When a global color pick meets real hair priorities.
When Pantone announced Mocha Mousse as the Color of the Year for 2025, it was clear that it would become a salon favorite – an airy and creamy brown shade, not too harsh for natural blondes wanting to go darker or brunettes looking to try a lighter tone. When Pantone announced “a lofty white” Cloud Dancer as the color of the year for 2026, our minds went completely blank (pun intended). Here’s why.
@hairbygerrileigh
On the one hand, it’s not your Radiant Orchid or Living Coral of the years gone by that would be pretty eccentric to wear daily at a corporate job. Sure as it gets, they would require a skilled vivids specialist, frequent touch-ups, constant root management, and specialized hair care products.
On the other hand, in some capacity, so does Cloud Dancer. While dreamy, icy blondes are not that rare or hard to achieve, they’re still high-maintenance and, let’s stop dancing around it, quite expensive. What happened to the recession hair trend?
@hairhardcor
Hairstylists are in two minds about it. Some are still healing from the trauma of everyone wanting silver hair and are overjoyed that none of their clients have mentioned Cloud Dancer as inspiration for their hair.
International hair designer Misti Murray believes it was very tone-deaf to choose such a high-maintenance color in a strained economy. “These things can be done, but it’s incredibly expensive and incredibly high-maintenance,” she says, comparing it with the unending maintenance of white sneakers or couches. She also mentions that, from an aesthetic standpoint, this shade flatters a limited number of people.
@adam_amhair
Others, like color specialist Heather Mackenzie, acknowledge the stir the new color of the year caused in the hairstyling community, but they’re here for it. “The key to the nicest, cleanest, blondest hair is condition,” she believes, and goes on to warn that you won’t be able to achieve the color or maintain it for long without the said condition. That’s the point of the consultation – to deepen the understanding of what a new hair color entails.
@reneeosuna
Brands like Davines and Schwarzkopf gleefully embraced the new opportunity, promoting their products. BehindTheChair, a portal for hairstylists, even predicted Cloud Dancer to be the next color of the year weeks before Pantone officially announced it, based on client requests. They developed formulas for a high-fashion Cloud Dancer Blonde shade and Cloud Dancer Silvery Gray-Blend to cater to different needs and purposes.
And if you don’t want to double-process your hair, but you still wish to try the trend. There’s a way around it. Colorist and CEO of 13th and Washington Salon, Kristen, suggests incorporating a variation of Cloud Dancer within your color for anyone whose hair color is other than blonde. Go for clean-lift, creamy shades that are woven through your hair to accentuate your existing hair color and texture. Brunettes can try soft browns, and redheads can go for delicate honey or strawberry blonde shades.
@raydiant_beauty_
Not planning a color job any time soon? One easy way to bring a milky‑white tone into your look is through hair accessories. Skinny satin headbands and coil hair ties add to a pared-back, minimalistic aesthetic. Romantic souls might enjoy chiffon ribbons, organza scrunchies, or pearl-finish hairpins. Love futuristic designs? Try a frosted acrylic hair cuff or a white enamel hair stick. White looks adorable in statement pieces, like an oversized bow, a padded headband, or a vintage ceramic hairpin.
All in all, trends are just pointers in popular directions. It’s up to us to follow them, reject them completely, or adapt them so that they serve us, not the other way around.
