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20 Orange Hair Color Ideas to Try in 2024

Vibrant hair colors are all the rage right now. What’s more vibrant and spirited than orange? Check out 20 of our favorite orange hair color ideas to add a little pep and energy to your strands with bright, fiery color! 

We’re sharing 20 of our favorite shades and orange hair color ideas in this photo guide. Plus, we’ll talk about what makes orange such a phenomenal hair color choice (and who it’ll look best on).

You’ll also find some helpful tips and things to consider before you commit to a bright orange hue. Ready to see the cutest orange hair color ideas? Scroll on, sister! 

Why Orange Hair Is So Captivating

Image of a mixing bowl with orange dye in it for a piece titled orange hair color ideas

Tawin Mukdharakosa/Shutterstock

Nestled in the color spectrum between red and yellow, orange is a warm color that is tied to energy, flamboyance, and confidence. When we see the color orange, we see a high-spirited hue that invokes feelings of warmth, fun, and positivity.

Frank Sinatra famously said “Orange is the happiest color” and we completely agree. Bright, energetic, and pleasantly intense, it makes perfect sense that orange as a hair color is catching up with its sister color red and becoming so popular.

Once an outcast hair color associated with pale, freckled gingers and Carrot Top, orange hair color has experienced a serious glow up in recent years.

Today, orange has come into its own and is a great color choice for women who want a hue that’s a little different from your basic blonde, brown, red, or black.

While bright, attention-getting orange hair color ideas are definitely popular, we’re also seeing more muted and subdued shades of orange picking up steam in salons across the nation. As a hair color, orange is captivating, confidence-boosting, and a surefire conversation starter.

For people with the right undertones, it can be an incredibly flattering hair color. We’ve been rounding up tons of gorgeous orange hair color ideas to bring you a photo list of our favorites and can’t wait to show you.

First, let’s look at who can best pull off orange hair and find the right shade of orange for your skin tone. 

Who Can Pull Off Orange Hair?

As beautiful and diverse as this color can be, orange hair color isn’t a great fit for everyone. As a very warm color, orange looks best on women with warm or neutral undertones. It won’t do you any favors if you have cool undertones. 

If you have any of these general characteristics, you’ll be able to pull orange hair color off beautifully:

  • Warm undertones: If you look best in gold jewelry, have greenish colored veins, and have brown, hazel, green, or gold-flecked eyes, orange will definitely work for you
  • Neutral undertones: If you look equally good in gold and silver jewelry, have greenish blue veins, or can’t see the color of your veins, the right shade of orange will be a great match for you
  • Natural redheads: If your hair is naturally a shade of red, from strawberry blonde to deep auburn, you’ll be able to find a super-flattering shade of orange to rock
  • Fair to deep skin tones: Any skin tone can rock orange hair with the right undertones; fair skin looks best in peachy or coral orange, medium skin looks best with copper or gold-tinged orange, and deep skin can boldly rock vibrant orange shades

On cool-toned skin, orange hair color can highlight redness and skin imperfections in a way that’s not flattering. It can also make you look “washed out.” 

But if you have warm or neutral undertones, orange can be a gorgeous and unexpected color option to try. Orange plays well off warm and neutral undertones, evening out your complexion and accentuating your eye color.

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20 Uniquely Gorgeous Orange Hair Color Ideas 

Not sure which shade of orange you’re going to try? Take a look at our list of the best orange hair color ideas for all skin tones below. We found amazing orange hair color ideas in a range of brilliant orange shades from subdued and subtle to wild and vibrant! 

1. Gradient Tiger Lily Orange

Gradient Tiger Lily Orange hair color idea

Oleg Gekman/Shutterstock

Tiger lilies boast a pure and vibrant shade of orange that catches the eye. Channel that wild beauty into your hair color with a bold, bright copper gradient that lightens toward the ends.

This shade of orange will look amazing on all skin tones as long as you’ve got that underlying warmth or neutral undertones!

2. Long and Layered Zesty Blood Orange

Long and Layered Zesty Blood Orange Hair Color Idea

Masson/Shutterstock

Add a little more red to get one of our favorite orange hair color ideas: Blood orange! This sultry, deeper hue is sexy and very appealing on fair, medium, and deep skin tones.

Long layers break up the length for added texture that helps the light hit the ends at different angles for a gorgeous, dimensional look. 

3. Monarch Butterfly Orange Lob

Monarch Butterfly Orange Lob

Sergey Causelove/Shutterstock

Spread your wings and fly with this bold, high-saturation hue with tons of spirit and personality! Keeping the length around the shoulders helps the color pack a more precise punch without being lost in longer lengths.

Let this loud color do most of the work for you and choose simple styles that let the shade shine. 

4. Fiery Melon Orange With Underdye

Fiery Melon Orange With Underdye

New Africa/Shutterstock

Fiery melon is a unique shade that blends vibrant blaze orange with a soft, peachy-coral undertone. It’s absolutely stunning alongside a light, off-white blonde underdye with money piece highlights.

A blunt, shoulder-skimming bob looks amazing with this intense color (and makes upkeep a little easier). 

5. Light Coral Orange Waves

Light Coral Orange Waves as a featured orange hair color idea

Africa Studio/Shutterstock

The broad orange color spectrum is part of what makes it such an appealing color to try. If loud, fiery orange is a little much for you, consider a soft coral shade like this. With peachy coral tones and a light, level 9 blonde base, you’ll achieve a subdued and gorgeous shade of orange. 

6. Safety Orange Wavy Lob

Safety Orange Wavy Lob orange hair color idea

Eugenia Porechenskaya/Shutterstock

The color may be “safety orange,” but you’ll be living dangerously with this vibrant shade of orange! This shade includes more yellow pigment with a little red for that punchy tone that will get attention everywhere you go. Pair it with a choppy lob and natural waves for a look that screams confidence. 

7. Blonde Papaya Orange 

Blonde Papaya Orange hair color idea

frantic00/Shutterstock

Papaya orange has a pinkish tint that works well with a light base around level 9. It creates a color similar to coral and is one of the more subdued orange hues. We love the incredible dimension and natural depth in a sparkling color like this! 

8. Flaming Sunset Orange to Red Ombre

Flaming Sunset Orange to Red Ombre orange hair color idea

sruilk/Shutterstock

Orange is so versatile as a hair color – it can be as glam or fun as you want it to be. This serious take on the orange hue is beautifully glam with a sunset gradient of color that transitions from bright, flaming orange to a deep, sensual red at the ends. 

9. Midi Length Pure Copper Orange

Midi Length Pure Copper Orange orange hair color idea

Kseniia Perminova/Shutterstock

Copper is considered a shade in the red hair family, but its overall tone is decidedly orange. With hints of gold and yellow to round out the color, it’s not so vibrant that it looks unnatural. Copper orange is a super dimensional shade with lots of depth and a shimmering, glistening appearance. 

10. Pumpkin Orange Passion Twists

Pumpkin Orange Passion Twists orange hair color idea

Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock

Cute, messy passion twists in a bright pumpkin-y shade of orange is such a great combo. With deep skin and a warm undertone, you can pull this vibrant orange off with ease and look good doing it. The loose, casual look of passion twists is the perfect match for this happy orange shade. 

11. Burnt Orange Shag

Burnt Orange Shag orange hair color idea

oes/Shutterstock

Burnt orange features a little more brown mixed in with the yellow and red tones for a low-key orange shade that still steals the spotlight.

This coppery color has a golden tint that makes it suit warmer undertones amazingly well and it can look like a natural color. A choppy layered shag is the perfect complement to this shade!

12. Carnelian Orange Sleek Pixie

Carnelian Orange Sleek Pixie orange hair color idea

Auleena/Shutterstock

Carnelian orange is a bright and sassy shade, so it flows so naturally with a sleek and feisty cut like this short pixie! We love short haircuts with vibrant colors because they’re easier to maintain and make a bold statement without saddling you with hour-long styling sessions. 

13. Ocher Orange With Bangs and Layers

Ocher Orange With Bangs and Layers orange hair color idea

Inside Creative House/Shutterstock

Ocher orange is a natural-looking copper hue that really suits a warm complexion. With a color this dimensional and pure, we love a heavy bang to bring the color forward front and center. Layers at the ends of the hair add to the casual, tousled effect and suit the fun color perfectly. 

14. Blonde Melon Long Curls

Blonde Melon Long Curls orange hair color idea

New Africa/Shutterstock

Melon tones include orange and light pink hues for a muted, gorgeous shade of orange that can suit almost anyone. This color is perfect for fair skin.

But it makes a nice contrasting color on medium and deep skin tones, too. Glistening level 9 or 10 blonde as a base helps the vivid color shine. 

15. Bright Persimmon Undone Curls

Bright Persimmon Undone Curls orange hair color ideas

Galina Kovalenko/Shutterstock

A higher level (8 or 9) blonde base and bright golden copper color create this gorgeously bright persimmon shade. It’s perfect against fairer skin tones like the model pictured, but it’ll work really well on medium and deep skin shades, too. When the sun hits this color, it appears to sparkle! 

16. Peachy Orange Textured Lob

Peachy Orange Textured Lob

Africa Studio/Shutterstock

The soft, pink tones in a peachy orange hair color are stunningly beautiful on all skin tones, from fair to deep. It’s a great shade to give orange a try without committing to a loud color that may clash with your undertones. This color looks almost rose gold with its rosy overtones and gold/orange base.

17. Vibrant Tangerine Orange Bixie

Peachy Orange Textured Lob

Kobrin Photo/Shutterstock

Bixie cuts are half bob (length) and half pixie (layers and shape). It’s a beautifully edgy cut on its own, but with this bold tangerine hue, you’ll be a show-stopper. This bright color may be a little too much for some, but if attention-getting hues are your thing, you can’t skip this shade. 

18. Flaming Orange Ombre Lob

Flaming Orange Ombre Lob

Zyabich/Shutterstock

This one’s hot for sure – you’ve got a deep brown shadow root that smoothly transitions into fiery orange and apricot to mimic a glowing flame. This is a complex color process that needs a skilled colorist for great results. 

19. Vermilion Orange Roots With White Blonde 

Vermilion Orange Roots With White Blonde orange hair color idea on a woman in a white shirt

George Mayer/Shutterstock

Here’s a cute way to mix orange into your mane without going full-on pumpkin – dye your roots! The red-orange vermilion root is painted down to the midshaft in sections for a soft gradient that offers peekaboo color depending on how the hair is worn. We love how it looks against a stark white blonde on short hair. 

20. Hyped-Up Melon Orange With Bangs

Hyped-Up Melon Orange With Bangs orange hair color idea

Ground Picture/Shutterstock

If you’re going orange, you may as well do the dang thing and opt for a hyped-up, super-saturated melon shade. This orange color has hints of peachy-pink melon and a little sunny yellow to mellow it out. Try a heavy, point-cut bang for plenty of texture in the ends and long layers to keep the shape sleek. 

Final Things to Consider

Orange is becoming such a trendy hair color with a fun wild side that everyone loves. If you’re not quite sure if you can pull orange off, take a look at these tips and things to consider before you commit to the color. 

  • Orange doesn’t have to be loud. While there are definitely some loud orange shades out there, there are also plenty of muted and subdued orange hues that won’t make you think of a traffic cone when you look in the mirror. Look for orange colors with a brown, pink, blonde, or red tint to achieve a more natural-looking, subtle shade. 
  • There are no “cool” orange shades. Every shade of orange is cool in our book, but there are no cool-toned shades of orange. Unlike other colors like red, blonde, and brown that can feature warm or cool tones, orange is always warm because it’s a blend of two warm colors (yellow and red). Cool-toned skin won’t look great with orange hair color, unfortunately. 
  • There’s a fine line between orange and red. If you’ve been researching orange hair color ideas, you’ve already learned that there’s a fine line between orange and red colors. While safety or tangerine orange would never be considered red, dimensional golden shades like copper, rust, and ocher are often lumped in with red hair colors. For the most variety, you might consider checking out red hair color ideas to make sure you’re not missing any cute “on the fence” orange colors!  
  • Some orange hair color ideas require bleaching. If you’re choosing a shade of orange that’s lighter than your current color, you’ll need to bleach your hair before dying it to achieve the right shade. Some ultra-vivid orange colors won’t appear at their full brightness without a lighter base underneath (which almost acts as a backlight for the color). Know this going in so you won’t be surprised if you need a double process. 
  • You won’t be stuck with the color. Don’t let a lack of commitment turn you away from orange – you can always transition your color into a shade of blonde, red, or brown when you get tired of orange. The easiest transitions will be warm colors (strawberry or copper blonde, copper or auburn red, chocolate or chestnut brown) but cool colors are possible with the right neutralizing toner. No matter what, you won’t find yourself stuck with orange when you’re ready to change things up. 

Which Orange Hair Color Idea Is Right for You?

You’ve seen all the gorgeous colors under the orange spectrum now, from muted blonde copper to loud-and-proud blazing orange shades and everything in between. While orange is still one of the rarer hair colors to see, it’s becoming more and more trendy. 

Maybe it’s because this wild, unbridled color looks and feels energetic and alive. It might be the subliminal association with confidence and joy, or the rarity and vibrance of this hue.

Whatever it is that makes us do a double take when we see orange, it deserves to be part of your look at least once. We hope you found several orange hair color ideas that inspire you to take a risk with your next color and try something that brings you immense joy.

If you’ve been thinking about rocking orange color for a while, we’re behind you 100% – with the right shade for your skin tone, you’ll find that this bright color can be the key to the style transformation you’re looking for.