It's about that time again—my most treasured time, to be quite honest. If you're a fellow hairstyling enthusiast (whether that's cut or color), I'm sure you'll agree that trend forecasts take center stage in the opening months of the year. This time around, I wanted to do a deep dive into what luscious hair hues will be making their debut (or a comeback) this season.
Naturally, that required me to tap a few talented celebrity colorists to get their take on what's ahead. They've looked into their splashy crystal balls and discovered a few key colors folks are already gravitating toward to kick off the season. Find out what they're getting the most requests for below and the one shade that's going to have a major moment.
Chase Kusero, Celebrity Colorist Co-Founder of IGK Hair Care
1. Low-Maintenance Blonde Shades
"In the salon, my clients are asking for lower-maintenance blonde shades that feel softer versus a bright platinum. This looks more natural and allows clients to go longer between visits. From our new at-home color collection, we have the shade Out in Malibu, which is perfect to achieve a 'natural blonde' for those who prefer to self-color."
2. Luxe, Rich Browns
"I also have more and more clients asking for luxurious, rich browns with an edge. Along with adding in lowlights, it can give the hair a more youthful feel. From our new at-home color collection we have Hot Chestnut, which is a warm golden brown, and Warm Up, which is a golden mahogany brown. Both feel extremely rich."
3. Youthful Pastel Shades
"At IGK Salons, we have clients that come from all over the world. From this mix of people, we do see those that want to explore wild colors and go for a very bold look. Two of the biggest fun color trends that I am seeing in our salons are pastel, muted, youthful shades. Knowing clients desire these fun shades, we made sure to include vibrant, fun colors in our at-home color collection. We have Astro Babe, which is a light, cool lavender, and French Rose, which is a light, rosy blonde and are right on trend with what clients are asking for at the salon level."
Shop Kusero's Color-Care Picks
"This is is the newest IGK shampoo-and-conditioner regimen that is truly great for all hair types and textures and is gentle on color-treated hair."
"This is a great weekly treatment that you can use in place of your conditioner and leave it on for three to five minutes. It's great for high-shine, glossy strands, instant softness, and smoothness. It seals the hair, almost like shrink-wrapping each strand for protection."
Richy Kandasamy, Celebrity Colorist R+Co Collective Member
4. Luxe Brunette
I'm starting to notice a pattern here. Rich chocolate brown just might be the It color this year, no?
"Brunettes are starting to have more fun, but I will call it luxe brunette, which is timeless and expensive. What sets this shade of brunette apart this season is the depth and dimension. It’s all about balance, so it’s worth understanding whether warmer or cooler tones complement your skin tone. This decision can be made based on how light or dark you want to go, the depth of the color of your eyes, and your complexion. When asking for warmer tones, those descriptive words like coffee, caramel, warm chocolate, chestnut, copper, and gold are good to use. When asking for cooler tones, ask for iced or dark chocolate, ash brown, or cool dark leather."
5. Natural, Glossy, and Timeless Shades
"My personal favorite color requests right now are the more natural, glossy, and overall healthy and timeless looks. We’re in a time where people have outgrown the bold contrasts often seen in balayage. The tones can range from a rich, leather brown to a sophisticated chestnut or different intensities of a chocolate hue."
Shop Kandasamy's Color-Care Picks
"You always want to make sure you use the right shampoo, conditioner, and hair treatment for better conditioning and longevity of the color. For blondes specifically, use a shampoo and conditioner designed for toning brassy hair. That means swapping out your regular shampoo and conditioner for ones that are formulated to prevent brassiness, like R+Co's Sunset Blvd Blonde Shampoo Conditioner.
"A mask is key! This one will help you maintain your look."
Sienree Du, Celebrity Colorist
6. Sandy Blonde
Another color on the come-up this year? Sandy blonde. "I love that my clients are asking to go more natural! Toned-down baby blondes and rich chocolate dimensional brunette shades are the perfect vibe this year."
7. Rich, Warm Brunette
Colorists seem to unanimously agree about this one: Rich chocolate-brown shades are more popular than ever this year. "I love a rich brunette because it still reflects light, which creates dimension. It looks healthy, and the deep rich chocolate and espresso colors are just delicious."
Shop Du's Color-Care Picks
"I’m very into the fact that K18 helps restore your hair close to its natural elasticity and helps your hair rebuild its strength after going through the color process."
David Richards, Celebrity Colorist Stylist
8. Coppery Fiery Reds
"I am getting a lot of requests for coppers and fiery reds from my clients already this year! Everyone is wanting to chase away their winter blues, warm up their skin, and start off the New Year with a bold statement. And copper hair is a perfect way to accomplish all of these things. I love creating this look with a copper gloss on top of blonde or lightened hair. It's a great way to try it out before fully committing with permanent hair color."
Shop Richards's Color-Care Picks
"All of my clients with blonde hair to red, brunette, or fantasy colors use this product as their take-home! I use it at home as well. The consistency of the product is so easy to use. You just apply it and comb through the hair. The fragrance is great. In just five to 10 minutes, it adds a ton of moisture and helps you maintain the vibrancy of your color."
Jeremy Tardo, Celebrity Colorist
9. Lighter Brighter Tones
"Celebrity clients are definitely asking for change this season. As the New Year begins, I’ve had celebrity clients who are brunettes wanting to go lighter, blondes wanting to go red, and everything from platinum on naturally black hair to silver on naturally light hair. After the last couple of years, I think a lot of people are ready for new projects in their next chapter, and hair changes are noticeably reflecting this."
10. Unbleached Blonde
"I love the natural-blonde vibes that we are seeing a lot of this season. Blondes are opting for less-processed looks and more natural-looking hues reminiscent of 1970s hair icons. It’s great to see organic looks that keep hair healthier being embraced. Think Brigitte Bardot or Farrah Fawcett."
11. Antique Rose
"Dusty rose and sandy blush are terms I use to describe new earth-toned pink hues that are showing up everywhere in 2022. I like to use vivid pink colors and create more nuanced takes on them by adding a top coat of toner that mutes the brightness down a bit."
Shop Tardo's Color-Care Picks
"I give the NouNou shampoo-and-conditioner set from Davines to a lot of my hair-color clients. NouNou has a gentle cleansing effect, which helps prevent color stripping that happens with more astringent shampoos, while also adding nourishment and hydration to processed hair."
"For bleached hair, I always suggest a bond-building line such as Olaplex. These product ranges strengthen hair that is weakened from lightening, which prevents breakage and split ends."
Tina Outen, Celebrity Colorist Session Stylist
12. Golden Rosy Hues
"I foresee blondes taking their tones to the most golden of golds with rosy richness added. Many will be mixing gold and pink hues to create a unique, skin-flattering twinkle. Think of all the colors of the sunset whipped into a glossy wash of color."
13. Vibrantly Colored Shades
"I personally think that 2022 will be a year of experimentation and empowerment. We'll be channeling the beauty of our beautiful earth with shades like rich red ochre, electric blue, energetic green, and powerful pink—colors that carry an energetic vibe of positivity."
Shop Outen's Color-Care Picks
"Color care is about washing and conditioning your hair with a shampoo and conditioner specific for colored hair. This is important, as most color-care shampoos are formulated to bubble less. The fewer bubbles, the less oxygen your strands are exposed to. The O2 is what will pull out the color pigments deposited inside your hair—meaning your color will fade faster. This is a great option from Redken."
"If you use a lot of heat to style your hair, then heat protectors like this one are also key. The more your cuticles are nourished, the better they will stay flat and closed down on the outside of your strands. This will keep all those beautiful color pigments inside your hair longer, and they won't gradually wash away over the weeks in between applications."
"Bleached strands also require bond repair work, so experiment with all the great new bond repair products on the market to see which one you like the results of most and will use regularly. I recommend Biosilk's Silk Therapy Original."
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