Whether you're going back to school or just headed back to work after the Summer holidays, Autumn is a great time to change up your hair colour. And while no hair colour is ever really "in" or "out" anymore (you should wear your hair however you want it, whenever you want it), we wanted to help anybody out who's looking for some ideas and inspiration. That's why we reached out to some of the top colourists in London (and one in NYC who works at Fashion Weeks around the world) to share the hair colour trends they're loving for Autumn 2019.
Many of the shades the colourists chose feel quintessentially autumnal, albeit with a bit of a twist. They're inspired by foods like wheat and maple and classic autumnal tones like golden yellow and copper red, and many of them combine multiple shades and tones into one look, similar to the variety of shades we see out in nature in the Autumn months. And with these eight hair colour trends, everyone can easily get in on the action regardless of natural colour or texture: brunettes can spice things up with rich, auburn threads, blondes can warm things with honey- and maple-coloured glazes, and those with natural hair can add dimension with painted highlights that won't overpower or damage the hair.
To get the inside scoop on each of Autumn's hottest hair colour trends that we're about to see in London and the UK, these top colourists shared all the details of each look, including what you should ask your colourist for and examples that you can bookmark and bring with you to your salon appointment. So whether you're going to dare to do something totally different or just fancy a small change, read on to get inspired for your next Autumnal hair hue that is sure to be as beautiful as the changing colours of the leaves.
Autumn Hair Colour Trend 2019: Wheat Blonde
Wheat Blonde [2]: "A fresh, wheat-coloured glaze softens everything up after the Summer holidays," said Jack Howard, colourist at Paul Edmonds Salon in London, who describes wheat blonde as a warm, buttery hue with ribbons of gold painted throughout. It's the perfect transition shade as it's not too cool and not too warm, and here's the best news yet: it's a very low-maintenance blonde hue, according to Howard.
The colour is created by adding warm, golden tones throughout the hair using the balayage technique (i.e. painting on highlights) throughout the entire hair and adding "money pieces" [3] to frame the face.
Autumn Hair Colour Trend 2019: Deep Chocolate Brown With Auburn Highlights
Deep Chocolate Brown With Auburn Highlights: "This hue gives the illusion of sun-kissed hair without it looking unnatural," said London-based hairstylist and salon-owner Charlotte Mensah [4]. This is the perfect hue if you want go darker with your colour this season, while the threads of auburn throughout totally give this look major autumnal vibes.
Autumn Hair Colour Trend 2019: Painted Highlights on Natural Hair
Painted Highlights on Natural Hair: "As more and more women are embracing their natural textures, I'm loving the freehand painted highlights that I'm seeing make a big comeback," Mensah said. "Rather than using the traditional foil technique, to create these looks pre-lightener is painted through the curls [using a balayage technique] to enhance coiled shape." And by adding these pieces of balayage throughout, it adds dimension to darker hair in a way that isn't overpowering or super damaging to the hair, she added.
Autumn Hair Colour Trend 2019: Maple Mustard
Maple Mustard: This hue is a hybrid of blonde, honey, and auburn tones. "The maple glaze is diluted yet gives a warm wash of colour that picks up on any pre-lightened areas of hair," explained hairstylist Zoë Irwin who works for Wella as their UK colour trend expert.
Irwin has a very specific way of applying these tones, too. "The technique I love using is 'palm painting', which is from the French way of balayaging. You put the colour onto the back of your hand, and then pick up delicate pieces of colour and paint it on [the hair]. Then using my fingers, I blend it all in so it means that the ends get the right level of lightening because of the warmth of my hands," she explained. However, you can also ask your colourist to use a typical balayage technique when applying these rich, warm, cosy tones (yes, a tone can be cosy, OK?).
Autumn Hair Colour Trend 2019: Sable Brown
Sable Brown: "Sable brown isn't an overly warm or overly cool colour," said Rachel Bodt, a colourist at Mynd NYC. "It has almost like a fur colour quality to it that it makes [Kim's] natural colour appear warmer and shinier."
According to Bodt, a great way to achieve this shade is with hair painting, making sure not to lift the hair too light so that you stay in the brunette family. "It's all about adding variations of tones, which melts into the dark base."
Autumn Hair Colour Trend 2019: Strong Face-Framing Highlights
Strong Face-Framing Highlights: We saw this on Beyoncé over the Summer, and it appears she sparked a resurgence of the look. "Money pieces," as hairstylist often refer to them, aren't entirely new — they've always been a great technique for brightening up the complexion, framing the face, and highlighting your bone structure — but this time around, we're seeing them done in a way more pronounced way.
"This type of highlighting works great for almost any hair colour," Bodt said. "It's a nice way to feel lighter without having to highlight your whole head. Plus, the grow-out is more graceful."
Autumn Hair Colour Trend 2019: Copper Blonde
Copper Blonde: Blondes and brunettes, if you're looking for something entirely different, consider a dramatic change to copper. And if you're naturally redhead, adding a few blonde highlights to the hair can lift the overall colour and give definition that you probably didn't even know you wanted.
Howard refreshed my copper hue [5] for Autumn, and rather than making it darker, he added 14 pieces of balayage throughout (don't immediately spot them? That's entirely the point) to give my hair a soft, golden tone to match my skin tone, rather than making me it a fiery red. Howard explained to me that he thinks this hair colour gives an overall sensual vibe, and who am I to argue with that?
Autumn Hair Colour Trend 2019: Molten Honey Blonde
Molten Honey Blonde: "I love that we are seeing blondes with more tones and variations now, rather than just completely bleached out," Bodt said. "This is the perfect, soft-golden baby blonde because it's past the point of orange so it just reads reflective and shiny."
Be sure to bring photo references for your colourist, but ask them to work with your natural hair colour and add a treatment or glaze to ensure your hair is as shiny as can be.
