Yahoo Lifestyle Muted auburn is the awards-season hair colour trend to note
Emma Stone’s elfin pixie chop wasn’t the only striking aspect of her 2025 Golden Globes beauty look; her trademark red hair also looked richer, a subtle but chic change masterminded by her colourist, Tracy Cunningham. Cunningham created a deep auburn “nutmeg” shade to complement Stone’s Gallic-style crop, following her colour with a 20-minute gloss treatment for ample light-reflective effect.
Polished auburn hair was also seen on Zendaya, whose newly burnished colour chimed perfectly with her golden-orange custom Louis Vuitton gown, while Michelle Yeoh showcased a more subtle take on auburn hair, made all the more modern thanks to a blunt, shiny fringe styled by Renato Campora. Also in the low-key auburn camp was Ayo Edebiri, wearing a Loewe suit inspired by Julia Roberts’ 47th Annual Golden Globe Awards look, with tumbling russet waves to match.
It's a hair colour trend called early by stylist and ‘hairvoyant’ Tom Smith, who predicts that a muted auburn colour palette will inspire our 2025 salon visits. “Soft coppers are a fully-fledged staple shade now, and while bolder coppers were trending for the latter part of 2024, we’ll see a return to natural-looking chestnuts and auburns in 2025,” he says. If you’re considering embracing auburn, Smith’s tip is to look to your jewellery box first. “If you feel good in yellow- or rose-gold jewellery, that’s a good sign that you'll suit this trend.”
From there, it’s a question of depth and vibrancy. “Consider whether you prefer your hair lighter or darker and ask your stylist to add soft, natural copper, caramel and auburn tones” advises Smith. “The most natural coppers are always multi-tonal, so be open-minded to highlights or subtle balayage using very soft copper toners, too.”
Laura Elliot, hair educator at Neäl & Wølf salons, highlights that shades of muted auburn and cinnamon can make for a “balanced and glowing” winter colour refresh for brunettes in particular. “It’s predicted to be the go-to brunette shade for 2025; it’s a warm and glossy take on brown with subtle copper and golden undertones for a sunkissed appearance that’s not necessarily a red.” Smith agrees that auburn’s suffused warmth lends it extra versatility compared to brighter shades of red. “Muted auburns are relatively low-maintenance since they fade in a soft, sunkissed-looking way and flatter a variety of skin tones.”
Speaking of maintenance, Cunningham keeps Stone’s colour glowing with regular Olaplex No 3. Hair Perfector treatments. “Even if you have short hair, I recommend it for everyone because it really does promote healthy hair”, she says.
Hair Perfector No 3 Repairing Treatment
Unsure whether to tap into the muted auburn hair colour trend? Josh Wood Copper Gold Hair Gloss is a hydrating copper semi-permanent treatment mask that gives hair a far more understated glow than the vivid packaging implies.
Copper Gold Gloss
For even less commitment, take a leaf out of Zendaya’s book; her hairstylist Coree Moreno used warm chestnut clip-ins by Bellami Hair at the Golden Globes.
Otherwise, if you’re in the capital, London’s best colourists will tailor a bespoke auburn hue to get your new year off to a very lustrous start.
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