazine and tear out a pic of someone you like! believe it or not there was a time when this was the main way of showing what you wanted and let us not forget (my fave) hardcover hair inspo books. BRING THEM BACK. & ofc who didn’t love playing with the swatches <3