The Most Covetable New Hair Color Trends to Try This Year

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While pastels and bold ombré certainly haven’t gone off the radar, 2015 has brought a new set of hair color trends. The key this year is subtlety. “[Even] people who haven’t gotten highlights before and usually just get an allover color are experimenting,” says Moran Gallagher, Master Colorist and Educator at Mizu Salon. For those who don’t want a drastic change, colorists are playing painter, adding soft highlights and dimension that flatter and look natural. It’s all about technique and paying attention to the hair’s cut and texture. If you find yourself itching for a little change this winter, consider trying one of these growing trends.

Sombré
Think of this trend as ombré’s less showy cousin—the maintenance is just as low-key, but the color looks more natural, like a subtle gradient fade. “Sombré exists when the ends of the hair are lighter than the root, but not drastically,” says colorist AJ Lordet of Pierre Michel Salon. “Ask your colorist to slightly lighten the ends of your hair. If your ends are already in the ombré trend, ask your colorist to apply a toner to soften the look.”

Metallic
Metallic refers to a multidimensional “shimmer” in the hair, not actual metal. “Basically, it’s very subtle highlights,” Gallagher says. “[They’re] almost barely there, just to give it a little bit of shimmer. That’s where they get the idea of metallic.” She offers a great comparison: “Sombré,” on the other hand, “has more contrast, is a bit brighter and can be chunkier.” Both Gallagher and Lordet recommend asking your colorist to paint in some balayage highlights. “This way, it’s softer at the root and then gets a little brighter towards the bottom,” Gallagher explains.

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Tortoiseshell
This newbie, also known as écaille, is inspired by the classic mottled brown pattern inspired by, well, the shells of tortoises. “Tortoiseshell-colored hair is when you have beautiful brown tones, honey tones, and caramel tones,” says Lordet. He recommends asking your colorist to paint two shades into the hair if you’re brunette, a lighter honey blonde and a medium golden or light golden brown. If you’re blonde, however, Lordet recommends asking your colorist to first apply a single-process light golden brown all over the head first, then paint in lighter honey brown highlights and darker brown lowlights for the tortoiseshell effect.

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