The Biggest Hair Color Trends for 2022

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“New year, new me” might be tired, but you know what isn’t? A hair change. And there’s no shortage of cool hair color trends to try right now. While the biggest color trends of the past two years were all about natural, pretty takes on super-low-maintenance color—like undone blonde and cinnamon brown—experts predict 2022 is going to be all about having fun as life starts to return back to normal…hopefully, that is.

Here’s what to screenshot for your next appointment.

Expensive Brunette

Over the past year we’ve seen many blonde celebs like Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber trade in their blonde for a pretty brown hair color, and we expect to see more following in their footsteps for 2022. “Expensive brunette is all about giving deeper hair energy, dimension, and detail,” says celebrity hairstylist Tom Smith, European creative director for Evo Hair. “It’s all too easy when going for a darker shade of hair color to apply one tone all over, a similar result to using a box dye at home. I’m of the opinion that it’s professional hair colorists’ responsibility to give our clients something they could never get at home, and so expensive brunette is all about adding detail and interest with multiple deeper shades to make the result more dimensional and expensive looking.” 

Golden Copper

Red has also been steadily trending this year, and isn’t going anywhere this year. In fact, it’s only getting brighter. This shade is popular among people who want a bold change,” says Jenna Perry, celebrity colorist and owner of NYC’s Jenna Perry Hair. “It’s equal parts sexy and playful.” Just keep in mind that red is one of the hardest shades to maintain, so plan for regular touch-ups, and make sure to use only color-safe shampoos.

Brown Balayage

Subtle highlights are a great way to refresh dark hair colors without veering into drastic territory. “Brown balayage gives hair lots of dimension and pop,” says Jamila Powell, owner of Miami’s Maggie Rose Salon. “This color gives a nice, subtle sun-kissed look and works for everyone.” Ask your colorist for varying shades of brown placed throughout your hair for the most dimensional and natural look.

Deep Auburn

DeBolt says he’s loving deep, rich shades of red, particularly for the colder months ahead. “The richness of this red shades perfectly complements winter looks,” he says. “This looks beautiful on women with deeper skin tones. For someone with brown eyes, the red enhances the warm tones. For someone with blue or green tones, it sets the eye color as a contrast color and creates a beautiful contrast. Ask for a rich red or auburn shade that doesn’t skew too violet. Semi-permanent hair colors are great for this look because they are conditioning and add brilliant shine.”

Subtle Face Frame

For a softer take on last year’s chunky highlights, go for a subtle face frame. A brighter shade right around your face will bring all the attention to your eyes, without any harsh lines. “A super-effortless face frame with bright endlights and a base drop is a more evolved ombré that’s less contrived and sexier,” says colorist and Matrix ambassador Rachel Bodt. “It’s great way to add dimensions and not take away from the depth you may love.” To get the look, she suggests asking for a face frame with some color melting and to leave the ends out to keep the brightness.

Fine Lines

Last year’s bold highlights are being replaced by finer, more natural-looking highlights. For a bright blonde, ask for a mix of finely woven highlights and lowlights. “As seen on Khloé, it gives you an allover statement blonde,” says Karissa Schaudt, a colorist at Maxine Salon. “Ask for babylights to ensure the pieces aren’t chunky and are very blended. This is best on short to medium hair lengths and great on our want-to-be blondes all year round, including those winter months.”

Silver Champagne

Turns out, you can have the best of both worlds, as exemplified by this cool blonde with warm accents. “This is gorgeous on ash blondes who want a fresh tonal option that doesn’t cross over into gold,” says Tardo. “Have your colorist use translucent pearl and silvery toners on your blonde.”

Hazelnut Brunette

For an update on brown, Burns looks to nature—for this color, she found inspiration in hazelnuts. “This brunette is a tone-on-tone brown with glimpses of golden light browns to depths of a deeper ashy brown,” she says, calling it “low-maintenance with high impact.” For a similar look, she recommends bringing plenty of photos to your hair stylist so they can understand what tones you’re looking for.

Buttercream Blonde

If you’re a natural blonde and want to go lighter but not quite platinum, go for a baby blonde with a hint of warmth. “With a natural light canvas to work off of, you are already cutting through several layers of underlying warmth that takes a brunette hours to accomplish,” says celebrity hair colorist Bianca Hillier. “This grows out nice and easily without much maintenance. You can get away with highlights once or twice a year. Make sure your colorist gets a great look at your eye, skin, and lip hues to conclude what is too buttery or just enough.” (Be sure to check out more of our favorite blonde hair color ideas if you’re thinking of going lighter.)