Lucy Hale Kicked Off Cold-Weather Season With A Surprising Hair Color

If you're in need of some beauty inspiration, take a peek at Lucy Hale's extensive portfolio of hair colors. The actor changes her hair frequently and has sported every shade from bubblegum pink to jet black. As of Mon., the actor is officially wearing a new hue (which, spoiler alert, is not a shade you'd expect for fall). Lucy Hale's blonde highlights are a surprising color you'll definitely want to try out this season.

Hale is certainly no stranger to a salon chair — the 29-year-old has rocked just about every style imaginable. Most recently, Hale swapped out her dark-brown, chin-grazing bob for all-over blonde highlights, courtesy of her longtime stylist Kristin Ess. "The life of an actor can be really hard on the hair. Thank goodness she's got the face of an angel and the patience of a saint," Ess (who also works regularly with Jenna Dewan and Lauren Conrad) captioned her Instagram announcement of Hale's new hue.

The photo features Hale with chunky butterscotch-colored waves and brand new golden-blonde highlights. Just a few days prior, the actor was photographed in Los Angeles with the dark-auburn, brown hue she's been sporting since June. It hasn't actually been that long since the Pretty Little Liars actor dyed her hair blonde — in April, Hale opted for a warm, sandy-blonde shade (also by Ess).

Hale's hair makeovers picked up after she filmed the final episode of Pretty Little Liars in 2016. Ess told Allure that Hale had dreamed of trying different styles for a long time but could never actually follow through with them because of the show. "She's a free bird now," Ess said. "The world is her hair-color oyster."

Needless to say, Hale has taken full advantage of that freedom over the past couple of years since the series ended. Mere weeks after she went blonde in April, Hale debuted a bold pink hue courtesy of Ess' own Rose Gold Temporary Tint, a product included in the colorist's namesake Target line. "Part of me thinks you should have pink hair forever," Ess captioned the photo of Hale's temporary shade.

As soon as fall hits, there's a spike in rich, autumnal hair colors (think: inky blacks, rich browns, and deep reds), which makes Hale's new hue a surprising choice.

That said, Hale isn't the only brunette who opted for blonde highlights in recent weeks. In Sept., Miranda Kerr debuted a handful of bright-blonde, face-framing streaks against her signature chestnut-colored hair. The style was a bold change of pace for Kerr, and it was inherently reminiscent of the early aughts. The streaks — which were the work of celebrity hairstylist Harry Josh — offered a glossy, bright take on fall hair colors.

It's likely Hale won't be the last celebrity to experiment with a lighter hue this season. And if you're in the market for a new color, there's no time like the present to switch things up — why not opt for a fresh pair of highlights?