If you’re a warm-weather fanatic like me, you’ll need more than the promise of a pumpkin spice latte to get you excited for the frigid temps that September will undoubtedly bring. And what better way to accomplish so than to refresh your locks with one of the season’s hottest hair colours for autumn 2022? Because, let’s face it, there are few sensations that can match with the ecstasy of leaving the salon with a fresh, new colour.
But before you book that salon appointment, you’ll need a colour plan, and while nature is a great place to start looking for hair colour inspiration, there are plenty of other, more qualified, sources out there that can help point us in the right direction for the colours that’ll be trending this fall. For example, we visited four top colorists to see what colours their clients had requested for autumn and how to accomplish those looks.
1) Rich Brunette
Are you on the fence about returning to your brunette roots? Michelle Schindler, stylist and owner of Seven & Satin Salon, recommends requesting a “rich brunette.” This hue, according to Schnidler, takes the au naturel trend to the next level by creating “the appearance of natural colour, which is generated by playing off of the natural tone and adding some dimensional embellishments.” But don’t be fooled: while the hue appears to be one-toned, it isn’t.
“It displays a subtle change of the original hue, giving the hair a more sun kissed, lived in look while still reading brunette,” Schindler explains.
2) Curl-Lights
This is a balayage style, so the highlights will not reach all the way to the roots and will instead focus on the mid-lengths to ends.
“It’s a terrific opportunity to experiment with colour, texture, and tone,” says Schindler. “I like to do teased highlights all over the head and soak each foil with lightener.” Because the top layer of the hair is more exposed to the sun, I always go heavier with the foiling at the front of the head and taper down the foils and intensity of the colour towards the rear of the head and the bottom layer, which is less exposed to the light.
3) Copper Curls
Speaking of curls, Kim claims that there has been a significant and well-deserved rebirth of natural curls in recent years. “Bright and bold copper will be a significant curl colour trend.” “she claims “Natural curls’ naturally attractive nature goes nicely with these warm and bold red tones.
4) Warm Red-Brown
If copper is too bold for you, but you still want to dabble in redder tones, ask your colorist to try a warm red-brown. Warm-red brown is the appropriate transition into the new season, according to Irinel De Leon, hairdresser and Dyson worldwide ambassador. “It’s a more muted version of the coppery trend,” she explains.
5) Toasted Caramel
Not ready to ditch your summer blonde, but looking for a subtle shift in tonality? Instead of icy chilly blonde, try some gold tones!
Adding gold to the mix will richen the colour and create depth,” says Schindler, who adds that this is an excellent method to begin moving into a deeper, richer hue. “This colour is fantastic because it can be made by doing a whole head of baby lights, playing off of current colour arrangement, or increasing the colour with a money piece and flashes of colour on the ends, she adds.
6) Dimensional Low-Maintenance Highlight
If you don’t want to have a complete makeover and want to keep your upkeep to a minimum, ask your stylist for a subtle low-maintenance highlight. According to Kim, this provides for a darker root, which will help to extend regeneration.
Overall, colorists are leveraging the summer’s bright canvas to produce a little darker tone for fall. She elaborates. “This is also the healthier solution for all hair types: the less hair processing, the better.
7) Auburn Spice
Looking for that apple-picking, fall-girl aesthetic? Consider trying out this PSL-inspired color. “Adding warm tones into the hair is one of my favorite ways to transition my summer blondes into a fall auburn spice,” says Schindler. “If the [existing] color placement still looks good, play with the idea of a warm color melt.”
Schindler likes to start with a rich auburn color on the roots, which she then melts down to a golden copper. “This is a great way to show clients versatility with hair color,” she says.
8) Cherry-Cola
While Perkins thinks that sweet strawberry blonde and copper colours will not be phased out anytime soon, she anticipates a boom in brilliant violet and red hues in dark red brunettes, “producing a cherry-cola style with mahogany tones that fall between red and violet.”
Perkins suggests adding a flash of red over brunette hair with a temporary mask like the Madison Reed Color Therapy Mask in Rubino to test this trend. “You’ll see that the brunette’s depth remains the same, but the red sheen comes through in the light.
