Penélope Cruz changed her hair colour, and instantly the debate caught fire about what actually works for mature women. At the Paris Saint-Germain match on May 2, 2026, the Spanish actress appeared with a new, more nuanced shade - hazelnut blonde, or as stylists call it, "avellana blonde". This is not classic blonde. It is the middle ground between blonde and natural light-chestnut - exactly what many women want but few manage to find.

What makes this colour special? When you place light highlights over a naturally dark base, there is a risk the hair will look "striped" or artificial. Hazelnut blonde avoids that - the tones are warm, reminiscent of roasted almond, and they blend into the natural structure of the hair without visible boundaries. David Lorente, a hairdresser who often works with celebrities, says this is "the ideal colour for women who want to give light to their hair without straying too far from their natural roots".

Expert Rosa Rogedo, who runs training at Druni, describes the shade more concretely: "It gives a healthy look, it gives dimension, visual volume and softness to the face." And the key point for many women who worry about upkeep: the colour does not require frequent refreshing. When the hair grows out, the new roots blend naturally into the base colour, with no need for three-week salon visits.

For women over 40, this is one of the most recommended shades - not because it "covers the years", but because it gives the face a touch of warmth without aggression. Too blonde washes the face out; too dark ages it. Hazelnut finds the middle.

For Balkan women, who most often have a dark-chestnut natural base, this technique is almost as if it were designed for them. Unlike the lead-resistant platinum blonde that rarely succeeds in Macedonian salons, hazelnut blonde can be done anywhere. The question is just to find a hairdresser who understands that highlights are not words in a catalogue - they are dimensions on a face.