From chestnut bronde to liquorice, here are six brunette hair trends to try
Image via @brooke.upton / instagram
words by Lara Daly
According to three Australian hair stylists.
Thanks to the rise of pop star brunettes like Charli XCX, Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo, it seems like more people are forgoing foils and turning to the dark side. Here in Australia, local hair stylists and salon owners have also noticed the shift.
While most are familiar with the seasonal cycle – bright blondes in summer, more warm for autumn, darker in winter and then gradually lighter in spring – “We have been getting more clients this season than previous wanting either darker hair, or their natural brown hair,” says Adair MacDonald, hair stylist at Lola Fortune in Melbourne.
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She says the easiest explanation is the recession hair phenomenon – people have less money to maintain blonde, so transitioning to your natural hair (which tends to be darker) is more desirable. Madison Finn, owner of Madison’s World in North Melbourne agrees, “In the winter months everyone loves to lean into hair health and saving money… Moving back over to the darker side is definitely on a lot of people’s minds!”
Jaye Edwards, colourist and founder of Australian salon chain, Edwards and Co, is a fan of the shift. “I love brunette transformations, so it’s great to see them having a moment. Clients [are moving] from high-maintenance colours to more of an expensive brunette colour, and embracing their natural darker hair with pops of lived-in dimension.”
Whatever your reason for going darker, there’s plenty of variations to play with. You could opt for a Gabriette shade of liquorice, or go for a warm, spicy cinnamon hue – both sound delicious. “I like using flavours as describing words with brown hair because it paints a picture the client can understand rather than using my colour theory jargon,” says Adair.
Whether you’re after a refresh or a transformation, the most important thing is to bring your hairdresser photos. “A lot of people get their warm and cools mixed up, so showing us photos is the best way to get the colour you want without being too stressed for the correct wording,” advises Madison.
Rich Chocolate
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According to Adair, warm brunette tones are underrated and often easier to maintain. “I really like rich browns as apposed to cooler ashier browns… Some people are afraid of warmth because we often demonise brassiness… but when you look at a classic chocolate brown, a defining characteristic is a level of red or orange within the formula.
“I find warm brunettes to have an overall richer outcome… the hair often wants to be warm, so toning warmth out of hair for a cooler look means their hair will fade warm regardless, and the client loses their desired tone [and] its higher maintenance.”
Mahogany
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“If you’ve got quite a dark base, lifting some of that to add a luxurious chocolate mahogany tone into it is super sexy,” says Madison. “It’s very easy to change up brunette with darker roots to lighter ends… or else getting some minimal panels a few shades darker or lighter to help create more shape and texture.”
Sparkly Brunette
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“Sparkly brunette is one of my signature colours and I always love seeing clients opt for this low-maintenance and lived-in look,” says Jaye. “I love this colour as it embraces a darker base, with light highlights around the face and the ends of the hair.”
You won’t need to be in the salon for hours, either. “If you want to add some changes to your brunette colour, a simple gloss service could get you there,” Jaye tells me. “Adding pops of low maintenance highlights would add dimension to your colour, or adding some lowlights for depth.”
Madison has her own version of this – “My special touch is definitely adding a darker low light pop above the ear, so the hair has texture within the colour and the light has somewhere to shine off.”
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Espresso Brunette
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“If a client wants a darker brown and wants a striking, high-contrast look this is usually where we lean into the ashier side of the colour wheel,” says Adair, “This would be your classic espresso brown containing more blue or green underlying pigment to counteract orange and red.”
Smokey Brunette
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If Gabriette is your goal, you’ll want to ask for a “cool-toned ash brunette, which is defined by its cool tones,” explains Jaye.
Chestnut Bronde
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Jaye is also seeing shades like chestnut bronde, “a light, neutral brown with subtle warmth” requested a lot in the salon – Hailey Bieber is your best reference here.
Looking for a hairdresser? Find our favourite salons in Sydney here and Melbourne, here.
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