15 Hair Color Ideas for Short Hair

Model with a light brown ‘bixie’ – or bob pixie – haircut, featuring golden blonde highlights.

1

Bronde Bixie

The queen of the bixie (bobbed pixie) Briana Cisneros has done it again. This brown-blonde masterpiece features a toffee base, and caramel highlights applied with a balayage technique. The perfect placement of ribbons through the bangs and lengths helps to amp up the texture of the waves, resulting in a short cut that’s loaded with body and movement. We. Are. Obsessed. Want to try recreating this glow? After lifting sections of hair with Blondor Freelights, apply Shinefinity Color Glaze 08/38 to get a boost of radiant blonde.

2

Color Block Bob

Image Credit: @nikkiclifford_hair

Just when you thought color block hair couldn’t get any bolder, this icy bob steals the show, featuring frosted panels of blue and blonde. If you really want to make those blocks pop, combine them with a blunt cut that shapes up each section of color. Here, you’re seeing a graduated trim that’s as eye-catching as that mesmerizing cobalt. As for the formula, Nikki Clifford applied Shinefinity Color Glaze 010/8 for the blonde, and 08/8 + 00/89 for the blue.

Model with glossy brown bob haircut and layering through the front.

3

Dark Brown Mob Wife Bob

Image Credit: @uvasalon

Proving single-tone color is anything but dull, this mob wife bob is giving us expensive brunette vibes. Go dark, glossy and blunt on the cut to achieve the look for your client. Not only is it ultra sleek, but it’s also easy to maintain with Koleston Xpress. Use the regrowth-fixing product as part of an Express Touch-Up service for up to 100% gray coverage in only 30 minutes (or less). It’s available in 13 shades, including 3/ – a dark brown that would keep regrowth under wraps, so that old money bob always looks flawless.

Model with shoulder-length, brown curly hair and bronze highlights.

4

Short Curly Bronze Hair

Image Credit: @hairbymonicacher

If you’re looking for summer hair color ideas for short hair, try a boost of bronze. Through these chin-length curls, it adds a metallic sheen that lends major dimension. To make it happen for your clients, start adding chunky highlights with BlondorPlex, our bond-strengthening lightener, which gives you up to nine levels of lift and 97% less breakage*. Then tone with Color Touch. Some of our favorite colors for a sun-kissed finish include 7/0, 7/1 and 9/97.

5

Pastel Pink Pixie Bob

Image Credit: @brianacisneros

Take the whimsy of a bixie to new heights with a wash of candy pink. If your client wants to embrace spring/summer pastels, then this is the short haircut to do it with. The choppy layering adds dimension to the single-tone color, and the pink gives locks a veil of shimmer. Plus, those grown-out bangs frame the face flawlessly. Briana created the look by first evening out a blonde base and lifting roots with BlondorPlex + 6%. Then, to get that punchy pink, Shinefinity Color Glaze 09/65 was applied, and developed under heat for 20 minutes. Dreamy.

Model with shoulder-length, copper red, curly hair.

6

Short Copper Curls

Image Credit: @ariannaskye

If fall hair color ideas for short hair are on the agenda, look no further than copper red. It’s a cool-season staple, delivering all the vibrancy we crave when the leaves start to turn. This particular look is a Koleston Perfect creation – hence that signature intensity. On the roots, 7/34 + 99/44 + 6% was applied, while on the ends, curls were treated to 8/43 + 3%. Great for short haircuts on all levels, you can try this formula on mid-length, chin-skimming or even buzz cut curls. Oh, and it’s not just for fall – copper looks ultra-fresh in summer too.

Model with black shag haircut, featuring green highlights.

7

Peekaboo Black and Green Shag

Image Credit: @matthew.wella

The edginess of a shag haircut calls for statement-making color, which is why this black and green combo was a flawless choice from Matthew Luce. The cut is bordering mid-length, but you can take it shorter if your client prefers. Just as long as the layers are choppy, the face frame is tapered, and the color stands out. Tempted to mix up your own emerald mane? Paint with Koleston Perfect 4/82 + 1.9% for the dark base, then apply BlondorPlex + 4% for the peekaboo highlights, and tone with 0/30 + 0/33 + 0/28 + 1.9%.

8

Bold Yellow Short Hair

Image Credit: @tina.kinga.schreck

Yellow but not so mellow, this short style gives you a bolder take on golden blonde. Made for clients who want a color and cut that combo that turns heads, it was created using Color Fresh CREATE in Uber Gold + Future Yellow. One of the best things about this semi-permanent hair color is its true-to-tone fading, which means even as the shade softens, it still maintains its gilded glow.

9

Black Bob with Curtain Bangs

Image Credit: @jordannacobella

Color Touch 2/0 is doing the most in this bouncy, blow-dried bob. The shine. The intensity. The curtain bangs. It’s come together flawlessly. All that’s needed is a salon-grade care routine to maintain smoothness from wash to wash – enter the ULTIMATE REPAIR regimen. Recommend your client uses the ULTIMATE REPAIR Shampoo and ULTIMATE REPAIR Conditioner in the shower, followed by a misting of Miracle Hair Rescue through towel-dried lengths. Together, this skincare-inspired, deeply nourishing trio gives your client damage repair in 90 seconds**, with 12x smoother hair*** and 99% less breakage****.

Back of model’s head featuring a shaved undercut and blonde curls.

10

Dark Roots with Short Blonde Curls

Image Credit: @mr.glitterhair

One sure way to make the shape of curls stand out: combine depth on the roots with lightness on the ends. By retaining or adding a dark shadow, you give the appearance of extra volume, as well as boosted definition. For this look, you’re seeing an all-natural root against BlondorPlex + 6% to lighten, followed by Color Touch 8/0 + 9/01 + 1.9% for the stone blonde toner.

Model with dark brown pixie haircut, featuring subtle caramel highlights.

11

Chocolate Brown Pixie Cut

Image Credit: @rcgimenes

A layered pixie appears extra chic with soft, subtle highlights. Case in point: this chocolate brown crop, featuring delicate strokes of lightener to lift the whole look. You don’t need a high volume of weaves; just enough to add movement through the front. You also don’t want to go too bright, so make sure highlights are only one or two levels brighter than the base. Try it yourself with Blondor Soft Blonde Cream, applied to a client’s dark mane, then tone with Shinefinity Color Glaze 05/37 for a swirl of caramel.

Model with glossy, black, curly hair and a teal green color block through the front.

12

Short Color Block Curls

Formula Credit: @dereqc

Here’s some more color block magic, this time in a teal and black color combo. Crafted by the one and only Dereq C as part of our Wella Color Blocking campaign, it sees curls leveled up with a pop of marine green through the front. Want in? Take locks teal with Koleston Perfect 0/28 + 0/30 + 0/00 + 1.9%, applied to pre-lightened sections of hair. Then, gloss the dark base with 5/82 + INVIGO Post Color Service + 1.9%, so you get long-lasting luster from root to tip.

Model with a chin-length, blonde bob and a grown-out fringe.

13

Blonde Bob with Grown-Out Bangs

Image Credit: @jhair_stylist

The grown-out fringe (AKA ‘the gringe’) is hot property right now, so don’t be surprised if you get a sudden influx of requests for Farrah Fawcett-style bangs. Setting off the look with a bob and vanilla blonde hues screams seventies vibes. Try it with cool tones from the permanent Illumina Color collection – 9/19 is a favorite. And no seventies blow-dry is complete without a boost of body, so reach for EIMI Root Shoot mousse to create next-level volume.

14

Platinum Blonde Buzz Cut

Image Credit: @alistan_fernandes

You can’t go wrong with a short back and sides, plus a little length on top. Make it platinum blonde, and you’ve got a look that’s foolproof yet impactful all at once. But it does require close-to-the-scalp lightening, which means a gentle lightener is key. That’s why Alistan Fernandes turned to Blondor Soft Blonde Cream to lift this cut to a level 10. Then, Koleston Perfect 10/1 + 1.9% was applied for the platinum toner, creating boldness and brightness from front to back and root to tip.

Model with pastel micro bob. The front half is peach and the back half is lavender.

15

Short Gemini Hair

Image Credit: @erik.wella

The Gemini hair trend is all about two-tone creations with major contrast, and this pastel dream team of peach and lilac has the look locked down. Shinefinity Color Glaze has you covered if you want to recreate it, allowing you to mix up the glossiest hues to elevate a pre-lightened base. Try pastelizing 00/66 with 00/00 for that soft purple, then apply 08/34 for the peach. Finish with EIMI Glam Mist for extra shine.

Now you have all the inspiration you need to enhance your clients’ short haircuts, don’t forget to share your own creations with us. Simply tag us @WellaHairUSA. We can’t wait to see your work!

* When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex, versus Blondorplex alone.

** When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue.

*** Vs. non-conditioning shampoo.

**** When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue. Instrumental test versus non-conditioning shampoo.

15 Hair Color Ideas For Short Hair - From Bobs to Pixie Cuts