When it comes to hair color, following along with the latest celebrity trends doesn’t always serve us well. After all, just because Zendaya has the superhuman ability to pull off literally any blonde, brunette or auburn-tinged shade, doesn’t mean the rest of us do. But as the seasons change and the inevitable itch to switch things up strikes, we’re left to wonder: What hair colors are we wearing now? What feels current, modern and timely — not to mention wearable for those of us who don’t happen to be Zendaya?
To find out which hair colors are going strong right now — and likely to trend well into 2025 — we consulted three New York City-based celebrity hair colorists and salon founders: Rita Hazan (of Rita Hazan Salon), Michelle Hong (of NYC The Team) and Jenna Perry (of Jenna Perry Hair). Read on for the six shades they say everyone’s asking for right now, including their trend-setting celebrity clientele.
Espresso Brunette
Sing it with me: “That’s that me….” Sabrina Carpenter might be known for her buttery blonde hair, but her earworm lyrics best describe one of the most-requested hair colors of the moment. Celebrities like Kaia Gerber, Ayo Edebiri and Lily Collins are leaning into deep, glossy brown tones that feel as apt for the cooler seasons as a cozy cup of morning coffee.
“The darker brunettes are going very chocolatey-espresso, a little bit less light looking and yellow and brassy,” says Hong. To her, espresso tones represent “the richness of the season.” She adds, “Espresso is more for those brunettes that are very dark, and they want some color, but they don’t want to actually look like they have color. It eliminates the dullness of natural hair color and is ideal for brunettes that hate any warmth.”
When working with such an intense and rich tone, focusing on shine is crucial, advises Perry (who counts Gerber as a client). “I glossed her to be really, really dark,” notes the colorist, who adds that a gloss can deliver brilliant shine and make hair color appear true no matter the lighting. “A lot of what I do, I have to keep in mind how they’re going to live in the wild, how they’re going to live outside when their photos are taken or on camera and all of these different lights.”
Kaia Gerber. Photo: Jeremy Chan/Getty Images
Cinnamon-Tinged Auburn
“Last year we had this whole influx on redheads and strawberry blondes — that’s trending again, but in a different way,” says Hong. “It’s a little bit softer, and it’s not as drastic of a change for anybody.”
Perry, who is herself a redhead — and was the pro behind Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski’s recent redhead dalliances — concurs that red trends are evolving toward a softer, more cinnamon-y hue. “I’m seeing my clients that are red going more brunette or auburn. And I think that generally sticking to what looks good with your skin tone is always what’s best.”
Celebrities like Ziwe, Riley Keough and Rachel Brosnahan have all recently taken a step into the auburn waters, each choosing versions of red that simultaneously spice things up while flattering their skin tones.
Ziwe. Photo: Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images
Teddy Bear Blonde
Hazan recently made waves when she took her longtime client Beyoncé “teddy bear blonde” — an ideal shade for changing seasons, according to the colorist. What sets this type of blonde apart from others is that “it’s kind of neutral, not too warm and not too cool,” she says. “I would say it’s a lighter version of honey blonde, and similar to Beyoncé’s natural hair color.”
The good news is you don’t have to actually be Beyoncé to pull it off. “It’s such a neutral color that it works on every skin tone,” says Hazan. “You could do a darker version or a lighter version: The darker or more olive skin tone you have, you want to go a little bit darker, and the lighter your skin tone, a little bit lighter.”
Amandla Stenberg. Photo: Pierre Suu/Getty Images
Chestnut Brown
Not quite as intense as the aforementioned espresso brunette, chocolatey chestnut hair colors are similarly rich — and majorly on-trend. “It has a little bit more warmth behind it, but it’s a controlled amount of warmth, so it helps achieve brunette dimension without being too ashy or too red,” says Hong.
For those looking to embrace a rich brunette shade without going too deep or inky, this is an ideal option, according to Hazan. “It’s not too dark and dense,” she says. “It keeps some dimension and allows you to stay away from going too dark, which could look wiggy.”
Dakota Johnson. Photo: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images
Golden Blonde
Perry recently dyed Kendall Jenner’s hair a soft golden blonde, and she’s seen an immediate uptick in those looking to mimic the model’s transformation in her salon. She cites Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy as her prime source of inspiration, describing the specific blonde as “preppy” and “really rich.”
“A fellow colorist of mine said it perfectly: It looks so naturally unnatural,” says Perry of Jenner’s lightened look. “That’s pretty much what we were going for, because we all know that someone like Kendall Jenner, who is a brunette, who has been a redhead before, looks really great in those dark tones. So we tried our best to accomplish the golden blonde that looks like it was highlighted for four years, every six weeks consecutively.” But it’s important to realize that going from dark to golden blonde like Jenner is not a simple or quick process, cautions Perry.
“If you were to go into the salon as a brunette and say, ‘I want my hair to look like this by the end of my session,’ that’s not realistic. Kendall’s hair took multiple days and a lot of thought in order to maintain the health of the hair.” Perry relied on Olaplex, ammonia-free color and a drawn-out process — three different sessions — to get to the final result.
Kendall Jenner. Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Caramel Balayage
“A lot of brunettes are doing very, very pretty caramel balayage where it adds dimension to your brunette,” says Hong. This is a trend Hazan has seen among her clients as well: “I think this year is going to be about warmer tones — and I don’t mean brassy, but more of a caramel highlight,” she explains, as opposed to cooler, ashy blonde tones we’d seen in the past.
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Tyla and Katie Holmes are among the various celebrities who have worked caramel tones into their brunette shades. While each of them has a unique hair type, texture and style, a common element is a soft-painted balayage effect, so the ribbons of caramel color appear natural rather than harsh.
Daisy Edgar-Jones. Photo: Raymond Hall/GC Images
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Source: Fashionista.com
