If you’ve ever curled up next to a cat and admired its varying shades of soft fur, you’ll most likely love calico hair. Inspired by the multicolored coats of calico cats, this look involves applying three or more distinct hair colors—typically blonde, red, and brunette—to different sections of your hair. The result is usually chunky highlights that pay homage to our feline friends.
Interested in knowing if the trend is right for you? You’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re new to it or are looking to rock the edgy look yourself, keep scrolling to find gorgeous calico hair inspos to show your hairstylist.
What’s Special About Calico Hair?
TikTok is usually home to bold new hair trends, and calico is one of them. Calico hair is a multi-dimensional coloring technique that mixes warm reds, rich brunettes, and radiant blonde to imitate the striking patterns of calico cats. The result is a unique, patchy look that ranges from high-contrast stripes to softer, blended hues.
The trend goes beyond cat fur. It’s also a tribute to Y2K hair icons like Kelly Clarkson and Christina Aguilera. Calico is a playful, bold, and creative way to play with your strands while enhancing your look.
Unlike traditional highlights like balayage, the calico hair trend focuses on creating chunky and intentionally patchy stripes. It also offers endless possibilities for personalization, perfect for those looking to make a statement with their hair color.
What Does Calico Hair Look Like?
As mentioned earlier, it typically features a mix of three contrasting colors, mostly red, blonde, and brown. While placement varies, the classic calico hairstyle usually pairs a medium brunette base with chunky copper and platinum streaks. However, you can also mix the three colors with balayage, ombré, or peekaboo highlights; anyone works.
While the red-blonde-brunette combo is the most common, the trend has other variations: softer tones like rose gold, cream, and auburn for a more muted effect, and vibrant, pigmented hues, like vibrant copper and jet black.
ALSO READ: Hair Treatment: 8 Home & Salon Remedies for Damaged Strands
Is Calico Hair High Maintenance?
Like any multi-tonal hair color, calico hair requires some upkeep, especially as various shades fade at different rates. Red colors tend to fade out the fastest, while darker tones like brown and black generally last longer. Hence, your color might fade slightly over time, and you’ll need touch-ups to keep the contrast sharp.
Also, making a few changes to your haircare routine can help make the colors last longer. For example, swap your regular shampoo and conditioner for a color-safe duo to help seal in color longer. And use lukewarm water when you wash your hair, as hot water can strip off colors and dry out your strands.
10 Calico Hair Inspos to Get Started
Here we go:
Calico Balayage
You can have calico hair in balayage, a highlighting technique that involves hand-painting individual strands of hair to create a lived-in effect. However, this technique can take time to master, especially if you’re adding multiple colors to your hair. So, if you’re not a seasoned professional, let your colorist handle it.
Calico Hair with Layers
Need a calico style that looks more dynamic? Try it on textured hairstyles with layers and volume. It’s a look that works especially well on dark strands.
ALSO READ: 16 Headband Hairstyles that’ll Elevate Your Look
Calico Money Pieces
If you want to embrace the calico trend but aren’t ready for a full commitment, start with money pieces. Here, the chunky highlights are set to frame your face, so you don’t have to dye every strand to get the look. It’s a subtle take on this multi-tonal hair color that doesn’t require plunging in completely.
Mullet Callico Hair
A mullet is a super cool hairstyle. Level it up with thick stripes of calico color: blonde, bright orange, and rich brown hues that add gorgeous details to your mane.
Calico Braids
If you don’t want to color your strands, wear braids using blonde, red, brunette or black colors of extensions. It’s a protective take on the trend that does no harm to your natural hair.
Y2K Calico Hair
This look draws inspiration from the early aughts. It features thick, face-framing highlights with plenty of volume at the crown.
Calico Ombre
The ombré technique involves blending all hues together from roots to ends to create a soft gradient of color. For an ombre take on the calico trend, leave your natural brunette roots intact, then add a vibrant red shade at the mid-shaft that gradually becomes blonde at the ends.
Pastel Calico Hair
If you don’t want to stick to the classic red, black, blonde color scheme, that’s fine. Calico hair still works with almost any contrasting hues. For a playful twist on the trend, replace any of the colors with pastels like baby blue or soft pink.
Long Calico Hair
Make a dramatic statement with ultra-long hair laced with calico colour. The long length adds extra movement and visual interest.
Calico Curls
When it comes to adorning curly hair with calico color, the bolder the placement, the better. But curly hair is fragile. So it’s best to work with a hairstylist who understands the intricacies of your curl pattern.
Peekaboo Calico Hair
If you want to tone down your calico color look, make it peekaboo. This style involves only adding highlights to the underside of your hair. When your hair is down, it’ll appear as one color. But once you put your hair up, the peekaboo highlights emerge, lending a playful twist to your otherwise basic look.
ALSO READ: Hair Care Tips: 11 Must-Follow Essentials for Healthy Strands
