Over the past few years, we've seen unicorn hair and rainbow pastels give way to hair-color trends that make you want to roll up to your nearest coffee shop. (See cold brew, dark roast, and blond roast, for starters.) Fortunately, this year is giving us a welcome (but not boring) breather with the onset of subtle highlight techniques, extra dimension, and more natural-looking hair colors overall.
Good news considering the upkeep is much, much more manageable, even if "natural" still requires a couple of hours in the chair. And they offer something for everyone. We talked to the industry's top hair colorists around the country to get the scoop on the must-try trends. Ahead, the hair color trends we'll be rocking the rest of 2019 and into the next decade.
Baby Blond
If you've been wanting to go light without verging into full-on platinum territory, give baby blond a try. Ask for a warm, pale base color with almost white highlights. Stephanie Brown, master colorist at IGK Salon Soho in New York City, loves this color because it's a pretty change for spring—and universally flattering. "Since this is a mixture of warm and cool, it works well with all skin tones," she says.
Face-Framing Highlights
The seasons change—so why shouldn't your hair? "Every winter we seem to go darker with our hair, and every summer we want to go lighter," says Rebekah Nash, colorist at Cutler Salon in New York City. "A great middle ground would be to add highlights that frame your face." This brightens your face by enhancing both your eyes and bone structure, she says.
Tweed Hair
According to Chicago colorist Rex Jimieson, his clients have been moving away from the darker roots and lighter ends they've been loving in recent seasons. Instead they've been asking for a look that Jimieson dubbed "tweed hair," essentially subtle highlights that are evenly distributed. "A contrast is still present, but not as ‘overachiever’ as seen in recent seasons," he says. One of our favorite versions of the look? This rich brown with golden balayage pieces from Simplicity Salon in south Florida.
Mushroom Blond
Mushroom blond is an in-between color—not quite blond, not quite brunette, making it the perfect transitional shade. "It’s right in between light brown and dark blond, like an ashier version of brond," says Brown. Because it doesn’t really fall into either blond or brunette, it’s a great shade for blonds looking to dip their toe into the dark side, or for brunettes wanting to go a little lighter.
