Ali Larter Is Back to Blonde: 'I'm Ready to Be My Normal Self'

Looks like blondes really do have more fun! Just ask Ali Larter, who has reverted back to her signature sandy, California-inspired shade, after a brief stint as a redhead for her reprisal role in the new Resident Evil film.

Getty; Source: Instagram

The actress debuted her light hue in an Instagram snapshot on Friday afternoon with the caption: “Blonde after 12 hours! Thank you @traceycunningham1 for bringing me back to my roots! #nofilter.”

Although Larter is excited about returning to life as a blonde, she says her former fiery strands gave her a bit of an edge. “It’s almost embarrassing being this blonde again,” she tells PeopleStyle, exclusively. “Redheads are cooler and more under the radar — if you can believe that!”

Larter was previously a redhead for her reprisal role of Claire Redfield in the final installment of the Resident Evil film franchise, but tapped her go-to colorist, celebrity colorist Tracey Cunningham, who is the owner of L.A-based Mèche Salon, for the “California blonde” shade.

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“Ali [is] a long-time client of mine, and we have gone through this process before — going red to blonde for a movie role,” Cunningham, the actress’ colorist of more than 10 years, tells PeopleStyle. “We took Ali back to the ‘California blonde’ that she is. She wanted to go back to her natural look. Her base color is a gorgeous natural dark blonde, so I like to complement that.”

Cunningham adds that the bringing Larter from a deep, fiery hue to a light, sandy blonde is a dye job that can take up to a couple of days to complete.

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“This process was a two-day situation and 12 hours of work,” she says. “It was an ‘in-salon’ job — we did four rounds of highlighting, being very careful to maintain the integrity of [and to protect] her hair using Olaplex [during the coloring process].”

But Larter says the 12 hours went by fast, as working with her colorist is anything but work.

“We talked, read, laughed, ate macaroons,” she tells PeopleStyle. “I’ve known and loved her for 15 years. She is a brilliant lady.”

So now that the star is back to her roots, should we expect any major cuts in the near future? Not so much, Larter says. “After finishing the movie in South Africa and my daughter, Vivienne, turning 1, I’m just coming up for air,” she says. “I am ready to just keep it easy and be my normal self.”

What do you think of Ali’s blonde new do? Have you ever transitioned from a deep tone to a light shade? Share below!

–Sarah Kinonen, with reporting by Jackie Fields