Top 5 Hair Colour Trends for Autumn/Winter 2023

Tom Smith, dubbed “The Hairvoyant” of the hair industry has unpicked and predicted the “it” colour trends for the upcoming months. Tom is an international Artist in residence at Billi Currie, Artist at Olaplex and International Creative Colour Director at Evo, his passion for hair is both creative and cerebral, believing a mindful approach to hairdressing can empower and bring purpose to life, truly cementing identity. Unique in his approach, Tom believes hair should be an entirely positive experience with his drive being to help everyone improve their relationship with their hair.

As ‘Barbiecore’ begins its decline, after predictably reaching its peak at the launch of the movie, there’s an eager anticipation for what comes next. Autumn brings in elements of the ‘cosy girl’ aesthetic every year, and the warm iconography of the season inspires with ‘pumpkin spice’ tones and a desire for healthier, toned down hair that needs a revival after a summer of barbie blonde and beach styles.

This year in particular, we’ll be drawing inspiration from ‘The Supermodels’ through to winter – a monumental docuseries set to reach our screens through Apple TV in September. Bombshell Glamour hair has been seen across red carpets throughout the last 18months and this luxurious, bouncy and voluminous aesthetic is set to continue to grow thanks to Cindy and Christy’s influence.

Whenever there is a strong trending aesthetic present, the opposite energy often gains traction – we’re absolutely seeing this emerge in the form of the ‘boy bob’, ‘the velvet crop’ and deeper grungier tones; the antithesis of barbiecore.

‘Quiet Luxury’ or ‘Old Money Glamour’ are fashion trends pioneered by luxury brands like ‘The Row’, who prioritise quality and purity above OTT attention grabbing design, we are seeing this translated into beauty with hairstyles that utilise more classic, elongated or filled out shapes with effortless movement giving us prestige ‘Heir Hair’ - styles born into wealth who’d accept nothing less than a grain of colour comparable to luxury fabric; cashmere, silk and heavy woven wools. Highlights and dimension are blended and blurred, giving an effect that is hard to describe – ‘a new bronde’ surges back to the forefront, alongside ‘nepo blonde’ and a profound appreciation for high quality hair services delivering high quality, and perfectly conditioned hair.

Nepo Blonde

Celebrity References: Poppy Delevigne, Sienna Miller, Lily Rose Depp, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, Gwyneth Paltrow

This high class shade for those born into wealth (or who signal so) showcases a true clarity of blonde – skipping intense toners and purple shampoo this blonde is bright and clean and finely woven, creating a blonde canvas that is subtly multi-tonal while being globally much brighter than the natural base colour. Quite different to the ‘earth blonde’ that we discussed earlier this year, this tone is energetic and the epitome of ‘blondes have more fun’ which rings true thanks to the attention grabbing glow this shade provides.

Ask your stylist: Who’d have thought that classic foil highlights would make such a comeback but that is exactly what this shade requires to achieve the clarity and brightness that makes it ‘nepo’! A full head of finely woven highlights can achieve a blonde brightness and can be combined with a (very subtle) shadow root, but otherwise avoid toners and work on getting the perfect clean lift.

Product Recommendations: Nepo Blonde isn’t Nepo if its not healthy and strong – remember your Olaplex No.3 Home Repair Treatments or the in-salon Chelator which removes build up making your blonde cleaner, brighter and pure.

The New Bronde

Celebrity References: Joey King, Shakira, Lizzo, Cardi B

It’s been 2 years since I first coined the terms ‘Expensive Brunette’ and ’Expensive Blonde’ and its become clear it’s time for ‘Expensive BRONDE’. It’s the perfect place to evolve to if you want to tone down a summer of Barbie Blonde, or if your brunette tones have become organically lightened and sunkissed. The expensive characteristic comes from the dimension and detail which is inspired by the level of craftsmanship that is typically applied to blonde hair but utilized in deeper tones. Cleverly placed high and low lights woven throughout, create the overall look of a perfect ‘bronde’ the midway place between being blonde and brunette – a great choice for those who don’t identify as a blonde but are curious to play with lighter tones, or for those who have been bold and blonde for a while and are tempted by a deeper shade but looking to tentatively begin that process. Interestingly, this Bronde leans closer to copper than ever, so it’s also a great choice for those who are attracted to copper tones but nervous a true copper won’t suit them.

Ask your stylist: A great choice to revive post-summer hair, have your colourist add to your existing tones with either lighter or darker depending on your starting point, taking care to get an even result throughout with subtle multi-tones and dimension.

Anti-Barbie

Celebrity References: Lily James, Emma Chamberlain, Billie Eilish, Camilla Cabello, Emily Ratajkowski

There’s been no shortage of ‘Barbiecore’ references around this year and it’s the rules of global trends that when one polarity is popular, the opposite is also often true. Many of our celeb tastemakers have opted for deeper, glossier and muted tones of late and this more sultry, understated style is the opposite of the loudness that Barbie Blonde offers.

Ask your stylist: As colourists we often find that those who suit one end of the colour spectrum, can often suit the other, and so if you prefer platinum blonde over bronde or caramel tones, you may feel great as a deeper, inkier brunette – it’s a big commitment to make such a change so get the opinion of an experienced colourist who can advise if you’l still feel like a version of yourself at the opposite end of the shade spectrum. Don’t forget to consider the role your eyebrows play and if making a dramatic change, be open to tweaking your makeup and go-to wardrobe choices too.

Product Recommendations: High gloss is essential here: I love ‘Color Wow Extra Shine Spray’ and the new ‘Dreamcoat Extra Strength’.

Old Money Piece

Celebrity References: Hailey Bieber, Beyonce, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

While a money piece is nothing new, being firmly placed as a macro trend in its own right means we can expect periodic adaptations and reinventions of the look. The ‘Old Money Luxury’ trend in fashion boasts a quiet subtlety and a focus on quality which is being translated into this seasons money piece through a softer, more blended appearance that brightens from above the temples rather than in a statement making strip across the front. Brightness around the face is desirable for many and even the popular ‘Scandi hairline’, while having all the potential to be bold and harsh looking, is really focusing on just the fine baby hairs that frame the face which actually ends up looking quite soft. The ‘Old Money Piece’ is a quieter and more refined brightening of the face frame that grows out softly and whispers rather than shouts.

Ask your stylist: Less is more here, Old money focuses on quality, not quantity and so have your colourist add carefully placed highlights that blend seamlessly around your hairline, fading gently into the body of your hair – avoid a solid section or too thick of a ‘scandi hairline’ style application.

Candy Copper

Celebrity References: Julia Fox, Karol G, Jennifer Garner

It’s no secret that copper hair has truly become a staple shade after spending the last decade being unfairly undesirable. The natural progression from soft coppers into stronger coppers is then heading into the punchier reds and we are already seeing this clear direction. More acidic tones of candy, rose and cherry are being incorporated into copper hair for the bolder among us and this will grow in popularity throughout Autumn and towards the festive season.

Ask your stylist: Deeper, warmer, olive and tan skin tones suit what we call ‘cooler’ red shades the best. Take note though; this is not a naturally occurring shade, and so works best on those not fearful of making statements with their fashion and makeup to pull the whole look together.

Product Recommendations: Evo Fabuloso Colour Boosting Treatments in Red, Red Violet or Mahogany will keep this creative Candy Shade topped up with the shine and tone it needs to look intentional and expensive.