If you want to try one of winter’s red hues but are nervous about what happens when you want to return to your natural color, Leubner suggests embracing the in-between shades as you transition back to brunette or blonde. “That means copper if you’re going lighter, or mahogany if you are going back to brunette.”
Cherry Cola
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Getty Images
Cherry cola hair is nothing new (we wrote about the trend in 2023), and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. According to Spate data, cherry cola hair is one of the fastest-growing hair color trends on TikTok, with a 56.5% spike in searches quarter over quarter. Trend-forecasting agency WGSN is also predicting deep berry tones will be strong for beauty into 2025, including for hair color, inspired by late ’90s and early 2000s aesthetics and today’s celebs, like Dua Lipa.
“To me, cherry cola is like that ’90s-model red with more burgundy undertones and no orange,” says Bodt. How you get cherry cola hair depends entirely on your present color. “If your hair is currently dark, you would either need to lighten or tone to this shade,” says O’Connor. “If you are already light, you can just dye it to this shade using a semi, demi, or permanent dye depending on how committed you are to the hair color switch and what you want maintenance to look like.”
As with most reds, the color fades quickly, so it’s best to touch it up with a gloss every few weeks, adds O’Connor. That means heading into the salon, or investing in color-depositing shampoo and conditioner and a product like Paul Mitchell’s The Demi Color Gloss, which O’Connor says is perfect for at-home color refreshes because it’s an easy way to keep any hue, but especially reds, looking vibrant and fresh.
Almost Black
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Getty Images
“Almost black hair is the moment,” says Bobby, who names Charli XCX, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Demi Moore as examples of celebs with the hair color. “This isn’t a blue-black box dye, but a brunette-black that’s sleek, dark, demure, and very reflective.”
Anyone can go this dark, but it’s a great seasonal switch for those who have naturally medium-dark brown hair. “You stop in to see your colorist for a root refresher and a gloss for a boost of shine every eight to 12 weeks,” says Bobby. The trick to not having this look appear flat and dull is to allow some natural dimension to peek through. “You want to make sure your colorist isn’t pulling the color through to the mid-lengths and ends every single time you go in for a root touch-up because then the hair color can look over-saturated and one-dimensional over time (the same logic would apply if you’re doing it at home). Plus,” Bobby continues, “if your ends are dry they can grab the color and end up looking darker than your roots. You also want to use a lighter or clear gloss to refresh the color and bring a lot of shine into the hair.”
Winter Violet
Adina Pignatare
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For those not interested in sticking to a traditional category of blonde, brunette, red, or black, the most unexpected color trend for winter is violet. “No color embodies mystique in the same way as purple,” says Leubner. “For winter, I especially love the idea of a deep and gothy, almost navy purple. I imagine the low winter sun striking the dark hair and revealing the intense saturated color.” Leubner’s inspiration this winter includes Kate Bush’s hair in the artwork for her 1985 Hounds of Love album and Katy Perry’s shiny, deep-purple color from circa 2012.