Bye, Brunette! Dakota Johnson Is Now a “Dirty Blonde”

Reported by Vogue.

Dakota Johnson's signature brunette has officially left the building. The actor just swapped her deep, dark locks for what colorist Tracey Cunningham calls a "dirty blonde"—a soft, low-contrast shade that blends cool, creamy tones with subtle brunette roots. According to Vogue, it's the kind of blonde that looks expensive because it doesn't try too hard: dimensional, natural, the opposite of brassy or high-maintenance.

Cunningham didn't use standard balayage to pull off the transformation. Instead, she borrowed a technique created by colorist Kari Hill for Sarah Pigeon's Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy moment in the limited series Love Story. The method combines precision foiling with strategic color placement—basically, Cunningham selectively lifted specific strands from Johnson's natural base using Schwarzkopf's Blondme Premium Lightener, then toned everything with Igora Vibrance in a medium blonde. The result: dimension that still reads as one cohesive, blended color.

Evolution, Not Reinvention

What's interesting is that this isn't Johnson trying on a completely new persona. Cunningham notes that Johnson's hair has always been part of her visual identity—recognizable, simple, timeless. Moving her to blonde feels less like a departure and more like the next logical chapter. The shift tracks as a brighter summer move for the actor, but it maintains the same polished restraint she's known for. It's the kind of hair evolution that makes sense: bold enough to notice, subtle enough to feel inevitable.

If you're considering a similar move, the takeaway is clear: the most convincing blonde transformations aren't about going as light as possible, but about finding the shade that still feels like you.

Read the original at Vogue.