Southwest Sundance Is the Smoky New Rainbow Hair-Color Trend

As much as we love a good bright hair color, there’s something to be said about the smoky, muted shades that are starting to step into the limelight on Instagram and in real life. Where vivid colors turn heads for their bold, in-your-face pigments, smoky, muted hues are slightly more wearable and simultaneously stand out. Case in point: "Southwest Sundance" hair by Caitlin Tyczka, a stylist based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Of course, we had to ask her for the lowdown on this hue. “Having warm-based colors with cool-toned accents are what I feel make the look hit home,” Tyczka says. “In this look, you’ll see lots of oranges, reds, and browns but with that pop of teal and blue to add contrast.” As if the colors alone weren’t enough, Tyczka applies them in such a unique way that they beautifully emulate the bracelets and feathers inspired her.

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“The palette and shapes were derived from American Southwest art,” Tyczka explains. “My idea wasn’t to completely mimic the style, but have its influence able to be transparent as the inspiration for this creation. The Sundance element of the name is the activity that I picture the person doing that might wear this type of hair. Dancing for the sun, dancing about the sun, dancing with the sun.”

Now that’s something we'll gladly whip our hair back and forth for. But what exactly goes into creating a color worthy of twirling under the sun? Tyczka explains that to achieve this look, you need to begin with pre-lightened hair. From there, she starts by mixing contrasting colors together to create a brown or beige base depending on the depth and amount of pigmentation she wants the hair color to take on. Next, she adds the tone that she wants to power through the most (the reds, blues, and oranges she mentioned earlier).

“It takes lots of practice, but the diversity in color is completely worth the patience in pursuit,” Tyczka says.

The coolest part about this hair coloring technique? There was no strict placement guide. Instead, she approached the shade from a purely visual perspective. “I did an initial base color, and just visually went with the flow,” Tyczka explains. “That tends to be how I artistically thrive. If I overthink or plan things out too much, I start having less fun and end up with something not true to my style [of coloring]. Just rolling with it, thinking it all through as it goes, has given my creations the more interesting outcomes.”

Interesting? More like mesmerizing. If you’re wondering if you can get in on this one-of-a-kind look, you’re in luck. Tyczka points out that this hair color can be customized to fit any skin tone. Beyond the purely aesthetic, she likes to think that Southwest Sundance hair color looks best on “any person that can celebrate how humanity has shaped the wonderful world of fashion and self-expression. A free spirit, if you will.”

The only thing not so free-spirited about this look is the level of maintenance it requires. Between how quickly your hair grows and how fast these shades can fade, you’re looking at touch-ups every three to five weeks. While you won’t need to re-lighten your hair each touch-up, you will need to redye and reshape the overall design.

To stretch this color as long as possible, Tyczka suggests investing in an amazing dry shampoo (her favorite is Kevin Murphy’s Fresh.Hair) and washing occasionally. When you do wash, make sure it’s in cold water to keep the cuticle shut in order to prevent color fallout.

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