Pastel is the New Trending Tone for Men's Hair Colour

Published 26th Apr 2023 by Josie Jackson

Jim Shaw, award winning men's hairdresser, shares his thoughts on the latest trending style: pastel hair colour.

Pastels tend to come back in trend year-after-year during springtime, and now they have had a more contemporary and stylish update. Below are some of Jim Shaw's favourite, current and on-trend ways for male clients to wear pastels...

Two-Tone

For men, a great way to wear pastels this spring is by teaming their chosen pastel tone with their natural shade, particularly if they have a haircut that is longer on the top and shorter on the sides. I love to cut my clients' hair right down at the sides, revealing their natural hair colour, and then bleach and tone the top, longer section of hair. This creates a super cool and quirky contrast. I particularly love this look with a steel grey tone on the top or a blue. This is a great way for male clients to update their look with colour without opting for too much of a bold/statement hue.

High Shine

Adding an opulent/pearlescent toner is another way for male clients to give their pastel hue an up-to-date finish. By giving the hair an opulent/pearlescent finish instead of the ordinary soft pastel, this will give the hair a more expensive, luxurious and high shine look.

Warming Up

Ashy/silver blondes have been on trend for some time but as we come into the warmer months, we will see hair colours becoming a lot warmer. Now is the time for men to go blonde and if they’re feeling bold and adventurous – to try yellow! A pastel yellow/blonde hue can look great when teamed with the right cut. I think this looks particularly stylish with a crew cut. It’s such a fun, playful colour and a perfect match for men with bubbly personalities.

To Make Them Wink

Pink is a huge trend on the catwalks for both women and men and the ‘barbiecore’ trend surging across social media, it’s inevitable that pastel pink hues will be a heavy hitter when it comes to trending hair colours for men this spring. Pastel pinks look fantastic on men who are already blonde (if brunette they will need to have their hair pre-lightened first) and fade out of the hair seamlessly. Pinks are also always a popular choice, as they work well on all skin tones.

Pair Up

For those feeling daring and adventurous, pairing two or three pastel tones together is another modern way for male clients to wear their pastel hair. By teaming shades of blue, pink and green together, this will create an incredible rainbow inspired hue that will have heads turning.

Make It Last

The key to keeping this spring hair trend for men alive a little longer? Hair care! Clients should be advised to use a good quality, professional shampoo and conditioner that’s for coloured hair. They should also consider using a hair mask once per week to keep their hair in optimum condition and colour sealed in. Heated styling tools can of course lead to colour fade, so it's important that clients are aware that should they need to use heated styling, to always protect their hair with a heat protection spray first.

Are you considering offering colour services in your barbershop? Check out our feature here.

Josie Jackson

Josie Jackson

Published 26th Apr 2023

Josie supports the team with content for the print magazine, website and social media channels at HJ. Having grown up in a salon environment (thanks to her hairdresser mum) and even working as a Saturday girl before getting her degree in English Literature, Josie feels right at home in the industry. Although she’s experimented with a few creative colour looks in the past, she always comes back to blonde, and loves all things hydrating and bond building.

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