The pastel hair color trend 2024 is inspired by Tumblr

It's 2014, and your Tumblr dashboard is full of American Apparel tennis skirts and The XX vinyls. And in the sea of ​​minimalist, black-and-white soft-grunge photos, pastels are just as ubiquitous. The same few Tumblr-famous girls also live on your blog, and have just as much internet clout as modern-day influencers. They've completely convinced you that all you need in life is to have pastel hair—just like them.

If you were constantly on Tumblr as a teenager, dyeing your hair a pastel color was probably one of your only goals for the future. And even if you weren't one of the lucky few whose parents co-signed your decision, those Photoshopped images of Cara Delevingne with pink hair are definitely etched in your memory forever. As a Tumblr teen, I spent every hour of my free time reblogging photos of Tumblr-famous pastel goth girls with My Little Pony-colored hair and dreaming of one day bleaching my own hair beyond recognition.

For once, the countless hours I spent staring at a computer screen paid off. While so many Tumblr-era trends are making a comeback, pastel hair is rearing its not-so-ugly head again—and scalp health everywhere will never be the same. Although it's been over 10 years since Tumblr queens popularized pastel pink, purple, and blue hair, colored hair is back and more popular than ever. Whether you're sifting through a crowd of A-list celebs or fashion kids in Harajuku, you never have to look far to find a pastel-colored head among the brunettes and blondes.

Fashion week street style brings out most, if not all, of the notable beauty trends. And when I noticed so many fashion week guests (from all over the world) showing up to the shows with candy-colored hair, I had to go back to my Tumblr archives. Fashion week guests are the crème de la crème of the fashion world. Of course, they're not always A-list celebs, but they are fashion editors, creative directors, and couture nerds—and they're the ones who dictate what's cool in the seasons to come.

And while Megan Fox has worn every pastel hair color imaginable this year, I'm not entirely convinced she's been popping up in Tumblr notes like the rest of us. But either way, the way trends regain relevance is influenced by today's fashion makers. In 2014, they were teenagers with fashion blogs. And in 2024, they'll be fashion week guests and influencers posting their pictures on Pinterest.

One could argue that pastel hair never out of— and you're right. But I've learned the hard way that dyed hair only lasts for so long before it's begging to be spared. Sure, stars like Kim Kardashian have hairstylists on call who can change their hair color at any time — but not even the best hairdressers can bring bleach-burned hair back to life. Not to mention, pastel hair isn't meant to last forever, and bright colors only last a few washes before needing a touch-up. So, yes, pastel hair is impractical, it's annoying, and it attracts a ton of unwanted attention — but it looks good. And that's exactly what the Tumblr era was all about.