By Deanna Pai , Glamour Dirty Brunette Dirty blond hair, meet your match. "In many cases, [going lighter and lighter] doesn’t do...
By Deanna Pai, Glamour
Dirty blond hair, meet your match. "In many cases, [going lighter and lighter] doesn’t do much in terms of accentuating what you naturally have," says Lauren Burke, a stylist at Nine Zero One Salon in Los Angeles. Instead, you only need to brighten certain places to complement your skin tone and natural hair color. "Ask for natural-looking dimension throughout your hair, starting away from the root, with some extra pops on the end," she says. "Then ask for the highlights to be toned down to the darkest blond or lightest brown—whichever tones they think would best to accentuate your natural coloring."
The seasons change—so why shouldn't your hair? "Every winter we seem to go darker with our hair, and every summer we want to go lighter," says Rebekah Nash, colorist at Cutler Salon in New York City. "For this spring, a great middle ground would be to add highlights that frame your face." This brightens your face by enhancing both your eyes and bone structure, she says, even in a sleek, tucked-back style like Anne Hathaway's.
According to Nine Zero One Salon stylist Anthony Holguin, red is going back to its roots. "Redheads are making a comeback, if you're not naturally red already," he says. While fire-engine reds and vibrant wines will always be cool in our book, natural auburn is perennially gorgeous. Before you make the plunge, though, Holguin says it's worth a consultation with your colorist to talk out which red tones will look best with your skin tone.
Whether your hair is naturally jet black or you're ready to go to the dark side, the shade looks even cooler when it's "rich, blue-black, and extremely shiny," says Austin Medearis, colorist at Butterfly Studio Salon. Unless you're willing to make a long-term commitment, though, ask for demi- or semi-permanent color. The permanent formula saturates hair with so much pigment that removing it can compromise and potentially damage hair, he says.
A year later, Zoë Kravitz's platinum pixie is still inspiring, and its popularity doesn't seem to be slowing down. "It’s so cutting-edge, but still so chic," explains Holguin. "When going platinum, be sure to go to someone who specializes in this, since it’s difficult to achieve this look." He recommends asking for a pure-white platinum over an ashy-toned platinum, which can look too gray, and using Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3 ($23) as well as a color-correcting purple shampoo—along with these hair care picks beloved by those with platinum hair.
Warming up a brunette base can make all the difference, as we learned thanks to Solange's red-hued highlights. Try rusty copper—a burnished red shade that looks unbelievable on curls—to add even more dimension.
These superfine, seamless highlights are the backlash to the chunky highlights of years past. "Babylights are ideal for adding dimension or breaking up old ombré," says Holguin. "It just adds sparkle to color." He suggests giving your colorist guidance about how light you're comfortable going and how much dimension you want. (Pictures of what you do and don't want help.) Another bonus: They work for anyone and everyone, he says.
A root shadow might seem like something you don't want—but hear us out. "A soft shadow in the root after new or old highlights keeps things low-maintenance and modern," explains Tamara Defelice, colorist and educator at Butterfly Studio Salon. "Ask your colorist for a shade lighter than your natural color to keep things soft and a shade darker for a bolder look." This way, you'll be able to stretch your color appointments out a little longer.
If you were one of the first people to embrace platinum hair, shake it up with a cool blue tone. Otherwise, "it requires a double process, which means lifting the hair to platinum before the blue hue can be applied," says Nash. That can be harsh on hair, which is why she recommends a weekly reparative hair mask, like Redken Extreme Mega Mask, and Davines Minu Shampoo and Conditioner to keep the blue intact.
Even natural brunettes can learn something from Priyanka Chopra, who upgraded her rich brown hair into a more dimensional chocolate shade. The look came courtesy of Sharon Dorram, master colorist at Sally Hershberger Salon. Our crystal ball predicts Chopra's photo will be cited as inspiration in colorists' chairs all this year.
Lucy Boynton's creamy blond color is basically a lesson in tones. "It works with all skin tones because of the subtle warm and cool reflects," explains Min Kim, senior colorist at Butterfly Studio Salon. "If you're on the darker shade of blond, ask for a beige version—which is deeper and just as complementary for all skin tones."
The gradually blended hair color trend, aka ombré, is here to stay through 2019—with an upgrade. Colorist Oscar Blandi predicts ombré shades that fade gently from dark to light, for a soft look that's anything but stripey. The caveat: Go for it on a lob, where just a tiny bit of brightness peeks out on your ends. As Jenna Dewan proves, it's more modern.
Dirty Brunette
Face-Framing Highlights
Natural-Looking Red
Jet Black
Platinum Blond
Rusty Copper
Babylights
Root Shadow
Powder Blue
Chocolate Brown
Pale Ash Blond
Below-the-Ears Ombré
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