There's a particular kind of restlessness that sets in once the temperature drops. The sun-bleached ends and bright highlights that felt so right in July suddenly look a little tired, and the urge to book a color appointment becomes hard to ignore. Fortunately, this fall's biggest shades make the switch easy—Rather than demanding a dramatic overhaul, the season's trends lean into richness, dimension and a healthy-looking gloss, with color that grows out gracefully and flatters the deeper tones filling our closets.
“In general, I think clients are moving away from feeling like they have to completely reinvent themselves every season. They still want that ‘I did something to my hair’ feeling, but they want it to feel expensive, dimensional and like it belongs on them,” says color specialist Leslie Shores. “Sometimes that means going deeper, but sometimes it’s just adding richness, changing the tone or bringing dimension back into hair that got really light over the summer.” These are the hair colors everyone will be asking for this season, according to experts.
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Blurred Brown
“I think ‘blurred brown’ is going to be one of the biggest colors for fall. It’s the perfect transition from summer because you are able to cover up summer highlights while allowing dimension to show through,” says celebrity colorist and hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos. “It feels very rich and polished without looking like a flat brunette.” Looking for some inspo? He recently created the color on Amal Clooney in Venice using L’Oréal Paris Preference.
Courtesy of Dimitris Giannetos
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A Spectrum of Reds
“I think auburn and copper-brown shades are going to continue to rise in popularity. We’ve been seeing these colors take over the red carpets and big screens, and it’s a gorgeous hue to complement the fall months,” says Giannetos. “It looks beautiful with layers, bangs or light curls, like these wicked bangs I did to highlight Joey’s fresh color on the Practical Magic 2 press tour.”
Colorist and Matrix global brand ambassador Sharon Spellman says her favorite part of the red tones trending this season is that it’s not limited to one shade. “I’m seeing everything from rich copper and auburn to deeper red-browns and wine tones. It feels a lot more wearable and personalized than just putting one bright red shade all over the hair,” she says.
Celebrity colorist and R+COLOR Collective member Jenna Perry agrees, noting that red has become less intimidating over the past few years. “More clients are realizing that copper can look very natural when it's customized to their skin tone,” she says. The red she thinks will be popular this fall is “the color of autumn leaves at golden hour or polished copper catching the sunlight. It's vibrant and warm with true copper and golden tones. It has incredible brightness and movement, making the hair look glossy and full of life.”
Courtesy of Dimitris Giannetos
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Toasted Honey Blonde
“Imagine warm oat milk blended with toasted honey and soft beige ribbons. The root stays slightly deeper with creamy golden melting through the mid-lengths and ends to create effortless dimension,” says celebrity colorist and cofounder of IGK Hair Care, Chase Kusero. “These softer golden blondes look healthier, require less maintenance and pair perfectly with fall wardrobes filled with camel, chocolate, olive and burgundy tones.”
Director of R+COLOR Education Renée Valerie says this trend comes after years of ultra-cool blonde shades reigned supreme, causing people to now crave hair that feels healthier and more wearable. “It reflects light beautifully, looks less high maintenance as it grows out, and complements the richer textures and colors we naturally gravitate to in fall.”
Photo by Mario La Pergola on Unsplash
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Velvet Espresso
Perry predicts rich espresso with a velvety finish will be a hot shade this season. “In the light, you see subtle hints of chocolate and mocha that make the color feel expensive. This shade works on almost everyone but is especially beautiful on natural brunettes and those with neutral, olive or warm skin tones,” she says.
“Dramatic, cool-toned, deep browns give a sleek and polished look, perfect for the transition of seasons into the colder months,” says Giannetos. “It also looks fantastic up or down, and is romantic and timeless in a slicked look, like this one I did for Demi [Moore].”
Courtesy of Dimitris Giannetos
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Poetic Romantic Balayage
Shores describes this look as soft, tone-on-tone highlights with dimension. “Think of them as soft whispers in an overstimulated world. They look underdone instead of overdone. It’s a delicate hair color that’s sustainable and grounded,” she explains. “The look is effortlessly cool, glossy and glazed for a finish that’s organically imperfect.” Shores says this look is great for anyone looking for timeless, sustainable color.
IG: @leslieshoreshair
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Cocoa Brondette
“This is a rich brunette with soft ribbons of deep indulgent brown shades. It looks rooted and grounded in luxury and is swicy (sweet and spicy) in chocolate tones.” says Shores, who notes the key is the glossy finish. “This shade looks best on someone with an olive skin tone. You can achieve it with demi-permanent or permanent hair color or balayage. Ask your colorist for an all-over color with ammonia-free color around a level seven, six or five. They can also paint soft ribbons of balayage.”
IG: @leslieshoreshair
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Cloud Balayage
While most of the shades trending this season lean into warmth, Shores predicts we’ll also see quite a few cases of cloud balayage—bright, airy white-blonde balayage highlights placed perfectly on an already blonde base. “They carry a lightness to them that makes them look ethereal and serene,” she says. Cloud balayage helps achieve the bright platinum look without constant touch-ups, and it’s also great for gray blending, Shores adds.
IG: @leslieshoreshair
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Caramelized Amber Highlights
For this season, Shores is loving “rich shades of buttery gold and copper throughout the hair that looks warm, rich, cozy and earthy.” Caramelized amber highlights add “exotic warmth, depth and dimension to the hair that feels like golden hour.” To get the look, ask your colorist to paint balayage big golden pieces mainly in the front of the hair to match the big volume and layers. “These can be foiled or painted on the hair. It looks best on brunettes and someone with thicker hair with layers.”
IG: @leslieshoreshair
