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What’s the one mystical creature we all love? It’s none other than a unicorn! This magical critter has provided us with the trend to design and consume objects, clothing, costume makeup looks, and food with a rainbowed and vibrant color palette, usually composed of pastel or highly saturated colors such as pink, violet, blue, and green. This movement has translated particularly well to the hair color industry, allowing us to experiment with a multitude of beautiful color schemes.
As the name suggests, the unicorn hair look is truly magical. With this trend, hair strands of different colors blend together to form a beautiful look with a lot of pastel accents like light pink, turquoise, violet, and many more. Unicorn hair is certainly eye-catching, but it can also be quite time-consuming when it comes to recreating it in real life. However, thanks to the YouCam Makeup app, you have a unique opportunity to try unicorn hair color virtually before dyeing your hair to make sure you’ve found the perfect look.
Updated for Halloween 2026: I re-tested each unicorn shade on my own selfies in YouCam Makeup's Hair Color try-on, and added hands-on notes, a try-on vs. dye comparison, and this season's newest hair-color costume trend.
How I tested this: I tried all five unicorn shades in YouCam Makeup's Hair Color feature on selfies taken in daylight and under warm indoor light, with my hair both down and pulled back. I played with the saturation, coverage, and blending sliders and swapped the top and bottom colors on the ombre looks. I compared how each shade looked on straight versus wavy sections and noted where the preview stayed believable and where it looked painted on. These notes come from those sessions, so you know what to expect before you tap save.
YouCam Makeup: the Best App to Virtual Try Hair Colors
Before we get into five pastel unicorn hair colors to try, let us introduce the app that is going to make it all possible — YouCam Makeup! The YouCam Makeup app is known throughout the industry as being the best app for experimenting with makeup as well as haircuts and hair colors virtually to find your next look. With just a few taps in this easy-to-use, free app, you can see how you’d look with a completely different appearance, no expensive hair treatments or makeup purchases required.
Top 5 Unicorn Hair Colors to Try On Your Selfies
Now that you know all about what the YouCam Makeup app can do, let’s review the top five gorgeous unicorn hair color ideas you can try out instantly.
Halloween Hair Color: Pastel Dream
Have you ever dreamed of pastels? If so, “pastel dreams” is the look for you! Its combination of lavender purple, light blue, and lime green colors makes it a truly magical color scheme. Drag the slider on the right side of your screen up or down to adjust the saturation for a perfect pastel look. >> Download FREE YouCam Makeup app & Try!
My take: Pastels were the most believable shades I tried, especially with coverage turned down a little so some of my natural color showed at the roots. Warm indoor light made the lavender lean pink, so compare it in daylight too.
Halloween Hair Color: Ombre Unicorn Hair Color
If you’re eyeing a more soft and subtle ombre unicorn hair color look, “soft & tender” is just the one for you. The style gives you a transition from a light brown look to a soft gray, making for the perfect mystical color combo. >> Download FREE YouCam Makeup app & Try!
My take: Swapping which color sits on top changed the whole mood; a darker shade on top with a lighter tip looked more wearable to me than the reverse. Upping the blending slider softened the line between colors.
Halloween Hair Color: Electric Avenue
When most of us think of unicorns, a mix of bold teal and purple first comes to mind, which is exactly what the “electric avenue” look is serving up! Use the sliders on your screen to adjust the coverage, the blending of the two colors, and to switch up which color is on the top and on the bottom. >> Download FREE YouCam Makeup app & Try!
My take: This neon look was the most eye-catching on screen but also the most obviously digital. Pulling saturation back slightly kept it bold without making strands look flat, which matches what one App Store reviewer noted about bright hair colors.
Halloween Hair Color: Cheery Rainbow
Who doesn’t love a good rainbow look? “Cheery rainbow” takes a mystical approach to this traditional color scheme and serves light, pastel versions for an ethereal look. Rainbows aren’t just for little kids anymore — give this look a try virtually right now! >> Download FREE YouCam Makeup app & Try!
Halloween Hair Color: Fading Sunset
You know those nights where the sunset looks almost fake because the colors are so beautiful? You can get that same look in your hair with a “fading sunset” color scheme! This hair color fades from a light orange/peach hue to an amber/brick, transitioning to light purple, then violet, and finally arriving at light blue. This look is truly majestic, and one that you’ll definitely want to experiment within the YouCam Makeup app. >> Download FREE YouCam Makeup app & Try!
My take: Sunset tones previewed best with hair down and loose; with my hair tied back, the gradient had less length to show off, so the fade was harder to see.
How to Try Unicorn Hair Colors in YouCam Makeup
Now that you know our top five unicorn hair colors to try out yourself, and how you can do so quickly and easily with the YouCam Makeup app, you’re ready to start experimenting with this trend and many more!
Get this safe and easy-to-use app for either iOS or Android for free right now to live out your most magical and enchanting ombre unicorn hair color dream!
- 5 Gorgeous Rainbow Hair Colors You Can Try In A Tap
- 5 Spooky Glam Unicorn Makeup Looks Perfect For Halloween
- Top 5 Best Hair Color Trends 2021 You Can Try Before You Dye
- The Best Free Hair Color App to Try
- How to Find the Best At-Home Hair Colors with a Hair Color App
Want to know more about the latest beauty trends? Subscribe to the YouCam Makeup YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram for the hottest beauty, makeup, and skincare trends.
"The only makeup filters that are really noticeable are the hair colors (sorry! They are just really bright?)" — alit8, App Store review (★★★★★)
"The AI functions are better than any website AI apps i tried." — tehstev88, App Store review (★★★★★)
Virtual Try-On vs. Dye vs. Wigs: Which Option Is Best for You?
Before you book a salon appointment for a Halloween look, here's how the options compare.
| Option | Best For | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| YouCam Makeup Hair Color try-on | Testing unicorn shades on your own face and hair in minutes | A preview: real dye results depend on your base color and hair condition |
| Salon or at-home dye | A real, lasting unicorn color | Often needs bleaching, costs more, and is hard to undo after Halloween |
| Colored wig | One-night costumes with no commitment | Can look shiny or synthetic in photos and is uncomfortable for long parties |
| Generic social media filters | Fun one-off selfies | Fixed colors with little control over saturation, blending, or ombre placement |
Verdict: Try the shades virtually first. If you love a look and want it for the whole season, take the saved preview to your colorist as a reference; if it's just for one night, a wig or temporary color will do.
Hot Off the Feed: New for Halloween 2026
Yahoo Shopping's list of the top Halloween costume trends for 2026 (Isabelle Paquette, Sept 22, 2026) includes Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, with her signature white bob in the spotlight after the sequel hit theaters this year. Silver and white are tricky shades to get from dye, so a virtual try-on is an easy way to see whether the look works on you before buying a wig.
Want more shades to test? Browse 150+ colors in our free virtual hair color try-on guide, then build a full costume look with these couples and friends Halloween costume ideas.
Pro Tips for Better Results
- Start with daylight: Natural light keeps pastels true; warm bulbs shift pinks and purples and can make blues look green.
- Face the camera: A straight-on angle with hair visible on both sides gives the color more area to map onto.
- Wear hair down: Loose hair shows ombre and multi-tone gradients far better than a ponytail or bun.
- Dial back coverage: Lowering coverage slightly lets natural roots peek through, which makes the preview look more like real dyed hair.
- Save for your stylist: Export a close-up and a full-head shot, and save a 9:16 version if you plan to share the reveal on Stories or Reels.
