Nepo Baby Blonde Is the Best Way to Look Rich This Fall (2024)

When you’re a nepo baby—and we say that lovingly—you’re born with the best of everything at your immediate disposal: the best schools, the best luxury vacations, the best hand-me-downs from your mom’s closet, the best private chef-catered meals morning, noon and night. Oh, and the best hair. That’s kind of an obvious one, given that nepo babies also happen to be genetically blessed and rich enough to afford regular touch-ups from the best colorists in the world. But for a nepo baby, that’s NBD—that’s just a regular Tuesday. Why wouldn’t your blonde snag a spot on the Most Coveted Colors of 2023 roundup lists from publications like this one, or go viral on TikTok?

Nepo babes like Apple Martin, Lily-Rose Depp and Sofia Richie Grainge—not to mention the previous generation of A-list Hollywood spawn like Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Apple’s mom Gwyneth Paltrow—all sport the kind of blonde that you just know is the result of many strategically placed, incredibly expensive highlights and lowlights designed to look completely natural and not the work of an expert colorist. It’s the blonde many of us long for and try to replicate in our own slightly-less-fabulous lives, and the good news is that even if you don’t live in a multi-million dollar modernist mansion in the Hollywood Hills, you can look like you do after a few salon visits.

The Trend

Given our obsession with all things “quiet luxury” and looking “rich,” the nepo baby blonde was practically tailor-made to go viral on TikTok alongside someone’s “What I’d Wear as a Trophy Wife” video or ode to Succession. “The fascination with nepo babies and all the quality of life that is assured by being born into wealth and fame has been growing throughout this year,” explains Tom Smith, hairstylist and creative director at Evo Hair. “Nepo babies have always had access to the best of everything and this luxury color ties perfectly into the 'old money' and 'quiet luxury' trends.”

Smith himself was the first to identify the tongue-in-cheek trend-in-the-making, spotlighting it as one of his key fall 2023 color trends. “This shade of blonde is similar to the ‘lived-in blonde’ that was trending in years past, but nepo blonde is more polished, glowy, and energetic,” he explains. It’s dimensional, but not too obviously highlighted or balayaged. There’s a little root, but it’s not super lived-in. In short, it’s a bright, natural-looking blonde that looks like you got it from hours by the beach in Malibu or on a yacht in the south of France, not in the salon chair. “To me, this shade is the epitome of ‘blondes have more fun.’ This high-class shade for those born into wealth—or who signal so—showcases a true clarity of blonde.” It’s the kind of blonde that says, “Oh, this old thing? I just swiped it from my mom’s closet, she wore it to the Golden Globes in 2004, whatever!”

How to Get the Look

Prior to your appointment, collect a few inspiration photos to show your stylist so you’re both on the same page with your blonde; there are so many facets to the shade that visual examples can be more helpful than trying to describe it yourself. “This blonde is bright and clean and finely woven, creating a blonde canvas that is subtly multi-tonal,” describes Smith. “Ask your stylist for a full head of meticulous foil highlights.” Emphasis on meticulous! “Attention to detail is key here, and a soft, low contrast, shadow root brings it all together.” After all, nepo babies and imaginary nepo babies alike all deserve the very, very best. The end result is hair so effortlessly golden-dipped that it looks like you came out of the womb with it, but those in the know know that it’s really born in the salon.

Nepo baby blonde does require maintenance to keep it looking bright and dimensional, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to pull out your trusty purple shampoo—quite the opposite, actually. “With this shade, you’ll want to skip intense toners and purple shampoo,” says Smith. Instead, lean on products for repair and hydration to keep your blonde looking as shiny and golden as Mom’s Oscar; he likes evo’s Ritual Salvation Repairing Shampoo and Great Hydrator Moisture Mask . See you on the red carpet.