Pantone’s Cloud Dancer: What Hairdressers Really Need to Know About 2026’s Trending Hair Colour

Pantone has officially revealed the Colour of the Year for 2026, called Cloud Dancer: a soft, airy, marshmallow-white. Perfect for moodboards or interiors, but in the salon? Well, that’s where things could get interesting! As hairdressers, we love a trend, a challenge and a clean, bright blonde moment. But Cloud Dancer is giving platinum that’s been toned 6 times over! Let’s be honest, to take the hair to this pure white Pantone shade, you would be lifting to a level that is dangerously damaging, and as professionals, we’re not risking our clients' hair for a trend. So, as much as we love the Pantone Colour of the Year, we also love healthy hair, and that’s a trend we’ll stick to every year.

To dig a little deeper, we spoke to our Education Manager, John Anthoney, who shared his expert insight on how Cloud Dancer will influence trends in 2026, just not in the literal Pantone colour swatch way…

“Cloud Dancer speaks of softness, weightless, milky tones rather than icy, extreme whites. Think airy, pearlescent, delicate, cool undertones that still give warmth and dimension. It’s less about extreme platinum and more about elevated, wearable blonde.”

“Absolutely! Cloud Dancer represents understated luxury. More clients will want soft multi-tonal dimension and reflective finishes, which are going to look expensive and elegant throughout 2026.”

“To get a Cloud Dancer feel without compromising the hair, I’d use a creamy high and ultra-lift blonde at levels 7 & 9. For darker levels, start with a lightener, particularly Magi:light 9+ violet or silver tone to work beautifully to neutralise warmth while lifting. Once lifted, pre-tone using Quint:essential Combat toner, CTY + 000 Tone softener with 1.5% for 2-5 minutes for a clean canvas.

For toning, think pearlescent hues, so soft violet and blue mixes. Add subtle gold or rose to avoid flat ash, such as shades like CT0, CT1, 10:033, or Magi:colour T.01, T.06, 10.0. For that high-shine finish, use Magi:gloss in 10.8 or P.03. This will achieve a pearly, soft, luminous blonde and not a stark white finish.”

“We’ll see more glossing appointments, pearly toners, and lived-in bright blonding using babylights paired with a natural root tap. This will give clients brightness with low maintenance. It’s refined, airy and super salon-friendly!”

“Introduce milky tones through mids and ends as an in-between appointment. A neutral melt with a pearly gloss is great for low-maintenance clients, and for something bolder, offer a Cloudy Dancer face-frame. Even 12 foils can create brightness without full-head commitment! It gives the client the trend without the upkeep or extreme lift.”

So, should we be creating Cloud Dancer literally? No, but we should be inspired by it. This is no Mocha Mousse or Peach Fuzz, but Cloud Dancer can still be incorporated into salon life through brightness (without the breakage), softness, and luxury. And of course, healthy hair! It’s still Cloud Dancer, just the salon-safe, client-friendly and healthy hair version.

If you’re looking to bring this trend into your salon in 2026, don’t forget to snap your finished look and tag us on Instagram @quifhair or post on our Glow & Tell community forum.