Another season, another Hollywood-approved hair color trend.
The latest look sweeping Instagram, thanks to Paris Jackson, is “watermelon hair.” Celebrity hairstylist Riawna Capri — who also counts Nina Dobrev, Ashlee Simpson, Julianne Hough and more as clients — sparked the trend when she dyed Jackson’s naturally blonde hair an orange-y pink hue earlier this month.
“Paris loves change! She wrapped her film, which we did long blond hair for, and she was ready to switch it up to do something she’s never done before,” Capri told Page Six. “She’s so creative and has experimented with so many colors in the past, so I created a completely new color for her, the watermelon hair.”
So what sets this new watermelon color apart from, say, the equally headline-making “rose gold” hair trend, which is so popular it’s now bottled and sold at Target? It’s all about the undertones.
“Watermelon has a deeper hue than rose gold,” Capri explained. “Rose gold has more of a pastel-y vibe that can easily wash out quicker. Watermelon has a little more pigment, therefore it can last a little longer.”
Amber Maynard, a hairstylist who has worked with Demi Lovato, Brittany Snow and Hough under Capri, agreed that the difference between watermelon and rose gold is subtle.
“The difference between rose gold and watermelon is the underlying pigment,” Maynard said. “You see more gold with rose gold, while with watermelon you see more orange undertones.”
Maynard added that orange undertones aren’t going anywhere in the hair world: Warm shades are all the rage right now, she explained, and offer an alternative to the ashy colors that have dominated the scene for the last few years.
Maynard is even considering going “rose peach” herself. “I think it’s fun, and it doesn’t matter what age you are! It sits on the skin in a way that makes you look more youthful,” she said.
New York-based Arsen Gurgov, who handles the manes of Emmy Rossum, Juliane Moore and Hoda Kotb, urges those looking to take the plunge into watermelon territory to check their skin’s undertones first.
“Surprisingly, pink is a universally flattering shade, especially if you are leaving your roots natural,” Gurgov explained. “People with pale skin can carry more of a vibrant shade of pink, while someone with more yellow undertones should definitely try a more pastel shade.”
Other celebrities who have embraced pink this summer include Hailey Baldwin, Jonah Hill, Zayn Malik and Elle Fanning.