Calico Hair Color: What Is It, Plus 5 Ways To Get the Look | Hair.com By L’Oréal
Tap Into Your Wild Side with Calico Hair Color
The calico hair color trend is a playful way to pay homage to your favorite furry feline. Here are five iterations of calico color to consider.
By Leann Garofolo & Powered By L’Oreal Professional Products Division
Update Date: 18 Oct 2024
Tap Into Your Wild Side with Calico Hair Color
Leann Garofolo
It isn’t the first time a furry friend trotted onto the scene and inspired an iconic hair look. Over the past year, we’ve seen the kitty cut, skunk stripe highlights, and teddy bear blonde rise to fame on our social media feeds. The latest critter influencing styles everywhere is the calico cat, known for its distinguishable white, black, and orange pattern. It was only a matter of time before hair (and cat) enthusiasts let the multi-tonal look inspire their next hair color—and the results couldn’t be more stunning. Keep scrolling to learn more about calico hair color and discover five of our favorite ways to try it at your next salon appointment.
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What Is Calico Hair Color?
Calico hair color is a funky look inspired by its namesake’s distinctive tri-color coat. It typically features a blend of rich browns, soft creams, deep blacks, and vibrant oranges to create a unique and highly customizable look. From subtle pastel blends to bold, saturated hues, there is no shortage of combinations to experiment with and make your own.
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Good hair day by @looks_by_brooks_.
How Do You Get Calico Hair Color?
There’s a lot of complexity involved in applying multiple hair colors at once. As such, it’s best to leave calico hair color to the pros. Some areas of your hair will need to be lightened with bleach, while others may require permanent or demi-permanent hair dye for deeper color saturation. Working with various formulas can leave a lot of room for error, so you don’t want to risk it and unnecessarily damage your strands.
Based on your budget, desired look, and preferred amount of upkeep, you and your colorist can decide which coloring approach to take. For a more low-maintenance look, consider opting for a calico ombrè or balayage. These hair coloring techniques generally allow for an easier grow-out since the majority of the color is concentrated from the mid-lengths to the ends of the hair. If you don’t mind regular touch-ups, take a walk on the wild side with bold, chunky highlights reminiscent of the Y2K era. The thick ribbons of varying colors create gorgeous contrast, giving your mane a graphic and dimensional appearance.
There are also more natural-looking ways to lean into the trend by weaving babylights or traditional highlights and lowlights (in the calico color palette) throughout your strands. Speak with your hairdresser to come up with a solution that meets all of your needs.
Pro tip: If you want to take this trend for a test drive without dye, try using clip-in extensions. Simply pick two colors and blend them with your natural hair. If you have a brunette base, try a mix of orange and blonde extensions. Or, if you’re a blonde, add black and orange extensions to get the tri-color effect.
5 Calico Hair Color Techniques To Try Now
If you’re looking for inspiration before hitting the salon, bookmark these calico hair color ideas to show your stylist.
the.polishedpunk and marissacapizzihair
\ \ the.polishedpunk\ \ 377 posts · 3K followers\ \
Good hair day by @balayageandbarbells and @marissacapizzihair .
Calico Ribbons
We’re starting off bold with chunky calico ribbons. It may take your stylist some time to section off your hair and execute all the colors, but the payoff will be worth it. Be sure to use a color-safe system, like Matrix Keep Me Vivid Shampoo and Keep Me Vivid Conditioner, to help extend the life of your striking new hue.
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\ \ hairbysroth\ \ 1,083 posts · 12K followers\ \
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Calico Peekaboo Highlights
Peekaboo highlights are partially hidden highlights applied to the underlayers of your hair, making for a fun pop of color when you style your strands into updos. It’s a great option for those who want to test the waters of calico hair because it allows you to preserve some of your natural color.
\ \ lindsayhutter.thehaircutter\ \ 898 posts · 3K followers\ \
Good hair day by @lindsayhutter.thehaircutter.
Calico Color Block
Another way to hang onto your natural base is with color block highlights. This edgy technique involves dyeing a panel of hair in one (or a few) vivid shades to contrast with the rest of your color. Here, we love how applying a color block to curtain bangs and face-framing layers helps play up all the angles of a feathery haircut.
\ \ belramirezartistry\ \ 965 posts · 4K followers\ \
Good hair day by @bel_rmz_artistry.
Calico Money Piece
To brighten calico hair that features deeper shades like espresso or auburn, you can add a creamy blonde money piece. It’s worth noting that this bleach-blonde highlight may require some extra TLC, so we recommend incorporating a treatment like Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate 5-Min Liquid Mask into your routine. In just five minutes, this ultra-conditioning mask melts into the hair fiber to provide deep hydration and repair to chemically processed hair.
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\ \ matrix Verified\ \ 2,130 posts · 813K followers\ \
Good hair day by @starkmaya.
Two-Toned Calico
With so many colors in the calico palette, you can pick and choose your favorites to suit your unique taste. Contrast generally makes for the most impactful look, so experiment with dual-toned combinations like blonde streaks on an orange or black base.
Next Up: The Skunk Stripe Hair Trend Is Here To Stay In 2024
Header photo credits (left to right): @lindsayhutter.thehaircutter, @balayageandbarbells, and @marissacapizzihair
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