Refinery29

Beauty

5 Breakout Hair Color Trends That Are Going To Be Huge This Fall

There are two ways to approach your pre-fall hair color appointment: You can opt for a subtle, low-maintenance tweak (in the interest of staying out of the salon for the next few months), or finally go for the big color change you've been mulling over since the start of quarantine.
However you're feeling about your current color — loving your natural roots or feeling drained by dullness — there's a highlight or balayage trend that will serve as inspiration for a fresh fall look. From the chic new take on brunette balayage (meet chocolate chai) to a bright-white platinum that will pop up on Zoom screens everywhere come September, scroll ahead to find five budding hair color trends to bring to your next (safe) salon appointment.

VACATION BLONDE

Even if summer 2020 didn't include a terrycloth towel and a cabana, you can pretend it did with the help of your colorist. Bring them this color visual by Bre Trupiano, a colorist out of L.A.'s Andy Lecompte Salon, who calls the sandy and sun-bleached highlight trend "vacation blonde."

With curls (and good natural light), the bright-blonde highlight really pops, as evidenced by model Tatiana Arend. For application, Chicago-based colorist Karissa Schaudt tells us the blonde highlights should be placed all around the hairline, with a little root smudging for depth and a purposeful grow out.

Golden Topaz

If the vibe you're going for is rich fall color, golden topaz is it. According to celebrity hairstylist Ruslan Nureev, there are two important factors at play: the soft highlight blending and glossy shine. For the former, consider a mid-light that connects your darker root color to the brighter ends and makes the tonal transition smooth, not ombréd. For the shine factor, Nureev recommends at-home hydrating treatments, like Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector, to keep the golden tones shimmery.

Though the overall effect of a golden topaz color might be solid from afar, Schaudt tells us there should be a mix of different tones happening up close — as seen on model Renell Shanay. "You want a mix of golden highlights and copper mid-lights using your natural color as the base," she explains. "The look is also pretty low-maintenance and easy to wear because everyone’s natural hair lifts warm."

Chocolate Chai

Like the cooler version of "cold brew" brunette updated for 2020, NYC-based colorist Stephanie Brown calls this remix "chocolate chai." Brown explains that the dark root color lends itself to the chocolate reference, while the swirls of chai are the painted pieces of pale brown placed around the hairline — but off the root — for low-maintenance, lived-in color.

Another visual of a chocolate chai color would be this subtly-lifted balayage brown on actress Olivia Munn, styled by L.A-based hairstylist Kiley Fitzgerald with highlights courtesy of brunette color expert Cassondra Kaeding.

Honey Copper

If you have black hair and are looking for a fall highlight that won't go brassy in two weeks, consider a honey-tinged tone. According to Vida, the colorist at NYC's Devachan Salon who created this look on influencer Shellie Denise, a subtle honey highlight used in conjunction with DevaCurl’s No-Poo Blue Shampoo cancels out orange-y undertones and delivers a natural-looking warm highlight over dark hair.

On Canadian model and influencer Chloe Christian, a similar honey tone feels warm and bright with a natural glow.

Zoom Platinum

For the change-seekers, Brown tells us she's been seeing a lot of people turning to peroxide. "Maybe it's the Zoom screen or just quarantine in general, but I'm finding a lot of clients are itching to do something bold, either chunky face-frame highlights or a really light platinum," says Brown. Just this week, we saw model Kaia Gerber transition from summer blonde to even blonder (which gave her a lifted base to try a semi-permanent pink).

Brown tells us she achieved this perfect icy-white platinum on a razor-short cut using salon-professional hair color system Uberliss.