The 14 Best Blonde Hair Dyes for Salon-Level Results at Home

Best Overall

Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Creme

$9 at Amazon $8 at Target $9 at Walmart

Active Ingredients: Avocado, olive, and shea oils | Type: Permanent | Shades: 14 (blonde) | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Whether you want to conceal tell-tale dark roots, blend in some grays, or score an entirely new color, this dye can do it all (and all without the bleach). This brand offers 45 shades, including a nice mix of 14 blonde options. The dye is packed with moisturizing ingredients such as avocado, olive, and shea oils, as well as a separate vial of vitamin E-rich grapeseed oil and an ultra-hydrating conditioner to use immediately post-coloring. If you’re committed to coloring your hair at home, this formula—which comes with additional hydrating products—is pretty foolproof. That said, some reviews said the color they achieved didn’t match the box, but that could be because of their original level of blond

Best Budget

Revlon Colorsilk Permanent Hair Color

$14 at Amazon $4 at Target $4 at Walmart

Active Ingredients: Keratin, silk amino acids | Type: Permanent | Shades: 7 (blondes) | Cruelty-Free: Yes

At-home hair color is affordable by definition (certainly more so than a trip to the salon), but ringing in at less than $5 per box, this kit takes the cake. We love that the non-drip gel is very easy to use without messing up your bathroom and the formula is free from ammonia (an irritant used in many hair dye formulas) as well. Be aware that many reviews noted their end result didn’t quite match the shade on the box. 

Best Drugstore

L'Oreal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying

$12 at Amazon $12 at Walmart $13 at Walgreens

Active Ingredients: Golden camelina oil, vitamin E | Type: Permanent | Shades: 18 (blonde) | Cruelty-Free: No

Even though this product has been around since 1973, it remains an at-home hair color staple, particularly for blondes. There are—wait for it—18 different blonde tones to choose from, ranging from pale platinum to strawberry blonde to a trendy lilac blonde. It also comes with a conditioner-meets-shine-serum hybrid that imparts mirror-like glossiness from root to tip. Plus, the color is fade-resistant, so it should stay strong for up to eight weeks. It’s worth noting that some reviewers thought the finished result left their hair a tad brassy, so you might want to grab a toner, too. 

Best Kit

Madison Reed Radiant Hair Color Kit

$30 at Amazon $30 at Ulta $30 at Target

Active Ingredients: Argan oil, keratin, and ginseng root extract | Type: Permanent | Shades: 4 (blonde) | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This kit contains everything you need to get near-professional results at home: Radiant Cream Color, conditioning color activator, two pairs of gloves, a cap, a barrier cream and a cleansing wipe (to prevent the dye getting onto your skin), and a color protecting shampoo and conditioner. Each of the six blonde shades available is multi-tonal and dimensional (read: appears natural) and is free from ammonia and paraphenylenediamine (PPD), which is a known irritant and allergen. The formula is also enriched with nourishing keratin (a protein that aids hair strength and growth) and argan oil (a natural hydrator rich in fatty acids and antioxidants).

Best Permanent Color

IGK Permanent Hair Color

$28 at Amazon $28 at Ulta $28 at Walmart

Active Ingredients: Squalane, orchid extract, bamboo extract | Type: Permanent | Shades: 7 (blondes) | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Colorist-developed and professional-grade, this is one of the most high-performing at-home options we’ve seen. It’s also specially formulated to ensure your hair stays in the best shape possible; it’s enriched with squalane (a moisturizing, shine-enhancing ingredient) and orchid extract (a natural hydrator that helps smooth the hair). Yes, please to all of the above. And as far as blondes go, there are seven shades to choose from—not a ton but all extremely natural-looking and with a variety of undertones.

If you’re ready for a permanent change in your hair color, this expert-created formula will provide the vibrant, long-lasting results you normally have to visit a salon for. One caveat: some reviewers said this formula wasn’t the most effective for covering grey hair.

Best Semi-Permanent Color

Clairol Natural Instincts Demi-Permanent Hair Dye

$32 at Amazon $8 at Walmart

Active Ingredients: Coconut oil, aloe vera | Type: Demi-permanent | Shades: 8 (blonde) | Cruelty-Free: No

If you’re not exactly sure which shade of blonde you’re going for or just don’t like to commit to a color, a semi-permanent color option is the way to go. Unlike permanent color, these formulas fade out gradually every time you shampoo. Our go-to in this category lasts up to 28 washes and works in just 10 minutes. Not to mention that it’s also made with 80% naturally-derived ingredients, including good-for-your hair coconut oil and aloe vera—two natural moisturizers that will help leave your locks soft and smooth.

Best for Highlights & Root Touch-Ups

dpHUE Hair Lightening Blonding Brush

$28 at Ulta $25 at Revolve View on Myshopify.com

Active Ingredients: Lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide | Shades: 1 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Highlights are a very tricky technique to master (read: you probably should leave it up to the pros), but you can easily score a similar effect with this simple solution. Lemon juice plus hydrogen peroxide in the formula work to slightly lighten your hair, while the brush tip makes it easy to apply on targeted strands to create that highlight effect. It’s also infused with purple pigments to counteract brassiness and keep your blonde bright. Work it onto damp or dry hair; it’s heat-activated, so you can either hit it with a blow-dryer or let it do its thing naturally once you go out in the sun. Just FYI, this is meant for those who are already blonde and want to go lighter, so don’t try it if you’re a brunette.

Best for Damaged Hair

Schwarzkopf Simply Color Hair Color

$10 at Amazon $13 at Target $12 at Walmart

Active Ingredients: Botanical oat milk, soy protein, argan oil | Type: Permanent | Shades: 5 (blonde) | Cruelty-Free: No

If your parched or damaged strands need a gentler approach to dying, this hydrating, hair-strengthening formula is for you. It earns big points for being ammonia-free; it also doesn’t contain PPD, a common ingredient in many permanent hair color formulas that some people can be allergic to. What it does contain is a plethora of good-for-your hair ingredients, such as mega-moisturizing argan oil, botanical oat milk (a natural moisturizer, high in antioxidants and vitamin E), and soy protein, which has been shown to help strengthen hair.

Best for Easy Application

Hally Color Cloud Atomic Blonde

$13 at Amazon $14 at Target View on Hallyhair.com

Active Ingredients: Chamomile, lavender, ginseng, aloe | Type: Demi-permanent | Shades: 2 (blonde) | Cruelty-Free: Yes

The airy, mousse-like texture of this formula makes DIY-ing a total breeze (not to mention completely mess-free). It’s the first ammonia-free foam hair color out there and is also free of PPD. Instead, it's loaded with good-for-you hair ingredients such as aloe and chamomile, a natural hair lightener with strengthening properties. 

Atomic Blonde is the brand’s only blonde formula and it does a good job of lightening blonde and bronde base tones, providing vibrant demi-permanent color that will gradually fade within four to six weeks (note that if you’re looking for a full-coverage dye, Hally Color isn’t the best option).

Best for Natural Hair

Dark and Lovely Hair Color

$5 at Amazon $5 at Target

Active Ingredients: Shea, avocado, and olive oil | Type: Permanent | Shades: 3 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Since natural hair tends to be more dry and fragile, you want to use a formula designed for natural and relaxed hair in mind, like this one. The ammonia-free formula packs three of our favorite oils for conditioning hair—shea, avocado, and olive—limiting the chances of breakage and instead making your hair soft and shiny. The non-drip color promises 100% grey coverage and a vibrant shade that last up to eight weeks. Depending on your hair length and thickness, you may need to buy more than one bottle to fully cover your head.

Best Lightening Shampoo

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder

$10 at Amazon $11 at Target View on IHerb

Active Ingredients: Natural Lightening Complex | Shades: 1 | Cruelty-Free: No

If you already have blonde hair and want to gradually enhance your shade, this toning shampoo provides a handy dose of daily lightening. It works gradually, brightening and lightening your base color to make it look naturally sun-kissed each time you suds up (credit citrus and chamomile extracts—both natural highlighters). The formula is free of both ammonia and peroxide, making it very gentle. It works on all shades of natural, color-treated, and highlighted blonde, but reviews say it can take time to see results.

Best Shade Range

Wella Permanent Liquid Color

$10 at Amazon $10 at Sallybeauty.com

Active Ingredients: Ammonium | Type: Permanent | Shades: 35 (blonde) | Cruelty-Free: No

Every skin tone needs a different shade of blonde, which is why we appreciate the wide variety of blonde tones to choose from in this line. We’re talking over 30 shades, ranging from ash blonde to champagne to rich honey blonde and everything in between. No matter which one you choose, the permanent color is a great long-lasting option and also has the added benefit of offering 100% gray coverage, too. Unfortunately, some reviewers said the final result didn’t match the shade pictured on the box, which is sometimes the case with box dyes. 

Best Custom Color

eSalon Custom Hair Color Set

View on Esalon.com

Active Ingredients: N/A | Type: Permanent, demi-permanent | Shades: Custom | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Like we said, going blonde can be tricky, and finding the best shade for you can make all the difference. Enter the beauty of this personalized option, which combines in-salon expertise with the ease of at-home coloring. You create a profile, answering questions about both your existing color and where you want to end up. A pro colorist then blends up a shade (and formula; they offer both permanent and demi-permanent color) made especially for you, which takes into account not only your hair color but also things such as texture and length. You even get personalized instructions. Given how tough blonde can be to DIY, it’s a great way to ensure you end up with the best blonde hue for you.

Best Gloss

Pureology Color Fanatic Top Coat + Clear Gloss

$36 at Amazon $36 at Sephora $36 at Ulta

Active Ingredients: Oat milk, camellia oil | Type: Gloss | Shades: 1 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

As the name suggests, think of this gloss as the hair equivalent of a topcoat for your nails. No matter what shade of blonde you’re sporting (whether you had it done at the salon or went the DIY route) using this weekly or bi-weekly is the ideal way to add megawatt shine to your color. It softens and smooths like a conditioner, too, thanks to hydrating oat milk and camellia oil (a fatty acid-rich oil that locks in moisture) in the formula, and works in just five minutes. Consider it the best way to quickly and easily revive your blonde and make it look like you just stepped out of the salon.