Pretty Little Liars' Shay Mitchell Goes Blond—See the Pic!

Pretty Little Liars actress lightens her hair for summer

Shay Mitchell has gone blond for summer!

Well, almost. The Pretty Little Liars actress showed off her newly ombré locks on Instagram, posting a photo with the caption, "Hair change! @itsashbenzo goes darker and I go lighter! Thanks@georgepapanikolas for my summa hair!!! #switchingitup #hairdos" to her followers.

George Papanikolas, a much sought-after celebrity colorist with clients in Los Angeles and New York, offers us some tips for getting Shay's look: "Shay Mitchell is sporting more of a beach-inspired, Hawaiian goddess kind of hair color," he said.

"To get the look, I would do a two-step process. First do balayage highlights that are directly hand-painted to the root area and around the face. They tend to look softer and more natural than traditional foil highlights. Lift those to a honey. Then back-comb a few large pieces and highlight the ends to get the ombré effect."

Papanikolas' process helps the hair absorb color without becoming brassy or bleached-out.

"Back-combing the hair before you [color] diffuses the highlights so that they don't look like they've been dipped in bleach," he said. "The chunky pieces are a great way for brunettes to get an instant pop of lightness."

Shay was reportedly very excited to take her hair a few shades lighter, and beyond pleased with the results. The key was to make the highlights look natural against her tan complexion.

"Usually when brunettes try to go lighter, it can look brassy, and usually doesn't complement darker skin, but by keeping more depth in the root area you get more flattering tones for darker complexions like Shay," Papanikolas said.