Jessica Alba Debuted The Anti-Summer Hair Color You’ve Been Searching For

It’s easy to think of summer as a time to go lighter with your hair color. After all, it just seems natural — the warmer months are for showing off your sun-streaked highlights, while fall means embracing darker, warmer shades. However, there’s no reason at all why you should follow the “rules”; in fact, it can be fun to buck expectations and go your own direction completely — just look at Jessica Alba and her new dark brown hair color as evidence.

The Honest Company founder debuted her fresh dye job on June 27, showing off the transformation in an Instagram with her hairstylist, Brittney Ryan. And yes — though it’s smack dab in the middle of summer, Alba decided to defy convention and take her long locks from a soft caramel to a rich, deep brown. “She does what she wants,” wrote Ryan in her caption introducing the look. “Took @jessicaalba to the dark side.”

Though Alba has been experimental in the past (she’s dabbled in both blonde and red shades previously), it’s been a while since the actor has strayed this far from her toffee-colored tones. And though it’s true her signature laidback style stayed mostly the same, this new shade signals a pretty big switch-up from her usual look — and an unexpected one at that.

Unsurprisingly, the change was met with vehement approval from fans. Comments like “Loooove the darker hair color!” and plenty of heart-eye emojis flooded in as Alba posted snapshots of the new hue, coming from stars including Carly Cushnie and Kate Hudson.

It’s been a season of surprising new hair colors this summer. Selma Blair ditched her brown strands for platinum blonde this June, Dua Lipa showed off a red ‘do in Versace’s campaign, and even Sophie Turner hopped on the redhead craze earlier in the month. Clearly, change is in the air — which begs the question, who’s next? Only time will tell. But until then, excuse us while we run to the salon to copy Alba’s perfect anti-summer shade.

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