Leading colourists reveal Autumn '18 hair colour trends

My colour predictions for AW18 are: natural roots, which are great for clients who like ombre and want to have darker roots with lighter ends and embrace their regrowth for a few weeks longer and easy to maintain. I particularly love this look teamed with golden blonde highlights that can be placed around the face to help frame the face, add warmth and to brighten up the roots. Rich chocolates and deep mahogany tones will give edge to a client's style in the cooler months and rusted copper is set to be huge. 

Auburn and bright coppers are big this year and work particularly well on warm skin tones. 

Karen Brown, Owner of Hair by JFK

For AW18 ice white, grey and silver tones that have been popular in previous years, will remain popular and are perfect for clients who want that snow queen vibe! This look is best created in the salon as bleach and peroxide can be damaging on the hair if not used by a professional. Using a product like Schwarzkopf Professionals Fibreplex can protect hair from damage during the lightening process, enabling the hair to go lighter but still be strong and full of shine. A toner can then be used after the hair is bleached to give it the icy effect. With this look it's key that clients use a toning/silver shampoo regularly to keep the colour looking its best and free from brassiness. 

Leah Durrant, Owner and Director of Leah Durrant Hair Salon & Beauty Re:Treat

For AW18 we see hair going darker and I particularly love cool brown tones and deep inky blacks for the colder months, which are great for making your eye colour really pop! Bronde is another hair colour that is here to stay for autumn/winter 2018, however, with a cool new approach…biscuit bronde! By simply adding some fine blonde highlights through the mid-lengths and ends of dark blonde/mousey brown hair this can create a gorgeous biscuit bronde colour can be created that instantly adds dimension to the hair.  

Bright, bold hair colour is here to stay this AW18, think fiery oranges, pinks, purples and reds, shades that really show off your personality. It's all about pushing the boundaries with colour this season. If you're feeling really adventurous, teaming two bright hair colour shades also looks incredible such as blue and green to give the hair a stunning mermaid like hair colour transformation.

Chocolate shades are also extremely popular this season…shades that sound good enough to eat! Think white chocolate praline, where ultra-fine blonde highlights are added to blonde hair that catch the light like gold, creating the perfect irresistible white chocolate shade. Cinnamon salted caramel, an intense cherry burst hair shade where hints of red warm up auburn and cocoa shades to make them really stand out!

As well as milk and dark chocolate shades that give the hair a gorgeous gloss and add dimension to the hair and champagne truffle, a gorgeous chocolate ganache shade with glimmers of caramel baby lights to create the ultimate dreamy hair colour.

Sweet like shades such as golden blondes, honeys and chocolates are set to be huge for AW 2018, as well as metallic blondes where clients can take their hair a bit lighter to freshen it up for the season. If you're looking for something bold and bright and a bit more ‘out there' the Pantone Colour of the Year, Ultraviolet, is another hair shade that is super on trend this season. 2018 has been all about inventiveness and imagination when it comes to hair colour and a creative inspiration that is indigenous to the new pantone Ultra Violet. This blue-based galaxy purple gives hair a mystic vibe and dark hair looks stunning in bold jewel tones with a rich dark purple colour and no matter what your eye colour is, this hue is sure to make them stand out beautifully.

As well as warm, golden blonde shades, another more unconventional shade that is popular this season is meadowlark. Meadowlark is a very brave colour to go for and looks great on a short, spiky cut for added edge. Palace blue is another hair colour trend we are a fan of this season. It works especially well on dark hair and can help to create shine and a petrol effect – a great colour to add movement to the hair. 

Bright and pastel shades remain popular for AW18 and if you're not brave enough to go for these shades all over the hair you can always incorporate them into a balayage for a fun, quirky look. Very subtle pieces of colour, almost what I like to call “double take” colour techniques, will also be very on trend this season. This is the kind of colour that when you are out and about people need to look twice, as they are not 100% sure what you have had done and what they have seen. Think chocolate shades with honey coloured highlights or hair that fades from a rich chocolate into a warm chestnut create – very subtle looks that help to create dimension in the hair.

Blonde is in for AW18, think clean and crisp blondes that verge on icy white. Of course this trend is testing on your hair and is not for the faint hearted, if you plan to keep up with this trend you need to be prepared to give your hair lots of TLC. Keeping your new blonde hair on tone also requires lots of maintenance so be sure to ask your stylist about using silver shampoo and find out how long they recommend between each appointment to keep your hair looking its best.

The Aveda Damage Remedy Intensive Restructuring Treatment is a brilliant intensive weekly treatment to help repair, seal and smooth damaged hair if you are brave enough to go blonde this winter. 

Pink hair has been on trend for a while but this growth into grungy, worn out pink shades are just beginning to increase in popularity and are set to remain popular throughout AW18. Pretty pink hues will meet dark roots and worn out shades as this look embraces that undone and unkept edge. This trend adds depth and darkness to otherwise pastel pinks and gives you the chance to show definition between the strands.  Think grey, ashy tones paired with classic pastel pink and dark roots to pull this trend together. 

The global halo effect can be expected to remain popular throughout AW18 and it is the perfect way to inject some vibrancy and light into your look even as the dull weather sets in. Golden browns and brunette tones are paired with honey and caramel shades of blonde around the outer layers of the hair to add a light effect and add some depth – this is where the ‘halo effect' originated. This colour is a great way to play around with blonde with little upkeep required as the light tones grow out beautifully. 

Accents of rose are set to be bang on trend during AW18 as browns adopt rosy golden hues and add even more dimension. Paired with rich browns and golden taupe's, the use of subtle pink and rose tones adds a slight pop of colour in the most natural way. The red and pink tones are almost hidden from the naked eye and shine through in certain lights, this use of almost iridescent colour is a great way to experiment with colour that you are slightly unsure of.

Soft Radiant Amber: This is not quite blonde not quite copper shades works wonderfully with fair toned skin, softening the facial features and adding a naughty spark to the eyes. Soft Amber is going to bring out the playful note to your look.

Balanced Blonde: Frosty blondes have trended for a few seasons now but now it's moving towards a more neutral stance, this is a softer more youthful blonde which has even more dramatic effect if it closely resembles the skin tone and the brows are kept dark. Slightly lighter ends add texture and work with your haircuts movement.

Dimensional Chocolate Brunette: An essential upgrade for monochromatic brunette hair. Starting with a wonderfully rich bitter dark chocolate base ribbons of soft milk chocolate placed carefully accentuate key areas for added pop or glints of white chocolate coating the ends. This gives wonderful dimension and texture to brunettes.