When it comes to hair color, following the latest celebrity trends doesn’t always serve us well. After all, just because Zendaya has the superhuman ability to pull off just about any blonde, brunette, or auburn shade doesn’t mean the rest of us can, too. But with the changing of the seasons comes the inevitable desire to change things up, and we can’t help but wonder: What color hair 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 what hair colors are popular right now—and likely to be in 2025—we asked three New York City celebrity hair colorists and salon founders: Rita Hazan (of Rita Hazan Salon), Michelle Hong (of NYC The Team ) and Jenna Perry (Jenna Perry Hair). Read on for the six shades they say everyone is asking for right now, including their trend-setting celebrity clients.
Espresso Brunette
Sing along with me: “That’s me…” Sabrina Carpenter may be known for her buttery blonde hair, but her earworm lyrics best describe one of the most popular hair colors of the moment. Celebrities like Kaia Gerber, Ayo Edebiri, and Lily Collins are all leaning toward deep, lustrous brown shades that are as perfect for the cooler seasons as a cozy cup of morning coffee.
“Dark brunettes will become very chocolatey and espresso, looking less light and yellow and brassy,” says Hong. For her, the espresso hue represents “the richness of the season.” She adds, “Espresso is more suitable for brunettes with very dark skin who want some color but don’t really want it. look Just like they have color. It removes dullness from your natural hair color and is perfect for brunettes who hate anything warm.
Perry, of whom Gerber is also a client, advises that focusing on shine is crucial when working with such intense and rich hues. “I painted her hair very, very dark,” the colorist said, adding that the gloss gives a bright shine that makes the hair color appear true in any light. “A lot of the things I do, I have to keep in mind how they would live in the wild, how they would live when their pictures are taken or on camera and under all these different lights.”
Kaia Gerber. Photo: Jeremy Chen/Getty Images
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Cinnamon Auburn
“Last year, there was an influx of redheads and strawberry blondes, and the trend is coming back, but in a different way,” Hong said. “It’s kind of mellow and not that drastic a change for anyone.”
Perry, a redhead herself and a supporter of Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski’s recent redhead dalliances, agrees that red trends are heading towards a softer, more cinnamon The color tone develops. “I see my clients with reddish skin getting darker or auburn. I think it’s always best to stick to a color that matches the skin tone.”
Celebrities such as Ziwe, Riley Keough and Rachel Brosnahan have all recently dipped their toes into the auburn waters, each opting for red that both adds interest and flatters their skin tone.
Crape myrtle. Photo: Claudio Lavinha/Getty Images
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teddy bear blonde
Hazan recently made waves for dyeing her longtime client Beyoncé “teddy bear blonde,” which, according to colorists, is the ideal shade for the changing seasons. What sets this type of blonde apart from other blondes is that “it’s a neutral, not too warm and not too cool,” she says. “I’d say it’s a lighter version of honey blonde, similar to Beyoncé’s natural hair color.”
The good news is, you don’t have to actually be Beyoncé to pull this off. “It’s a neutral color that suits every skin tone,” Hazan said. “You can do a darker version or a lighter version: the darker or more olive you are, you want it to be darker, and the lighter your skin, you want it to be lighter.”
Amandla Steinberg. Photo: Pierre Suu/Getty Images
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chestnut brown
Chocolate chestnut hair color isn’t quite as intense as the aforementioned espresso shade, but it’s just as rich—and mostly on-trend. “It has a little warmth behind it, but it’s a controlled warmth, so it helps achieve dimension in darker hair without being too ashy or red,” says Hong.
Hazan says it’s an ideal option for those who want to embrace a rich brunette tone without going too dark or too dark. “It’s not too dark and dense,” she says. “It retains some dimension and keeps you from going too dark, which can look fake.”
Dakota Johnson. Photo: Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images
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golden blonde
Perry, who recently dyed Kendall Jenner’s hair a soft blonde, saw an immediate increase in people wanting to emulate the model’s transformation at her salon. She cited Caroline Bassett Kennedy as her main inspiration, describing the particular blonde as “preppy” and “very rich.”
“One of my fellow colorists said it perfectly: It looks so unnatural,” Perry said of Jenner’s effortless look. “That’s exactly what we wanted because we all know that brunettes like Kendall Jenner, who used to be a redhead, look really good in those dark tones. So we tried our best. To complete the blonde look, it’s emphasized every six weeks for four years, but it’s important to realize that going from brunette to blonde like Jenner does. no Perry warns it’s an easy or quick process.
“If you walk into a salon as a brunette and say, ‘I want my hair to look like this by the end of my session,’ that’s unrealistic. Kendall’s hair took many days and a lot of thought to maintain Hair Health. Perry relies on Olaplex, ammonia-free pigments, and a lengthy process (three different procedures) to get the final results.
Kendall Jenner. Photo: Vittorio Zunino Cerlotto/Getty Images
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Caramel Balayage
“A lot of brunettes are doing a very, very beautiful caramel balance, which adds dimension to your brunette hair,” says Hong. It’s a trend Hazan is seeing among her clients, too: “I think the color palette this year is going to be warm—and I don’t mean brassy, but more caramel highlights,” she explains, rather than cool. The shade, a ash-blonde shade we’ve seen in the past.
Celebrities like Daisy Edgar-Jones, Tyla Holmes and Katie Holmes have all incorporated the caramel hue into their dark Medium brown skin tone. While they each have unique hair types, textures and styles, the common element is a soft balancing effect so the caramel ribbons appear natural rather than harsh.
Daisy edgar jones. Photo: Raymond Hall/GC Images
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