Autumn/Winter hair trends

Colour consultant and educator Carolyn Newman says unique and original styles will dominate Autumn/Winter hair trends this year. Get ready to see looks ranging from the girl next door to the trendsetter; the one thing they will all have in common is an individual touch. We can’t wait to see how this looks in real life…So, what exact colours and styles will we see this season? Carolyn shares her Autumn/Winter 2023 trend report to help us answer this question!

Autumn/Winter hair trends 

First up for colour trends is undone blonde. This is an edgy, grown-out blonde with natural roots. Work with your client’s natural colour and keep brightness around the face. Carolyn says colour placement is key for this trend. Pro tip: use different tones such as mink, irises and creamy blonde to prevent the colour from looking flat. This colour pairs well with an undone textured style, so try to avoid structured curls and waves and instead focus on natural movement. 

Tones

What exact tones will be on trend this Autumn/Winter? Carolyn breaks down the colour palettes for us.

• Pale tones – blush, mink, gilded gold, and Nirvana blonde 
• Rich tones – apricot crush, cinnamon, red cherry, and purple plum 
• Deep tones – mushroom brown, Icy brunette, and inky black

Carolyn also says that for the experimental generation we will see bold and bright tones. She predicts a shift from pastels to more vibrant, eye-catching hues of fiery orange, electric blue and neon green…looking forward to seeing these colour looks on the streets!

Now that we’ve covered colour let’s explore which techniques Carolyn says will dominate the up-and-coming season.

Colour blocking

Carolyn says: “Can you believe I was talking about the technique colour blocking in 2001 as I found one of my old trend reports. After seeing many free-hand colour results over the last few years, structured techniques and deliberate placement are making a comeback. I have created colour blocking in Mini, Midi and Maxi sectioning patterns of slices, panels, and shapes where you layer up complementary or contrasting colours which will work with the haircut and suit the client’s colour expectations”.

Anti-aging face-frames

Carolyn says: “Yes, face-frames have been around for a while and were very prominent in the last few years. However, we can create face-frames for our clients to help create a youthful lift with subtle lightening and skin-tone suitability. Using the colourfan to check their hair depth and correct skin tone, lift the first frontal strands only 1-2 levels lighter than their natural colour using a super fine baby-light technique, then work into larger, lighter or brighter pieces. If they have natural grey hair around the hairline, soften the tone, then go lighter. 

Styles

Let’s talk about styles. Carolyn says choppy haircuts will be all-the-rage for the coming season. With softer edges and razor-cut pieces to create texture with playful styling…this sounds fun! Also, Carolyn says that beachy waves are in for straight-haired customers, and there is a rising popularity in perms. Oh, la la.

The ones to watch for Autumn/Winter hair trends

So, who do we look at to find inspiration and stay up-to-date with trends this season? Carolyn says to watch Elizabeth Moss and Yvonne Strahovski for the undone blonde trend. For the gilded gold trend, watch Ariana Grande. For the red cherry trend, watch Madeline Brewer. For icy-brunette, watch Rachel Ziegler.

Carolyn Newman joined us on the Respectfully podcast with Lacey Hunter-Felton, listen HERE