Taylor Swift Has Made Mousy Blonde The Most-Requested Hair Shade

Forget show-stopper hair shades, because the colour everyone’s currently asking for sits firmly in girl-next-door territory. Thanks to Taylor Swift, ‘Mousy Blonde’ has exploded in popularity over the past year, alongside fringed dresses and cowboy boots, which the Eras Tour singer was also responsible for.

“I’ve got younger girls that come in and see me and want to go to a flatter, what we would call a ‘mousier blonde,’” notes celebrity hair colourist and John Frieda Creative Colour Director, Nicola Clarke, who credits the “Taylor Swift effect” for the shade’s popularity.

What is mousy blonde?

Nicola defines mousy blonde as a flatter take on the blonde. It sits on the fringe of light brown and dark blonde, “but it’s got that glow where you can see the light through it,” says Nicola. “It doesn’t scream like a super blonde or super dark,” agrees celebrity hair stylist and John Frieda Creative Director, Zoe Irwin. “It’s a neutral,” she says.

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Why choose mousy blonde?

Mousy blonde may not be loud, but it doesn’t mean it’s not noteworthy. In fact, it’s a very smart shade. For starters, it goes with everything. “What worked really well on Taylor’s tour is because her hair was so pared back, she was able to flit between so many costume changes,” explains Zoe. Her hair was a background tone that worked with and enhanced all her different eras rather than clashing against them.

But beyond giving versatility, it’s actually a pretty easy and non-committal colour shift to adopt for autumn, especially if you want to return to a brighter blonde after (more on that below).