This Bourbon Sweet Tea Hair Color Is the Most Ridiculously Southern Trend Ever—But It's Actually Stunning

Southerners are no strangers to a soul-warming bourbon cocktail at the end of the day. While we like to say that the only way to drink it is straight-up, on the rocks, or with a splash of water, we're not too stuffy to say that sometimes there's an itch that only an iced-down bourbon sweet tea can scratch. Before you know it, even Uncle Hank—a self-proclaimed bourbon purist—is pinkies up, two glasses deep, and loving every slurp.

Now when we heard there was a hair color trend inspired by this classic Southern sipper, we couldn't help but wonder. First came blackberry pie hair. Then came peach cobbler hair. Now…bourbon sweet tea hair? We get it, guys. The South's got some pretty cool stuff, but our heads are growing bigger by the second.

This anything-but-boring hair color is all about embracing warm tones, from rich brown to caramel to honey. Imagine a glass of Southern sweet tea, perfectly brewed and iced down hard until it looks like the color of translucent honey. Bring in the molten amber color of Kentucky bourbon, and then blend those shades until you've got a swirl of brilliant brown color. Add a few ice cubes to melt around the edges and lighten up your concoction. That's bourbon sweet tea hair—you know, done by a hairstylist and not your Aunt Betsy with a cocktail shaker.

The trend was coined by celebrity stylist Guy Tang, who explained the color as "a great way to refresh your strands and add a subtle twist." Spring and summer are when most clients come in asking for warmer tones, and this is just the spirited way to do it. Colorist Jade Federico dubbed her version "painted amber." (Stylists use a range of techniques for painting hair, from saturating your strands with color to adding more natural, sweeping highlights with balayage.)

And just like real bourbon sweet tea, you can customize it to fit what you fancy. Just a splash, a full jigger, or perhaps a generous douse of bourbon? Do you prefer a more youthful, straw-colored whiskey in your cocktail or a bourbon that is a well-aged, rich mahogany? Is your palate craving a splash of cherry syrup to sweeten the mix? Bartender's choice. Sit back, relax, and let this sunlit amber brown hair color refresh your strands this year.

More of a mint julep-iced tea type of gal? Craving the lemony zing of an Arnold Palmer? Don't worry. We're sure someone will come up with a moutwatering hair color recipe for those cool-down cocktails, too.