Your Summer Hair Color Survival Guide

Women have been struggling with hair color for centuries: Gauls at the end of the Iron Age used limewater to bleach their locks a stark white (à la model Abbey Lee Kershaw); the ancient Greeks mixed potash water with yellow flowers to impart a golden sheen; and in early Rome, women masked grays with a mixture of ashes, boiled walnut shells, and earthworms. You'll find none of these remedies here!

TRENDS TO TRY NOW

SANDY BLONDE Nestled between brunette and blonde, "sandy blonde is a good transitional shade," says Manhattan-based colorist Marie Robinson. "And you don't have to worry about it getting too messed up with chlorine because it's darker, more forgiving."

FAINT PASTELS Both Ashley Olsen and Kelly Osbourne have dabbled in pastels before — baby-blue streaks and an allover lilac, respectively — but the new way to wear them is more understated. "Ask your colorist to add a slight pastel tint to the toner so it will give a blush to blonde hair," says Lena Ott of NYC's ION Studio.

RICH BRUNETTES This season's browns differentiate themselves with a spectrum of unexpected undertones — Robinson loves light browns with a complexion-flattering caramel reddish tone, while Ott favors cedar browns with hints of light-catching violet.

PLATINUM When it comes to visual impact, platinum is a winner. And that Jean Harlow-esque champagne has been updated for today. "Think Nordic blonde like Michelle Williams," says Victoria Hunter of Whittemore House Salon. "Blonde and bright, but really clean."

OMBRé Popular within every color family, ombré (which means "shadow" in French) is an effect where one color at the roots gradually transitions to another shade at the ends. Negin Zand of Sally Hershberger's L.A. salon reveals how to make it modern: "Add fine highlights at the root, then keep it thicker toward the bottom."