Another day, another nostalgic beauty trend making waves in the zeitgeist. And just like past looks that have received an updated, 2025 spin (Pencil-thin brows! Blue eye shadow! Chunky highlights!), this one has received quite the fuss online. Get ready to revamp your Tumblr and blast My Chemical Romance—ombré hair is poised to make a major comeback this spring.
If you immediately cringed at the thought of reverting to those angsty, dip-dyed tips, I hear you. I was a little hesitant myself after seeing hairstylist and trend forecaster Tom Smith predict ombré hair’s imminent revival, but after speaking with Smith about the trend, including his tips on how to make it chic, not “cheugy,” I’m fully on board. Allow me to (re)introduce you to ombré hair, spring 2025’s version.
When did ombré hair become popular?
Let’s cut to 10 to 15 years ago, when a soft-grunge aesthetic was all the rage. Chances are you reblogged more than a few dip-dye hair looks to your Tumblr. (No? Just me?) “There was definitely that grunge, punk influence in it,” Smith says of ombré’s origins. “We saw really striking bleached ends, bright-red ends… It was definitely for the person that wanted to be bold and make a statement.”
This high-contrast look became a bit softer over time as celebrities started taking part (Smith credits Khloé Kardashian for ramping up its popularity), and dip dye officially evolved into ombré. “[It came from] the commercialization of that grunginess, where the fade from one shade to another became more gradual,” Smith says. “So even if the roots are very dark and the ends are very light, the fade was more gradual, and this is more of what we’re seeing now.” Only today, the contrast has become even softer.
(Image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
What’s the difference between ombré and balayage?
A little housekeeping before we proceed: Ombré hair is not synonymous with balayage. They’re intertwined, yes, but they’re not interchangeable. To put it simply, ombré hair is a look that involves fading from one shade to another. “All of the roots are one color, all of the ends are another color, and there’s a transition in between,” Smith explains.
Balayage, on the other hand, is a coloring technique, not a look in and of itself. “It’s the idea of painting color in a sweeping motion on the hair that blends at the beginning,” Smith adds. (The word balayage comes from the French term meaning “to sweep.”) “The overall look might be lighter on the ends than it is at the roots, but there’s that definition of highlights—some that go higher, some that go lower,” Smith shares. So balayage does involve a gradual fade, but it doesn’t have to be concentrated at just the ends. In short, “Balayage is a technique. Ombré is a look,” declares Smith.
Why is ombré hair trending right now?
There are a few factors at play, according to Smith. First up: the maintenance—or, well, lack thereof. See, the most successful hair trends solve a problem, and ombré hair, with its fade line near the ends, eliminates the need for regular root touch-ups. “That client isn’t going to have to redo their hair in any amount of weeks. It’s really just about redoing it when they want to, rather than feeling that they have to,” Smith says.
It also gives people the freedom to play with different colors that might not traditionally “suit” them. “I’m seeing a shift in clients wanting something that is a bit outside of their normal realm,” says Smith. “Not something that they’re told they’re ‘supposed’ to have by color analysis but their personal preference on what shades they like and want to play with. But it can be hard to wear if you’re going against your natural coloring right up to your roots and right next to your face.” Ombré hair gives people the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone with whatever color they fancy—color theory be damned.
Take Cardi B, for example, who opted for stunning, cotton candy hues.
We of course can’t forget about the cyclic nature of trends, and it has been a good 10 to 15 years since ombré hair had its reign. “For hair trends, [this] is a good amount of time before they come back around,” Smith adds. Specifically for younger beauty fans (think late 20s), ombré hair might be the first beauty trend they’ve seen live, die, and become reborn. “That’s quite confronting because it aligns with growing up and getting older,” Smith shares. It’s why we’ve seen such a visceral reaction to ombré hair—people are either energized by the Tumblr-esque revival or horrified by its return (sort of like the reaction to skinny jeans). Naysayers, rest assured ombré hair has evolved for 2025. “I don’t think it will be as literal as it was the first time around, because then it would simply look old fashioned,” Smith adds.
How to Elevate Ombré Hair for 2025
According to Smith, the fade line is much higher in today’s version—think cheekbone height or even up to the eyes. “It’s kind of like a very long, stretched-out root before it [transitions] to the lighter color. Whereas the first time around, because it had come from a place of dip dye, the fade line was much lower,” Smith explains. This higher fade line subtly lifts the face by emphasizing the cheekbones, which could speak to beauty’s current fascination with a snatched, contoured bone structure.
Ombré hair in 2025 is also much, much softer. “Back then, [the shades] might only have been two or three levels different. Now, sometimes they’re only one or two levels different,” Smith notes. Again, feel free to have fun with whatever creative color combinations you please (see: Rihanna’s magenta ombré lengths), but if you’re gunning for a super-low-maintenance look, a low contrast is the way to go. As always, reference images are your best friends. “As far as very natural-looking colors go, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a great example,” Smith adds. “Her hair is extremely subtly ombré. It’s darker at the roots and lighter at the ends, but [there’s] a very gradual transition between the two.”
That said, if you want the most modern version of ombré hair, opt for a lower contrast, a more gradual fade, and a higher fade line that hits the eyes or cheekbones. “Those three points give it that 2025 edge,” Smith shares. Of course, if you want to channel 2014 Tumblr-era grunge with a stark dip dye, go right ahead. What goes around always comes back around… and around and around.
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