Achieving beautiful, flattering hair color in a salon is all about dimension — the blending of different tones together — which means that you may fall somewhere between blonde and brunette. That means that mastering this middle ground shade, also known as bronde, requires descriptors like "golden " or "caramel " to get what you want — and the newest hybrid is no different. Enter: ash brunette.
Sexier (and shinier) than it sounds, ash brunette is a pale brown, almost like a tan leather, with cool, sandy undertones. According to Chad Kenyon, celebrity colorist and Redken brand ambassador, it’s a trend on the rise. "I love an ashy brunette for fall," he tells us. "It’s a subtle blend of light brown and cool blonde that looks rich on everyone who wears it."
Click ahead for a visual guide to ash brunette hair and consider bringing inspiration — the glossy, cool-girl tone that grabs you — to your upcoming appointment.
Model Barbara Palvin recently debuted a fresh new bob and the dictionary definition of ash brunette color.
Colorist Cherin Choi, co-owner of L.A.’s Nova Arts Salon, shows us how a cool blonde highlight adds a lived-in brightness over a brunette base.
For a dark take on ash brunette, take this photo to your colorist and ask for the pale tones to be painted super fine, then top it with a gloss for shine.
Lauren Burke, a colorist at L.A.’s Nine Zero One Salon, likes to call this color "dirty brunette" because it has a brunette base with a sandy blonde highlight.
Like a mushroom blonde, an ash brown color will have brightness in the highlight, but the overall effect reads less platinum and more soft beige.
Natural brunette? Opt for balayage highlights. That way your dark root grow-out looks purposeful, which means touch ups with your colorist can be sporadic.
This blend of light brown with cool blonde gives the hair an unexpected, pearlescent undertone.
Stephanie Brown, a colorist at NYC’s IGK Salon, tells us that an ash brunette can work on curls when woven via sombré (subtle ombré), with the lightest blonde focused on the ends.
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Source: Refinery29 – Megan Decker