20 Iridescent Shades of Lavender Hair for 2024

Dreamy, ethereal lavender hair is all the rage right now. From smoky lavender gray to vivid bright lavender, you’ll look and feel like a goddess with any of these 20 shades. 

What Is the Lavender Hair Trend?

• Muted, lavender gray shades are great for cool skin tones
• Vivid and deep lavender tones work for neutral and warm skin tones
• Apply 2+ shades of lavender for a dreamy, dimensional glow

Lavender hair is big-time goals if you love the dreamy, fairytale vibe it seems to exude. But lavender is one of those versatile shades of purple that can be tweaked to suit different styles and aesthetics easily! 

We’re seeing lots of different lavender tones rising in popularity lately. From muted, smoky lavender gray to more vivid, punchy lavender tones reminiscent of violet, you have tons of options here.

Speaking of options, lavender hair color can be a fit for all skin tones and undertones. It’s universally flattering when you choose the right shade for your purple hair! 

Opt for more vivid, deep lavender shades if your skin has a neutral (warm/cool) or warm undertone. You can relax into muted, blue-toned, and pastel lavender hair colors if your skin has a cool undertone. 

Making lavender hair come to life on you is easy when you’re choosing shades that suit your complexion. It’s a little more fun when you start to mix in different shades of the color! 

Since lavender is an overall cool-toned color, it’s great to blend it with a little lilac (similar to lavender, but with pink undertones) or natural hair colors (blonde, brunette, black, or red) to give it an overall neutral tone. 

Rock lavender hair all-over or as a focal point for trendy balayage, ombre, or peekaboo color. Weave fine or chunky highlights or lowlights through it for extra dimension! 

We found 20 dreamy shades of lavender hair color for you to consider. Take a look below to see which shades inspire you!

20 Iridescent Shades of Lavender Hair to Try

If you’re onboard with the soft lavender trend, we have a few *amazing* shades you have to see! We found colors from the iciest lavender gray to vivid and bright pure tones that pop. 

Which shades are you excited to try?

1. Pure Lavender

Cool with a rich blue undertone, pure lavender is one of the best purple shades for skin with a cool undertone. Notice how the shade makes the model’s skin skew a bit yellow? That’s because she has a warm undertone.

You can avoid this problem by choosing pure lavender only if your skin’s undertone has a cool blue or pink tint. 

2. Vibrant Lavender With Icy Balayage

This pretty take on lavender color infuses a pastel version of the shade as balayage color sweeping up through the midshaft.

The deeper, purer tone dominates the root zone for a gradient look that keeps the color cool-toned throughout. 

3. Neutral Lavender Gradient Color

This look blends a few shades of purple, including lavender, violet, and magenta with the tiniest hint of indigo at the ends.

The mix of warm and cool shades gives it an overall neutral tone, making it great for warm, cool, or neutral skin tones. 

4. Lavender, Lilac, and Electric Blue

If you love loud, bright colors, you can liven up lavender a bit with pinkish-purple lilac and potent electric blue peekaboo color! Lavender is the star of the show here. 

You’ll be using a trio of shades that have some warm and some cool undertones. You can rock this color beautifully with a warm-, cool-, or neutral-toned complexion! 

5. Bright Lavender With Root Melt

A darker lavender root melt gives a bright, flat lavender tone a more lived-in look and makes maintenance a bit easier.

This shade doesn’t immediately read as lavender, but it’s what you get when you apply a light lavender shade to bleached or very light hair. 

6. Lavender With Blended Lilac Roots

Lilac and lavender are similar, but lilac has pretty pinkish undertones that make it bit warmer. This look smudges lilac color at the roots and subtly blends it out into a purer lavender tone to give the color an overall neutral tone. 

7. Blended Lavender and Periwinkle

Subtle bands of pastel periwinkle color appear throughout this long lavender look. The periwinkle color is expertly blended to take on a gradient effect where it subtly lightens the hair.

If basic lavender seems a little too flat for you, try this look instead! 

8. Feisty Magenta-Lavender 

This look is downright feisty because it’s a color with high saturation and gradient tones that switch from mostly magenta to a truer lavender down the top and middle. We love how it makes a short crop haircut absolutely pop! 

9. Washed-Out White Lavender

If you’re partial to very light tones for hair color, try a white lavender shade. You’ll need to bleach your hair to achieve this super-bright look, but it gives off ethereal vibes and feels like a quieter version of the lavender we all love. 

10. Lavender Sombre

Sombre color is what we call a subtle ombre, where the two (or more) shades have little contrast and gently transition into the next shade.

Here, the lavender color on top gradually diffuses into a faintly-lighter, warmer version of the color at the ends. 

11. High-Contrast Lavender Balayage

If you love a look that turns heads, go with a dark, high-contrast lavender ombre. This model shows how good a dark natural shade looks when it smoothly transitions into a bright, lilac-esque lavender shade through the ends. 

12. Lavender With Pastel Balayage

This warmed-up version of lavender has blue and pink undertones, giving it a neutral tone overall that suits all skin tones. With pastel purple highlights sweeping up through the ends, the color gets a touch of brightness and dimension. 

13. Soft Lavender With Subtle Smudged Roots

Edgy drop fade aside, this soft lavender look commands attention and gets a lived-in, more natural look with a subtle smudged root.

The roots stick with the natural color to make maintenance a breeze and lend a little more dimension to this stunning purple shade. 

14. Vivid Violet-Lavender 

If you want your purple shade as bright and vivid as possible, blend some rich violet tones into a lavender color for the richest color impact.

This look goes great with an edgy, layered bixie cut that keeps the color compact and concentrated around the face.

15. Brunette and Lavender Balayage

Balayage color loses the subtle, natural look when you switch out basic shades like blonde and brown for a gorgeous, pastel lavender hair color.

The purple tones sweep up without reaching near the roots for a high-contrast color against the darker brunette. 

16. Lavender Ribbon Balayage

Wide ribbons of vibrant lavender purple establish this color and make a splash without requiring all-over application.

It gives us all the fairy vibes, so find a field with purple flowers and lounge there to command your plant kingdom! 

17. Rooty Icy Lavender

Rooty looks are great with lavender color! They also make it much lower maintenance for dark hair. This gorgeous shade and texture from her bouncy coils reminds us of a pristine field of lavender. 

18. Black, Lavender, and Brown Ombre

If you’re searching for a unique way to wear the lavender hair trend, look no further. How gorgeous is this? Inky black roots melt out into dark purple and faded lavender.

The ends lighten up to a very dark blonde tone for a beautiful ombre color that stands out. 

19. Washed-Out Lavender Ombre

Adopt a fun, edgy look with washed-out lavender color in the trendy ombre style. Natural dark roots smudge into pink, red, and blonde tones before giving way to that grungy, washed-out lavender shade.

This gives you a pretty and punky color block look that’s raw with laid-back, casual vibes. You’ll need to bleach the ends of your hair to achieve the light lavender tones. 

20. Lavender Pop of Color

Lavender makes a great shade to add a rich pop of color that works with other, more natural colors like blonde and brown. Here, bubblegum pink and pure lavender really liven up a light blonde look with dreamy, girly vibes! 

Bring ribbons of lavender up closer to the roots in strands around your face to increase the impact of this color pop. 

Things to Consider

Lavender hair is gorgeous, but it’s not a color to stumble into without knowing all the facts and considerations. Here’s what you should keep in mind before you opt for this hair color!

• Purple is prone to fading. Lighter shades of purple, like lavender, are prone to fast fading since they feature a little less dye pigment than deeper violets and royal purples. You can sidestep the issue by starting off with a richer, deeper shade and letting it fade into lavender. 
• You need to use a special shampoo. You shouldn’t use purple shampoo, which is used to neutralize brassy tones in blonde. Instead, you need a very gentle, sulfate-free shampoo that won’t strip the dye pigment as much as shampoo with sulfates. It’ll prolong your color a bit. 
• Bleaching might be necessary. Depending on how dark your hair is currently, you might need to bleach your hair to achieve the shade of lavender you want. Lavender is a lighter purple that doesn’t show up well on dark hair. Consider your hair’s health and whether or not you should bleach your hair to achieve it.
• Opt for off-root color for less maintenance. Root touch ups are essential with any type of color, but you can prolong the length between salon visits by going with off-root color. Balayage, teasylights, ombre color, and darker-root methods like smudged roots and root melts are all great ways to reduce maintenance on lavender hair. 
• Customize the color for your complexion. Lavender is overall a very cool-toned color. That’s perfect for skin with cool undertones, but won’t look great on skin with warm undertones. You can customize the color by asking for complementary warm tones in the color mix, like pinkish lilac, red, or brown. Try lavender highlights in a warm base color for a similar effect without tweaking the lavender shade! 

If damage is holding you back from dyeing your hair lavender right now, start taking steps to fix damaged hair.

Using a hair mask weekly, minimizing or avoiding heat styling, washing less often, and using gentle shampoo will help you get your hair to where it needs to be before bleaching and applying lavender dye. 

Try to wait at least 2 months before bleaching and dyeing your hair if you’ve recently gone through a chemical process. Your strands need time to heal and recover from the harsh processing!

So, Is Lavender Hair a Trend You Can’t Pass Up?

Lavender hair is one of the prettiest trends we’ve seen in a while. It’s undeniably dreamy with its rich blue and violet tones that seem to instantly deliver a sense of calm or magic. 

Trends come and go, so don’t settle on lavender hair unless you’re really digging this color movement. If you love the relaxed or vibrant vibes, it’s a high-impact shade that people instantly notice! 

The good news is that lavender hair color doesn’t last as long as other colors, so you won’t be “stuck” with it if you find it’s just not for you. 

If you’re into the idea of bright or pastel fantasy colors but don’t think lavender is the best fit, widen your scope to consider shades with a similar effect.

We especially love dark blue hair, blue and purple hair, and light pink hair color to get similar ethereal vibes.

If you’re totally onboard the lavender hair trend train, make sure you’re following the tips above – using a sulfate-free shampoo, going slightly deeper than you want with the shade to sidestep fading, and considering off-root color for less maintenance. 

Remember that tweaking the shade to suit your complexion is key for the most flattering color. Finally, don’t even think about bleaching your hair to go lavender unless it’s in prime, healthy condition!