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Beauty
Autumn hair colour trends: from honey blonde to red velvet, here are this season’s most popular shades
5 years ago
Autumn has arrived. And if you’re eager to try a new look for the change in season, these are the hair colours to request at your next salon appointment.
We’ve begun to pull out our knitted jumpers, switch on the central heating and even turn the lights on earlier than usual – yep, autumn has well and truly arrived. But it’s not all doom and gloom. With the changing of the seasons is the perfect opportunity to try a new look.
After a summer of self-administered tones, the most popular autumnal hair colour trends this year span across rich, warm browns, right to cool, frosty blondes.
Here, we run through the biggest hair colour trends for the changing season. Be sure to bookmark this page before your next trip to the hairdressers.
Red velvet
The biggest hair colour of the moment? Red. While you can nail the trend with any hue of rouge – from Malbec-toned highlights to cherry red dye all over – our favourite has to be red velvet.
Coined “a beautiful natural-looking red” by Adam Reed, UK editorial ambassador for L’Oréal Professionnel, this trend is all about opting for a shade of red that isn’t too vivid.
Honey blonde
Yes, it was the biggest trend of the summer but honey blonde isn’t going anywhere. Honey blonde hair involves blending dark and golden-toned blonde onto light brown hair. Thanks to the two shades of blonde, it creates a gorgeous, warm finish that suits every skin tone.
Thanks to the depth it brings to hair, this colour works in a wide range of styles, too; from all-over dye and highlights to balayage, ombre and dip-dye.
Gingerbread caramel
This look combines the the rich orange tones of gingerbread and golden hues of caramel to create a warm finish on hair.
To achieve it, Kitty Greller, a colourist at New York’s Bumble and bumble salon, suggests keeping the roots natural and applying the lifted tones on the ends or around the face.
“That very subtle warmth of the hair can make your cheeks seem rosier and your skin glow through the darker month,” she adds.
Caramel mocha
If you’re somebody who gravitates towards rich browns, this could be the hair colour for you. Caramel mocha hair was created by hairstylist Caitlin Dugan in Connecticut, who painted her client’s hair with a clay lightener to lift the hair for dimension.
The result? A gorgeous chocolatey brown, with contrasting caramel strands weaved throughout the hair.
Fiery copper
Fiery, yet glamorous, copper hair is set to be everywhere this autumn. It’s the perfect option for those with dark or light hair and won’t require numerous visits to the salon.
Copper dye is applied to give hair vibrancy, while subtle auburn lowlights add dimension.
Blonde balayage
Autumn and winter doesn’t automatically mean darker hair colours.
Blonde balayage is trending all over Pinterest, thanks to its ability to effortlessly combine warm and cool tones.
The warm roots are usually kept pretty close to your natural hair colour. This makes it the perfect hairstyle for those who don’t have time to keep up with multiple hair appointments.
The length of the hair then blends out into bright, cool tips that look glossy and healthy.
Nordic white
Warm tones aren’t the only option during colder months. The Nordic white trend takes a very cool and icy shade of white all over the head to create one block of colour.
While it looks beautifully ethereal, be warned; it requires a lot of upkeep at the roots. As for the journey to Nordic white, you’ll need to attend a few sessions to lift the colour slowly. Along the way, be vigilant with your haircare routine - bleach used during the process can be very damaging.
Milk tea blonde
The pattern for hair colours named after delicious trends isn’t dying down, as proven by the latest trend taking over Asia. The hashtag #milkteahair is growing on Instagram, and the pictures are as beautiful as you’d hope.
Inspired by, well, milk tea and the way that the tea and milk combines, this trend is all about a soft ombre of warm browns focused on the roots and cool blondes on the ends.
Mushroom blonde
Yes, you read that correctly: a hair trend inspired by mushrooms.
Mushroom blonde involves combining ashy blonde with darker undertones and subtle grey highlights to mimic the natural gradient of a mushroom.
The hair colour was a massive trend for the summer, so much so, Pinterest reported a staggering 308% rise in searches on its site. But thanks to its soft and warm tones, the hair colour looks set to stay for autumn.
The hair colour was first created by Maryland-based hairstylist Yokasta Perez, who debuted her stylish creation on Instagram. In her post, Perez explained that she purposely begins the colour process slightly further down the head to eliminate the need for constant root top-ups.
A gorgeous trend that’s low-maintenance, too? We approve.
Tweed balayage
Usually reserved for Chanel jackets and bags, the word ‘tweed’ is now a part of the beauty world.
Tweed hair is a form of balayage that involves weaving subtle highlights into the hair (similar to the woven effect of tweed fabric). These subdued highlights work to compliment your natural undertones.
To achieve the look, hair colourists take small sections of hair and “stitch” natural-looking dye through it, blending it all together.
The end result will give your hair dimension and lift without looking obvious.
Main image: Getty Images
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