Billie Eilish has done it again. The singer, who has worn almost every hair colour imaginable, has debuted a bright strawberry blonde, and it is a big departure from the darker shades she has worn for most of the past five years.

Eilish revealed the new shade in an Instagram photo dump this week. Page Six describes it as her lightest tone in six years, and Vogue notes that the cut is shorter too. Here is everything we know about the look.

Billie Eilish's new strawberry blonde hair

The reveal came in the cover image of a classic Eilish photo dump, a selfie that also included snaps of her pitbull Shark and a pumpkin patch, according to Vogue.

In the mirror selfie, Page Six reports, Eilish wore khaki pants and a navy sweater, with her shoulder-length hair swept into an easy side part in a bright shade of strawberry blond. The same post included a throwback picture of her with blue hair, a playful reminder of how far her colour story has travelled.

Strawberry blonde sits between copper and golden blonde. It reads warm and soft rather than icy, which is why it looks so natural on fair skin with pink undertones.

Why Billie Eilish changed her hair

The new colour seems to have grown out of a film role. In August, Eilish was spotted filming Sarah Polley's adaptation of The Bell Jar in Canada, Vogue reports. At the time, her hair was a light auburn shade for her role as Esther Greenwood, the heroine of Sylvia Plath's 1963 novel.

"Eilish must have liked the change, as she's taken the tone a shade lighter with this new strawberry blonde look," Vogue writes. The length has changed too. Page Six describes the new hair as shoulder-length and calls it her shortest in years.

A complete history of Billie Eilish's hair

Few pop stars have been as influential with hair colour. Page Six notes that the singer, 24, has worn platinum blonde, green and blue, and helped popularise the neon-root trend.

Vogue recalls that at 14 she was already wearing cool grey hair, in pigtail braids at the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party. Her best-known moment came in 2021, when she debuted a platinum blonde bob styled in Old Hollywood waves at the Met Gala. Since then, she has gone back to a glossy black and later dyed her signature "ghost roots" red.

She has also been honest about how a colour can affect her mood. Page Six quotes her 2023 reflection on her platinum phase: "At first it was fun. I was really excited for the blond era, like, Blond Billie is gonna be so cool. But it did not go how I wanted it to go." The darker phase that followed did not feel quite right either, she said at the time. "I look back at that and I'm like, 'Who is this brunette? A brunette! That wasn't me.'"

Strawberry blonde could be the middle ground she has been looking for. "Only she, and her colourist, can say where things will go next," Vogue writes.

How to get Billie Eilish's strawberry blonde

Thinking of trying the shade? These are the points to discuss with your colourist.

Ask for a warm, light copper-blonde rather than a red or a golden blonde. Bringing photos of Eilish's new colour helps, because "strawberry" means different things to different stylists.

If your hair is dark, expect to lighten it first. Going from brunette to strawberry blonde in one appointment can be hard on hair, so a gradual approach, through auburn first, is gentler. Eilish herself wore light auburn hair for The Bell Jar before going brighter.

Protect the tone. Warm shades fade quickly, so use a colour-safe shampoo, wash with cooler water and consider a copper or rose-gold gloss between appointments.

Keep the styling simple. A deep side part and loose, shoulder-length layers, like Eilish's selfie, let the colour do the talking.

FAQ

What is Billie Eilish's new hair colour?

Billie Eilish has debuted strawberry blonde hair, which Page Six calls her lightest shade in six years.

Why did Billie Eilish change her hair?

Vogue reports that she had light auburn hair while filming Sarah Polley's The Bell Jar in Canada, and has now taken the tone a shade lighter.

Is Billie Eilish's hair shorter now?

Yes. Page Six describes it as shoulder-length and her shortest hair in years.

When did Billie Eilish go platinum blonde?

She debuted a platinum blonde bob at the 2021 Met Gala, according to Vogue.

Cover photo: Glenn Francis (Toglenn) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0