The 20 Best Hair Color for Dirty Blondes in 2024

Need a color change? See the best hair color for dirty blondes (okay, 20 of them) along with tips for choosing the most flattering shades for you in our jam-packed guide! 

What’s the Best Hair Color for Dirty Blondes?

• Shades that work for natural dirty blondes are usually warm colors
• Look for golden, copper, or bronze tones in blonde, red, and brown shades
• Opt for silver, ash, or neutral tones for natural cool-toned dirty blondes

Dirty blonde hair is beautiful on its own, but it can feel a little boring and flat if you haven’t experimented with color in a while. Getting a new shade to tweak or transform your color might be just the lift you need!

We rounded up the best hair color for dirty blondes – and turns out, there are quite a few of them. Twenty, to be exact. 

Dirty blonde is usually a darker blonde with some underlying warmth (warm golden or copper undertones) and coolness (cool ash or silvery undertones). It’s a really unique color that lays a great foundation for trying something new. 

Since your natural color has some warm and cool tones in it, we have great news: Almost any shade can work for you! From the warmest toasty golden brown to the iciest platinum, there aren’t many colors out there that won’t look stunning on you. 

Still, if you target hair colors that mirror the same undertones that you see in your skin, you’ll get the most flattering results. Warm undertones look peachy or golden and typically have a greenish vein color with brown, hazel, or gold-flecked eyes.

Aim for warm hair colors with golden, copper, or bronze undertones like strawberry blonde, copper red, golden blonde, chocolate brown, and bronze. Cool undertones look pinkish or bluish and usually have a bluish vein color with blue, green, or pale brown eyes.

Aim for cool-toned colors that feature silvery, violet, or ash undertones to suit cool skin undertones. Ash blonde and brown, platinum blonde, metallic silver, and neutral colors like espresso look amazing on cool undertones with natural dirty blonde hair. 

The real key with landing the best hair color for dirty blondes is sticking with shades that suit your skin tone (not just your undertone). Your undertones can be cool, warm, or neutral. But your skin tone is defined as fair/light, medium, or deep. 

Dirty blondes usually have fair/light or medium skin tones. If that’s the case for you, you’ll want to stick primarily with light to medium shades of blonde, brown, and red colors that won’t look too harsh against your skin.

Medium skin tones can experiment with darker colors, and if you love a high-contrast look, even fair-skinned ladies can rock deep, sultry shades.

Seen enough? Let’s get to the main attraction: The best hair color for dirty blondes! 

Best Hair Color for Dirty Blondes: Top 20 Shades

We found 20 colors that just so happen to look gorgeous on natural dirty blondes. Get inspired to try some of these trendy and unique shades of blonde, red, and brown! 

1. Warm Light Chestnut Brown

If your natural dirty blonde color skews warm, a light shade of brown with reddish undertones will be amazing on you. Try a light chestnut brown with golden red tint to shake up your look with a toasty color!

2. Dark Strawberry Blonde

This rich version of strawberry blonde is a little deeper in tone to show off the coppery undertones better. It’s very similar to a light auburn color but has that blonde brightness that natural dirty blondes look great in!

3. Light Golden Auburn Brown

Gold and red tones together with a light brown base color make a gorgeous hue for natural dirty blondes. It’s dimensional and rich without going too dark and shines beautifully reddish in the light. 

4. Chocolate and Honey Blonde Balayage

Balayage with golden honey tones might be the best hair color for dirty blondes, especially if you have warm undertones in your skin. This delicious color sweeps honey-toned blonde up into a rich chocolate brown root for luxe, warm color. 

5. Warm Chestnut and Blonde Ombre

Give dirty blonde a powerful edge with two-toned ombre color in warm tones. Toasty chestnut brown with red undertones pairs well with a soft golden blonde for contrast on natural darker blondes. 

6. Bronzed Auburn

Metallic bronze and copper tones in this color make it so shiny and dimensional. It’s great for natural dirty blondes who want to try something completely different without going dark. Fine-woven highlights in a lighter shade of copper look amazing with this shade! 

7. Gold Platinum Gradient Blonde

If you’re torn between white platinum and a soft golden blonde tone, try both! Lifting dirty blonde hair to bright blonde doesn’t take long, and adding a warm toner with golden undertones near the ends will give you this beautiful gradient hue. 

8. Dirty Blonde With Golden Ombre

Want to literally stick with your roots? Keep your natural dirty blonde intact and get bright golden blonde from the midshaft to ends for a bold-yet-natural ombre effect. Bonus: It’s super easy to maintain! 

9. True Sparkling Silver

Silver is undoubtedly a cool-toned color that perfectly suits natural dirty blondes with cool undertones. This high-lift toner is applied to bleached hair lifted to the highest level. The result is silky metallic silver color with the faintest violet undertone. 

10. Neutral Medium Brown

This shade of medium brown has balanced cool and warm tones for an overall neutral color that suits all skin tones well. It’s an ideal shade for natural dirty blondes and adds a little more depth. Brighten it up with subtle money piece highlights in the front if you want! 

11. Cool Ash Blonde With Money Piece Highlights

Cooler skin tones look gorgeous in ash blonde shades, especially when you add highlights to frame the face! Try an ash toner over lightened hair with brighter money piece highlights in the front for a big impact that still looks natural on you. 

12. Rich Copper Red

Bold and vibrant, copper red hair color is always the first to be noticed and one of our favorite colors to use when we really want a transformation. Try all-over copper color if you have warm undertones, or go with a slightly cooler auburn color for cool undertones. 

13. Dark and Light Blonde Balayage

Balayage is always a contender among the best hair color for dirty blondes because it’s just so flattering and versatile. Warm-toned ladies will love how a dark honey blonde looks with pale golden blonde painted in for extra brightness! 

14. Light Golden Brown With Subtle Highlights

Dirty blondes may not be used to dark brown shades, but a toasty light golden brown is perfect if you have warm undertones! This color gets a big lift from scattered medium golden blonde highlights – just enough to add sparkle and dimension. 

15. Ashy Blonde Ombre Root Melt

Silver-toned and cool, ash blonde is a great option for dirty blondes who want to take an icy approach while staying with a brighter overall tone. This ombre look has a dark brown root melt for easier maintenance and fades out into a slightly warmer beige blonde tone at the ends. 

16. Dimensional Honey and White Blonde Highlights

Deep, toasty honey and bright white blonde accents are one of the best ways to revitalize a dirty blonde color and bring it back to life! Babylights – ultra fine highlights – add tons of dimension and sparkle to this lifted look. 

17. Soft Rooty Flaxen Blonde 

“Rooty” color has a gorgeous, lived-in look that really suits dirty blonde hair. Leave your natural color intact at the roots for easier maintenance and let soft golden blonde through the rest of your hair pick up any natural gold warmth from your base color. 

18. Dark Butterscotch Blonde

Embracing totally new colors can be scary, but trying new tones in a blonde shade can make things a lot more familiar. Try red-gold butterscotch blonde on dirty blonde hair to introduce new copper color in a subtle way. It’s great for warm skin tones. 

19. Chocolate Brown With Honey Ribbon Balayage

Using shades with plenty of contrast ensures a bold balayage look that really makes the blonde color pop. Try warm chocolate brown as a base color and sweep bright honey blonde up into the midshaft for lift that really suits dirty blondes. 

20. Velvety Espresso Brown

Dark brown shades can be really fitting for someone with natural dirty blonde hair – just make sure you’re choosing a rich shade with plenty of dimension. We like neutral espresso because it suits warm and cool undertones. Just don’t forget to grab a darker brow stick! 

Things to Consider

With dirty blonde hair, you can be sure that any of the shades above are going to be stunning colors for you. Just make sure to narrow your options down to shades that suit your skin’s undertone and you’ll be golden (or silver, if you’re cool-toned). 

Before you run off to dye or bleach those strands, we have a few helpful hints and things for you to consider. These might help you make your color choice a little easier! 

• Go for highlights only to tweak your color. Dirty blonde typically sits at the darker end of blonde and teeters into the lightest shade of brown. With your “cusp” color, you can easily get away with adding some highlights to tweak the shade and make it feel new again. Warm golden blonde or strawberry blonde foils look great on warm-toned dirty blondes. Cool ash or platinum blonde highlights are perfect for cool-toned dirty blondes. 
• Opt for all-over color for a real transformation. All-over color will deliver the goods if you’re looking for a serious hair transformation. If you’re trying to get away from blonde altogether, we love a rich red shade like copper or auburn to shake things up. A deep brown tone like espresso or a medium golden brown can be a welcome change for dirty blonde hair, too. Go for balayage or ombre color to try two or more new shades at once for added dimension and depth! 
• Mind the maintenance to avoid color regret. The last thing you want is finding out that your new color needs root touch-ups every 4 weeks or fades so quickly that regular refreshes are needed in between root touch-ups. Know upfront that platinum and very light blonde shades are bad about showing dirty blonde roots, so opt for a smudged root/root melt to hide the new growth better. Red shades fade faster than blonde and brown, so use a pigmented conditioner or get a clear gloss in between root touch-ups to keep yours vibrant. 
• Preserve your color longer at home. Color fades, permanent or not, but you can take steps at home to help yours last longer on dirty blonde hair. Washing your hair less often – about 3-4 times a week – is a great way to minimize fading. Using a sulfate-free shampoo for colored hair will be gentler on your strands and won’t strip color like regular shampoo. 
• Get a haircut to show off your new shade. If you do decide to go with one of the best hair colors for dirty blonde hair, consider getting your hair cut, too. After all, if you’re seeking a mane transformation and want to shake up your look, a new haircut is one of the best ways to do it! Check these options out for inspiration: 20 Trendy Medium Layered Haircuts to Rock in 2022 and 30 Short Haircuts for Women to Try. 

The choice was too difficult – we just couldn’t land on a single best hair color for dirty blondes because there are so many we love! From shimmering golden blonde and strawberry blonde shades to toasty golden browns and chocolate shades with depth, there’s no shortage of colors that look gorgeous on naturally dirty blonde hair. 

With the tips and color considerations you’ve picked up here, you’re all set to start planning out your new color and continue gathering inspiration.

Make sure to save photos of the colors you like best to show your stylist. It’s a lot more helpful than spoken descriptions or color names that can mean different things to different stylists! 

Whether you’re ready to subtly tweak your dirty blonde color with a few highlights around your face or dive head-first into a bold new color, you’re about to embark on an exciting hair journey. See what a beautiful color canvas your dirty blonde hair can be and try your new favorite shade!