GET FREE SAMPLES

sign up for our newsletter to get free sample alerts

What the Cool Kids Are Wearing: Hair Color Edition

From sombré to pastel, the new hues to try in 2014
Photo 6/9
Balayage
This French hair technique, whereby stylists freehand paint color onto the hair, can give you a dramatic or subtle ombré look, depending on your personal preferences. Take cues from Jessica Biel or Rachel Bilson.

Who Can Pull It Off: Literally anyone can pull off a stylish balayage color treatment, just be mindful of how much contrast and how much color you want.

What to Ask For: Be specific about what shades you want, how far apart you want them and where you'd like them placed. This season's trend favors more natural colors like caramel, rather than high-contrast blonde. Face-framing ribbons of color help brighten any complexion, Petroff says.

Beware Of: Consider the texture of your hair if you're thinking about doing a balayage color treatment. If you have finer hair, you'll want lighter, less chunky pieces of color. Thicker, curly hair needs larger sections of color to stand out, advises Petroff. But if you really want a high level of contrast, the balayage trend probably isn't for you. You should consider foil highlights.



Photo 7/9
Fire Engine Red
As much as we love/hated Rihanna's fluorescent red hair circa 2010, today's firecracker red hair color is sophisticated and show-stopping. We saw vibrant, true reds all over the fashion week runways, idolized it on TV women like Christina Hendricks, and ogled Karen Elson here (check out those matching brows!).

Who Can Pull It Off: "Cooler skin tones look best with deeper, true reds and violet tones," says de Souza. If you have darker or olive skin tones, stay clear. "Super red hues ... have too much blue in them and will make you look green, so be careful," he says.

What to Ask For: Bringing in a picture is often your best bet to get the perfect color. Remember: Your idea of "fire engine" may not necessarily be your stylist's same definition.

Beware Of: You can't be a slacker to pull off being a redhead. Petroff says it's even more of a commitment than being a blonde. "Ideally you should come into the salon every two to three weeks for a refresh."

Photo 8/9
Rich Auburn
For darker-haired girls who have always wanted to try out something more vibrant, rich auburn is a happy medium between red hair color and brunette hair color. Coco Rocha, Julia Roberts and Debra Messing are our auburn-haired idols.

Who Can Pull It Off: If you're on the pale side, auburn hair color will complement your skin tone beautifully, but if you have medium to dark skin tones you're better off with a violet-toned red hair color.

What to Ask For: "The biggest mistake any redhead can make is over-highlighting," says de Souza. Be clear about how monochromatic or multi-faceted you want the color. This is up to the individual's preferences, but remember, color that's too uniform can tend to look flat.

Beware Of: Make sure to stay away from dark, eggplant hues, which can make your skin look yellow, and wine or burgundy shades, which can wash you out.



Photo 9/9
Copper Boom
Jessica Chastain has always been a style icon, but right now her copper hair color makes her a major trendsetter in the beauty department as well. This bright color adds instant personality to your look.

Who Can Pull It Off: Fair skin tones look best with copper hair color. The deeper your skin tone, the richer you want your copper tone to be.

What to Ask For: Copper hair color is extremely easy to manipulate, so if you don't get the right tone the first time around (i.e. it looks too warm for your pale skin), just ask for the color to be brightened. "You can't be afraid to speak up," says Petroff. "We don't get offended. We want you to get the color you want."

Beware Of: While over-washing your hair and overexposure to sun can certainly fade red hair colors, Petroff says wind and oxygen are actually the number one cause behind fading hair color. To tide you over between treatments, try a color gloss like John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss and use sulfate- and silicone-free shampoos.

It's officially in: Our 2014 hair color trends report. We're bringing you what's new and hot in blonde hair color, brunette hair color and red hair color -- along with everything you need to know about caring for freshly dyed hair, wearing your hair color with confidence and choosing a color that suits your natural skin tone and hair color. So whether you're dying to try the vibrant, red hair color we saw on nearly every runway this year, or you're looking for soft, sombré (that's subtle ombré for those not in the know) highlighting to add to your brunette color -- we've got the lowdown. Dye away.
BY HAYLEY MASON | APR 1, 2014 | SHARES
VIEW COMMENTS
Full Site | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
TotalBeauty is a property of Evolve Media Holdings, LLC. © 2024 All Rights Reserved. | Affiliate Disclosure: Evolve Media Holdings, LLC, and its owned and operated subsidiaries may receive a small commission from the proceeds of any product(s) sold through affiliate and direct partner links.