It’s the most, wonderful time, for your hair.
Winter is the perfect time of year to introduce some icy cool tones or cosy up to warmer shades. Match your hair to your newly bought winter wardrobe or combine it with a chic new haircut in time for your Christmas work ‘do. Whatever your plans – there’s never been a better time to #ChooseColour.
Let the transition to winter be as smooth and seamless as that balayage you’ve been pinning to your Pinterest board for the past 6 months. Let your golden blonde highlights sparkle in soft snowfall or glow in front of a cosy fire. Now that we’ve (hopefully) drawn you into compelling visions of your favourite winter moments, just note that winter hair colours are cooking up a storm right now. And what’s more, we’ve got the low-down on all the shades, hues and tones you’ll need to keep your eyes on for your next hair appointment.
We’ve broken down this winter hair colour guide into 3 categories:
With that said, we won’t mind if you want to skip ahead to the section that best applies to you. Or if like us, you like to think of yourself as a bit of a hair chameleon, read through them all before you decide on your winter hair colour for 2019.
Classic golden balayage
A balayage is the perfect colour technique if you’ve been eyeing up a lighter shade but haven’t been able to fully commit to an all over blonde. An expert balayage is the way to go if you’re a brunette vying to go lighter, but don’t want the hassle of regular maintenance. If your hair is a dark brown, opt for a golden hue that airs slightly on the warmer side. Golden hues that have an almost dirty ‘rootage’ are so on trend right now and means you don’t need to worry so much about those pesky outgrown roots.
Dark brew
Sticking to the balayage theme, think of your favourite coffee. Cappuccino? Latte? Do you usually sprinkle a little dark chocolate or cinnamon on top? How about adding a little dose to your hair too? (please don’t *actually* do this). Think of your favourite dark brew and mimic those mocha and hot chocolate tones in your hair. Concentrating your highlights around your face will add a little extra dimension to your hairstyle, making it appear thicker while accentuating and beautifying your facial features. Yes, highlights have the ability to draw focus to your eyes and even chisel out your cheekbones! Speak to your stylist for top tips on the placement of your mocha highlights.
Inky black
This dramatic winter hair colour trend is seriously dreamy. Its high-shine and strong pigmentation makes the hair look almost wet to touch. Wet paint signs aside, this all over shade is perfect if your hair is naturally on the darker side. You or may not know this, but black hair is not just the one shade. There’s a whole spectrum of black shades, some lighter and ashier than others whilst some are naturally on the warmer, browner side. Despite hearsay, applying an inky black colour to dark hair *will* make a significant difference – it’s all about the hair tone. Ink black hair is gorgeously glossy and when combined with an olive skin tone, creates a dramatic yet warming look.
Pumpkin spice
Our favourite latte order this season is literally everywhere—and we mean everywhere. The “it” flavour is also the “it” shade for winter, and there’s absolutely nothing basic about it. We love the wintry vibes of pumpkin spice, so much so that we literally want pumpkin spice hair. There’s a sensational palette of shades to choose from too. Some are bronzy, some are coppery, some are seriously luminous, and some are down right dirty…! Whatever tickles your palette, our stylists can help you narrow down a hue that’ll suit your skin tone down to the last fleck. Trust in a professional salon colour and you’re guaranteed to leave with locks that will keep you on-trend way past the falling of the last leaf this winter.
Ruby red
Whether you’re a fan of a certain famous mermaid or just a lover of vibrant gem-stone inspired hair, this ruby red shade should be an easy choice. A recurring shade of choice for many of our guests, it’s safe to say it’s a bold colour that never seems to go out of style. And for those of you afraid of looking like the black and red stripy hair’d goth you were in high school, don’t worry, you won’t get any such flashbacks with this shade. In fact, if you opt for an all over ruby red, it can look classy *and* sassy in equal measure – the dream, right?
Mulled Wine
We’ve all seen it on Insta and Pinterest alike. That deep, mulled wine hair colour combined with the exact same shade of lipstick and perfectly preened nails, matching of course. This colour can be just as alluring straight as it can when curled, regardless of hair length. The colour is noted by a deep berry-red base hue—the same shade in fact as that Bordeaux you just poured in the pan to simmer—with classic undertones of cinnamon and orange. Finally, it’s more calming and less in-your-face than the likes of Ruby Red and Pumpkin Spice —plus, the sheer variety of tones you can explore means that there’s a right shade of mulled wine for just about anyone. Our stylists tell us that this mulled wine shade can add life to the complexion of pale and tan women alike. Lighter skin tones might opt for a brighter berry, while darker skin tones might steer towards richer, merlot shades.
Silver Ice
Year on year the ice queens come out to play. You’ve more than likely seen this beautiful silver ice blonde trend on fashion week runways and celebrities alike. The icy shade combines striking platinum tones with a silver or white hue to add a touch of frost. If you want to be an ice queen this winter, you’ll need to start thinking about your colour transition a few months in advance because this shade requires patience. But that’s not to say it’s not do-able – our Master Colour Experts offer thorough consultations, assessing your hair and therefore being able to manage your colour expectations. The great thing about this silver ice trend is that there IS a low maintenance option too – just ask your stylist to blend this shade with your naturally dark roots and you’ll be nailing two trends in one go.
Honey blonde
This beautifully delicious shade complements nearly every skin tone and as we head into winter it can be the perfect addition to your blonde locks. If you know anything about us, you’ll know there’s nothing we love more than a multi-tonal shade of blonde. A bright platinum certainly gets our hearts racing, but we love the warm, fuzzy feeling we get when we see a honey blonde. If you’ve been cautious about going for a warmer blonde shade, don’t forget that ‘honey’ doesn’t mean ‘yellow’. By combining striking contrasts between dark and light tones, this honey blonde shade is a great way to add dimension to your hair too. In other words, it’ll give the illusion of added depth to your mane which helps make hair look thicker and fuller bodied.
Highlighter cream
If you’re a little indecisive when it comes to choosing between warm and cool tones, or if like so many of us you just want best of both – we have good news for you. Highlighter cream is the brighter, bolder way to revel in the classic cream blonde shade. Its pearly tone is amplified while retaining its velvet, creamy sheen – sounds dreamy, right? The combination of both warm and cool tones means the colour can be formulated to flatter any skin tone – it’s certainly the blonde shade to watch of the season.
Found your colour?
Hopefully by now you will have had a helping hand at choosing your next hair colour. If you’re still a little unsure, we highly recommend booking in for a consultation with one of our expert stylists. We’ve got salons all over the UK too, so you’re bound to be closer to a salon than you think. We’ll carefully assess your hair and recommend shades based on your skin tone, level of preferred maintenance as well as this season’s most popular trends. So, what are you waiting for? Find your local salon!
p.s we LOVE seeing your ‘new-hair-new-me’ pics – so don’t forget to share your looks with us using #regisuk.
