Blonde Espresso Hair Is the Newest and Glossiest Combination of Brunette and Blonde

The blonde espresso hue is a move away from bronze colours toward warmer, richer tones for Winter. "Think: dark milk chocolates, coffee beans, and biscuits," said Howard. It's made up of a gloss, chocolate-coloured base (although, there are no rules, so any brunette base works well), with threads of caramel or butterscotch painted highlights throughout — including the money pieces at the front of the hair.

Howard believes the key to a good colour is making sure the hair is healthy and shiny, which is why his last step when creating this particular shade on all his clients is a gloss. It gives the overall colour depth and a just-stepped-out-of-the-salon sheen, said Howard. "There's no need to think brunette is boring."

Everyone can! The best thing about this hair colour hue is that it can be tailored to the individual no matter their texture or natural colour. By having a consultation first, you can bring photo inspiration and give the colourist a feel for what you're after, and the colourist should manage your result expectations. They should then create bespoke dyes to suit your skin tone and desired finished result. You can get a few face-framing money pieces to add depth to the base colour, or go the full monty and get approximately 14 bigger balayage pieces throughout the hair, according to Howard.

"Tell your colourist that you still want to identify as a brunette, but you want to add some threads of caramel," said Howard. This could be a range of four, eight, 12, or 14 pieces of balayage depending on how intense you want the overall effect. However, "it's a colour choice rather than just a technique," Howard explained. Ask for a gloss service in addition to balayage for a luxurious-feeling finish. He stressed that this isn't about overpowering or changing the colour to blonde, but rather complementing the base and adding hints of the hue.