The 37 Best Hair Colors for Pale Skin To Try Now

Ahead, we’re breaking down how to identify the best hue for your skin tone and 37 of the best hair colors for pale skin to try now. Keep scrolling for major inspo, and discover some of our favorite salon-quality haircare products to maintain your chosen shade.

What Is a Fair Skin Tone?

Fair skin refers to the lightest range of complexions and may also be described as light, pale, or porcelain. Those with fair or pale complexions can have either warm or cool undertones.

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What Color Hair Looks Best on Pale Skin?

The best hair color for pale skin is ultimately one that makes you feel like the most beautiful and empowered version of yourself. But with so many gorgeous color trends out there, choosing just one can understandably feel a bit overwhelming. To help narrow down your options, professional colorists often recommend choosing a hue that complements your skin’s undertones. If you’re unfamiliar with undertones, they’re simply the unchanging pigments beneath your skin that influence its overall tone. Undertones can be cool, warm, or neutral and are very helpful in selecting a flattering color.

To determine your undertones, turn over your wrist and look at the color of your veins. Cool undertones typically appear bluish, warm undertones usually appear greenish, and neutral undertones are often a mix of both. Pairing like with like generally yields the most striking results. For example, if your skin has cool undertones, you may want to stick with smokey or ashy shades. If your complexion is on the warmer side, golden shades such as honey blonde, copper, and caramel tend to go perfectly with your skin. Neutral undertones? It’s likely that most shades will suit you.

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Does Pale Skin Look Better With Dark or Light Hair?

The short answer is that both light and dark hair can be stunning against pale skin. As mentioned, figuring out your specific undertones can ensure your chosen hue doesn’t wash you out. If you need help determining which hair colors for pale skin are best for you, we always suggest consulting a professional colorist for guidance.

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What Colors Wash Out Pale Skin?

If you have pale skin, going too light or too dark with your color can make your skin appear sallow or washed out. Again, be sure to chat with your colorist about the best options for you.

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Should I Dye My Hair Black if I Have Pale Skin?

Black hair is a statement-making color that stands out even more than normal against pale skin. In some cases, however, a shade as dark as black can make your complexion appear drab. Instead, consider easing into dark hair with a rich dark brown shade. You can break up the darkness with brunette highlights, a cooler, face-framing money piece, or a lighter color block accent. You can also take a cue from celebrities and try black hair on for size with a realistic wig.

Without further ado, keep scrolling to see 37 of our favorite hair colors for pale skin.

The Best Blonde Hair Colors for Pale Skin

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Honey Blonde Balayage

For a blonde shade that complements the warmth in your skin, we recommend trying a honey blonde balayage. It’s a low-maintenance look that will help give you a sunkissed glow.

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Golden Blonde Curls

Here’s another solid contender for those with warm undertones: golden blonde. If you’re rocking curls, keep them bouncy and defined for up to 72 hours with the help of Redken’s Hydrating Curl Cream.

Good hair day by @bumbas.alexandra

Platinum Blonde

Platinum blonde and cool-toned fair skin are a timeless combination. The icy blonde hue perfectly complements a porcelain complexion and is a great way to make blue or green eyes pop.

To keep brassy tones at bay, be sure to swap a purple shampoo into your wash day routine. Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra-Violet Purple Shampoo is among our favorite violet-tinted formulas; it helps neutralize yellow undertones and ensure blonde hair looks luminous.

Good hair day by @abigailbazzoli

White Blonde

For a shade that’s even lighter (and icier) than platinum, opt for white hair color, the lightest shade on the blonde hair color chart.

Since your colorist will need to use bleach to achieve this level of blonde, you’ll want to pick up hair products to help minimize the look and feel of damage. We recommend the Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate, a haircare regimen that reinforces weakened bonds to help strengthen and repair damaged hair. The system also helps provide protection from color fading and breakage. Learn more in our article, Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Review for Damaged Hair.

Good hair day by @christinechavezhair

Bronde

Bronde hair is a good middle ground for loyal brunettes who are curious about going blonde. When lightening dark strands, we recommend incorporating a blue shampoo and conditioner system like Matrix Brass Off Shampoo and Conditioner into your routine to help offset orange brass in highlighted brown hair.

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Mushroom Blonde

Mushroom blonde is a striking ash-toned blonde that can be taken lighter or darker. Have your stylist weave in brown and gray lowlights for extra depth.

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Champagne Blonde

Whereas mushroom blonde is a moodier take on blonde, champagne blonde is the life of the party. When done right, the multidimensional, creamy blonde shade shines like a freshly opened bottle of bubbly.

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Cream Blonde

Not too warm and not too ashy, cream blonde is just right. Whether you’re working with cool or warm undertones, this buttery hue can be customized to complement your pale skin.

Good hair day by @bombshellblondee

Strawberry Blonde

Strawberry blonde hair, with its golden, pinkish glow, is actually neutral enough to flatter just about any skin tone. For proof, peruse our list of 65 (!) strawberry blonde hair ideas to show your stylist.

Good hair day by @makennayounghair

Blonde Hair with Lowlights

It happens to the best of us—opting for a hue that’s just a touch too light for our skin tone. But all hope isn’t lost: Just ask your colorist to tone it down with lowlights, which can help restore some shadows and darkness to an overly brightened mane.

Good hair day by @beautybybrittanymcentire

Coppery Blonde Highlights

Add a pop of blonde highlights throughout your red copper base to warm up your hue. Bonus points if you have green eyes. Red and green are complementary colors on the color wheel, and pairing them together can help each color stand out.

Keep your shade fresh with Puroelogy’s Color Fanatic Top Coat + Tone Copper, a high-gloss copper top coat that restores color vibrancy in copper-red hair for up to six washes.

Good hair day by @hellobalayage

Dirty Blonde

Dirty blonde is another color that is balanced with both blonde and brunette hues. Featuring a medium blonde base and darker, ashy brown undertones, it’s a low-maintenance shade that’s stunning on most pale skin tones.

The Best Brunette Hair Colors for Pale Skin

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Mushroom Brown

This ashy mushroom brown shade incorporates notes of light gray and deep brown. While there are lots of trendy mushroom-inspired hair colors, this is the one that started it all.

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Caramel Brown

If you want to stay true to your brunette roots, ask your colorist to paint caramel highlights throughout your mane using a balayage technique. This will allow you to keep your dark brown hair color while adding plenty of dimension to your mane. Face-framing caramel strands will help enhance and flatter your skin tone.

Good hair day by @robbielonker

Chocolate Brown

It’s true that going too deep with your brunette hue can sometimes wash you out, but we can make an exception for a shade as dimensional and delectable as chocolate brown. Have your stylist add hints of red, honey, or gold throughout your chocolate brown hue to complement your fair skin.

Good hair day by @Laura_latino

Milk Chocolate

If you think chocolate brown hair is a bit too dark for you, opt for a milk chocolate hair color instead. This lighter shade is just as sumptuous as its predecessor.

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Brown Hair with Face-Framing Blonde Highlights

Instantly brighten up your face with face-framing highlights. This on-trend placement is also low-maintenance, so you can go weeks (maybe even months) without booking a touch-up.

Good hair day by @hitexturehair

Golden Brown

Enhance the warm undertones in your skin with golden brown highlights. This is a summery take on dark hair that we’d be happy to sport year-round.

Mocha Brown

Mocha brown hair color features a harmonious mix of espresso and warm hazel tones that won’t look jarring next to fairer skin. If you want to keep gray hair from standing out against this rich shade, ask your colorist about Redken Color Gels Oils in Shade 5NN Cafe Mocha. This liquid, permanent color, which contains 2% apricot oil, offers up to 100% gray coverage and helps wiry grays feel smooth and conditioned.

Good hair day by @ashleypirrung

Copper Brown

You really can have the best of both worlds (i.e., brunette and red hair) when you opt for copper brown. Your stylist can tailor this look depending on whether your undertones are cool or warm.

Good hair day by @themaneartistry

Espresso Brown With Subtle Highlights

Want to go dark (but not too dark)? Super-subtle highlights break up the darkness of espresso hair so that the shade isn’t too harsh for your skin tone.

It’s frustrating but true that darker shades tend to showcase certain hair concerns, like dandruff, more prominently. If you’re battling flakes, consider adding an exfoliating scrub like Kérastase Symbiose Scalp Renewal Exfoliating Antidandruff Scrub into your routine.

The Best Red Hair Colors for Pale Skin

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Cinnamon

This spice-inspired shade is basically brunette with sprinkled notes of red throughout. No matter your skin’s undertone, cinnamon hair color is a great choice.

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Light Auburn

For those with light brown hair, making a subtle transition to red hair is easy. Ask your colorist for light auburn hair, a neutral yet fiery shade that’s sure to leave a lasting impression.

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Candy Apple Red

If you think bright red shades are too severe for pale skin, think again. This candy apple shade will make your porcelain complexion pop. Since red hair colors are notoriously difficult to maintain, you’ll likely need to adjust your haircare routine to keep your color looking salon-fresh. One of the easiest ways to prevent color fade is to wash your hair less often and revive your mane with dry shampoo instead. We love the color-safe Pureology Style + Protect Refresh & Go Dry Shampoo, which also adds lightweight movement and texture to unwashed hair.

Good hair day by @luxehairstudio_

Bright Auburn

Show off your inner vixen and ask your colorist for a more vivid, fiery variation of auburn. Similar to the advice for candy apple, you’ll have to work extra hard to keep the hue you love. As such, we advise switching out your regular shampoo and conditioner for a system with a formula for color-treated strands. We’re partial to Biolage Professional Color Last Shampoo and Conditioner to help maintain the color depth, tone, and shine of vivid color-treated hair.

Good hair day by @pati.rodrigz

Burgundy

If light auburn is just a bit too neutral for you, you might be looking to play on the deeper side of the red color spectrum. For a red hue that’s dark and bold, turn to burgundy. Burgundy hair colors complement every shade of fair skin, so you really can’t go wrong.

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Copper

Ladies with pale skin and blue eyes, listen up: No color will flatter your skin and eye color like copper. Since orange and blue are complementary colors on the color wheel, orange-toned hues and blue eyes are basically a match made in heaven.

The Best Fantasy Hair Colors for Pale Skin

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Color Block

While a full head of black hair may look overwhelming on your skin tone, getting creative with your placement can make all the difference. Ask your colorist to paint blonde color block highlights onto a black base for an edgy and flattering look.

Good hair day by @jennd_hair

Red and Orange

A red and orange blend is a bold choice, but one with a serious payoff for pale skin. A balayage technique will help keep your color maintenance to a minimum.

Good hair day by @megangepner1

Charcoal

In our opinion, no fantasy hair color is more on-trend than gray. If you’re unsure which shade of gray hair is right for pale skin, we vote for charcoal. The smokey gray shade works particularly well if your skin has cool undertones.

Good hair day by @pati.rodrigz

Plum and Violet

The more colors, the better, especially when it comes to shades of purple. Plum and violet are an eye-catching duo that gives your mane je ne sais quoi—a phrase describing that undefinable “it” factor.

Good hair day by @court_gannhair

Smokey Lilac

Smokey hair color has been one of the hottest trends over the past few years. Combined with a trending hair color like lilac, you really can’t go wrong. If you’re starting with a lighter base hue, you can try the look commitment-free using a temporary hair dye or lavender color-depositing mask.

Good hair day by @emily_hair_colorist

Ice Blue

Those who aren’t afraid to stand out in a crowd will adore this deep, icy blue. But don’t let the moniker “icy” fool you—rest assured, the shade is on-trend and ultra-wearable any time of year.

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Pastel Blue

If you’re looking for a more subdued take on blue hair, this pastel shade fits the bill. Weave smokey silver tones into your final look to seamlessly blend incoming grays.

Good hair day by @maicol_hair_show

Bubblegum Pink

Pale girls really can’t go wrong with pink hair, but the right shade depends on your undertones. Bubblegum pink is stunning on those with fair skin and cool undertones. But similar to blue, you can also go a bit more muted with a pastel pink. If that sounds right up your alley, Redken’s Blondage Color Depositing Mask for Rose Blonde Hair allows you to experiment with a temporary rose shade.

Good hair day by @rachaelgilleyhair

Hot Pink

If you have a pale complexion with warm undertones, you can likely pull off a darker, more purple-leaning shade of pink. Chop your hair into a chic layered bob while you’re at it, and get ready to turn heads.

Good hair day by @kellyawesomesauce

Rainbow

Calling everyone with neutral undertones—this is your time to shine. When combining pale skin with wild hair colors, the sky’s the limit. Go bold with a rainbow hair creation.

Next Up: Redken Hair Gloss Transformations for Your Most Vibrant Color Ever

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