I Tried the Copper Hair Trend Everyone's Talking About, and It's Even Better Than I Expected

I went into the salon knowing my hair wasn't in the best condition, but I thought, "how bad can it be?" Then, I saw my before photo. I hadn't dyed it in 18 months, but thanks to Howard's incredible California balayage, it needed little maintenance; however, I'd only gotten light dusting cuts twice in that time. It was in need of a colour refresh and major chop.

Before getting into the process, Howard insists on having a consultation and patch testing before an appointment. The consultation means the colourist can assess exactly what the desired outcome is and manage a client's expectations. Patch tests avoid any allergic reactions, because that's the last thing you want to leave the salon with.

Howard explained that the condition of your hair and whether it's previously been coloured will determine how many stages it will take to get you to copper. Virgin hair (hair that has never been coloured) needs fewer stages and probably won't need the precolour stage. If you have darker dye all over, the buildup of colour will need to be removed with prelightening, which is a slightly longer process.

As my hair had balayage prior to colouring, Howard needed a precolour phase to get my whole head the same colour so the results look even. If you have prelightener (bleach) in your hair, this prefill work puts darker pigment back into the hair and is vital. This is the step that ensures the hair doesn't veer into a muddy colour and prevents the new colour fading. After letting it process for 20 minutes, the hair is washed and roughly dried.

Next up is applying the copper colour. Howard added the desired hue we'd discussed in my consultation — a Julianne Hough/Madelaine Petsch-inspired vibe that wasn't too vibrant for my skin tone with threads of slightly lighter balayage pieces throughout to frame my face. He applied the dye to the midshaft and the ends of my hair first, which he let process for 35 minutes.

Then, he coloured my roots and I was left to marinate (a nontechnical term I like to use) to let the copper colour process. Howard did the roots last to avoid "hot roots," or roots that "glow," which avoids the colour from looking unnatural.

Once the colour was washed out and roughly blow-dried, we admired the vibrant hue in a ring light. But the dye job wasn't over yet . . .

Since Howard is the king of balayage, he wanted to add some dimension to the copper colour by adding small pieces of lighter balayage throughout. He says this process is bespoke to each client — he looks at where the hair falls and adds pieces throughout the back of the head and around the face to frame it.

In total, he added 10 pieces of balayage colour throughout my hair.

This colour isn't just a dye-and-go job, though. Howard warned me that there will be upkeep and I must stick to it. He suggested getting my roots touched up every four to six weeks (depending on how quickly my hair grows) to keep the colour looking fresh. Leaving my roots any longer than that will require a long two-step regrowth application, meaning my entire head of hair would need to be redyed. This is due to older hair's keratin being hardened, which, in turn, affects how the colour processes. By staying on top of maintenance, it will be more affordable in the long run (roots are much cheaper than a whole head) and will ensure my hair looks fresh and glossy.

After my colour, I went home to experiment with makeup and fake tan. The verdict? A blue-toned red, no more copper eye shadow, and a very light faux glow rather than a golden tan. I couldn't be happier to have joined the copper hair club.