Dark and mysterious? Not anymore – Dakota Johnson has ditched her deep brunette hair colour for something brighter – and Vogue heard all about it, direct from the woman behind the transformation.
“The colour is what I call a ‘dirty blonde’,” says celebrity colourist Tracey Cunningham. “It’s a soft, low-contrast blonde that blends cool, creamy tones with a subtle brunette undertone at the root. It’s not overly bright or high-maintenance. Instead, it has a diffused, dimensional quality that feels very natural and expensive.”
Cunningham used a technique that fellow colourist Kari Hill created while nailing Sarah Pidgeon’s perfect Carolyn Bessette Kennedy blonde for the limited series Love Story. “Rather than relying on traditional balayage or hair painting, Johnson’s colour was created through a combination of precision foiling and tailored colour work for a more refined, dimensional result,” Cunningham says.
The Schwarzkopf creative director of colour used the brand’s Blondme Premium Lightener to “selectively lift specific strands of Dakota’s natural brunette base, focusing on controlled, strategic placement rather than overall lightening”. From there, she toned with the medium-blonde shade of Igora Vibrance to create dimension while it still felt blended.
Overall, it’s a brighter summer beauty look for the actor. “Dakota has always had incredibly recognisable hair; it’s part of her identity,” says Cunningham. “There’s a simplicity and polish to it that feels timeless, but also very modern. What I love is that even when we evolve her colour, like with this dirty blonde shade, it never feels like a departure, but instead just like the next version of her.”
