The fall hair colour trends heading your way this season share one clear direction: richer, warmer, and far less work at the salon. Eight shades are pulling focus right now, and the colorists behind them are already fielding requests.
Why Glossy, Lived-In Colour Is Winning This Season
Meri Kate O’Connor, a celebrity colorist at Benjamin Salon in Los Angeles (named a top colorist by Refinery29 and featured in Benjamin Salon West Hollywood‘s Allure Magazine Best of Beauty Directory), is the name behind several of the biggest calls this autumn. Her read on the overarching mood? Gloss. ‘Everyone’s obsessed with shiny, glossy-looking hair this season, which can make colour look better and hair healthier overall,’ she says. That glossy finish is the connective tissue between all eight trends below.
As Harper’s Bazaar notes, O’Connor is at the centre of the push toward blended looks that add depth and warmth without dramatic change. ‘We’re seeing more blended looks that seamlessly add depth, warmth, and dimension, kind of like enhancing what you already have to match the season,’ she says. The practical upside: fewer trips to the salon.
That backdrop of food-inspired warmth lines up with broader search behaviour. According to Yahoo Lifestyle, interest in gourmand hair is rising on both Google and TikTok, covering a palette inspired by food and drink (coffee, strawberry, cherry cola) that brings exactly the richness and warmth the colorists below are describing.
The Eight Fall Hair Colour Trends to Know
Spiced Smudge is leading the requests in brunette territory. Hairstylist Sara Botsford calls it ‘a response to the shift we’re seeing away from overly bright, high-maintenance colour.’ The technique builds warmth through mid-lengths and ends while keeping depth at the base, so the colour looks melted rather than highlighted. It’s ‘warm without being overly copper and dimensional without needing to be blonde,’ Botsford says. At her Denver salon she uses Redken Shades ALK and Cover Fusion for clients with greys.
Maple Cream Blonde is O’Connor’s answer for blondes ready to shift off their summer hue. ‘We are moving away from summer blonde now,’ she says. ‘Gold, honey, and caramel tones are a nice way to tone down brighter, cooler blondes while still staying blonde into the fall.’ The move: ask for a smudged root plus blended lowlights a shade or two darker and a warm-toned gloss. The smudged root is the real time-saver, stretching the gap between appointments.
Cherry Glaze keeps red on the board. O’Connor is fielding requests for cherry reds specifically, a more vibrant take, and says a weekly shine treatment amps up that glossy finish. Think of it as the gourmand cherry cola shade made wearable for everyday life.
Romantic Balayage is back, but quieter. Hair colorist Leslie Shores describes it as ‘soft whispers in an overstimulated world.’ The lightening is done without bleach (usually a no-bleach lightener and a demi-permanent colour) making this one a good shout for anyone worried about damage. ‘The look is effortlessly cool, glossy, and glazed for a finish that’s organically imperfect,’ Shores says.
Spicy Copper gets a deeper, cinnamon twist this autumn. Hairstylist Sierra Adam, who has previously discussed copper as ‘the new brunette,’ says this version ‘has just enough warmth to make the hair look rich, shiny and dimensional.’ The catch: copper fades faster than most shades, so a colour-depositing conditioner used every couple of weeks will keep it vibrant between visits.
Pop Star Pink is an outlier on this list, and O’Connor says requests are coming in across the full pink spectrum, from rose gold through to hot pink. For fall, she suggests rose gold as the smarter transition shade. ‘It’s a little more golden in tone and appears more muted than traditional pink,’ she explains.
Cocoa Brondette is what Shores calls ‘a rich brunette with soft ribbons of deep, indulgent brown shades.’ It sits in that mushroomy, lived-in space O’Connor is seeing clients request, natural-looking, neither too warm nor too cool. Shores says it looks best on olive skin tones but is open to anyone who wants it. Ask your stylist for an all-over colour or a balayage-style paint for added dimension.
Dark Chocolate rounds things out. Depth is the common thread across every fall trend this season, and dark chocolate brown is the purest expression of it. O’Connor calls a gloss ‘lip gloss for your hair’ and recommends it as the easiest way to achieve this shade at home while restoring hydration after a summer of chlorine, salt water and sun. She also points to Pravana Moisture Marvel shampoo and conditioner, which contain hyaluronic acid, as a starting point for rehydrating hair before any seasonal colour change.