These autumn hair colour trends are set to dominate 2024

You know the drill: the approaching new season means we can start planning cosy #wardrobegoals and even dip our strands into a new autumn hair colour, too. It may be early, but we're here for a heads-up on all the biggest autumn hair colour predictions.

The big question is: what's it to be? The colder months tend to call for a shade switch up that leans in a richer, more decadent direction to break away from beachy bleach. Hair shades delve down into deep cocoas, multi-dimensional caramels and warming ambers. And, of course, for the renegades, there might be some out-there colour thrown in as well.

So, for the insider intel, we asked some of the world's top hair colourists to fill us in on the autumn hair colour trends we should definitely have on our radar.

Terracopper

No surprises, the colour of falling leaves will be reflected in our hair colour to get us in the autumn mood. Coppers and reds have been trending for multiple seasons but for autumn 2024, they remain very much front and centre. “We’ll be seeing more coppers and reds making a huge statement – think Chappell Roan and Dua Lipa,” notes celebrity hairstylist and Color Wow international creative director, Dom Seeley.

Specifically, they'll be leaning in a fiery, warm, earthy direction says top hairstylist and forecaster, Tom Smith, who's dubbed ‘terracopper’ the colour to watch. It's a “rich and intense terracotta, copper shade that is just a bit bolder than a naturally occurring redhead,” Tom explains. “This can be achieved all over as a ‘global’ colour or can be done with a semi-permanent gloss on top of highlights or balayage. Copper and red tones tend to consistently trend around this time of year, as the autumn leaves and late summer sun inspire us to wear rich and warm tones for the cosy season ahead,” he adds.

Scalp bleach

If you don't fancy going darker for autumn, one trend will be taking things in the exact opposite direction. “Scalp bleaching is the cool thing to be doing right now," says pro hair stylist and Aveda educator, Leah Hill. This involves taking a bright, bleached colour all the way to the roots. It sounds scary, but hair colouring techniques and products have improved to help limit damage. Leah advocates tapping up the trend while “still maintaining the health of the hair.” “I've been seeing stylists creating some amazing looks and clients loving their bold and fabulous colours,” she insists. As for execution, “getting the tone right at the end is essential, varying from warm to cool. I’m personally loving it. Always here for breaking barriers,” she says.

Witchy brunette

If you fancy something striking and a little moodier, witchy brunette could be for you. The cool-toned brunette looks almost black, with zero warm tones. Of course, deep, deep brown is a beautiful natural hair colour in its own right, but if that's not you, ask your hair colourist for an ultra deep, cool-toned brunette. You can amp it up with a hair gloss to make it extra mystical. We've noticed the hair colour getting paired with longer, witchier, XXL lengths and wilder, mussier styling that celebrates organic texture.

Denim blue

If you're looking for an edgier hair shade, denim blue manages to feel casual despite the offbeat tone (denim's basically a neutral, right)? We saw Megan Fox wear a light wash rendition of the shade earlier in the summer, but it works beautifully heading into autumn, too. Likewise, a deeper inky indigo or midnight blue is a whole vibe as the nights get darker.

Vintage blonde

If you're still not over the old money aesthetic, summer brought us loads of charming inspo including vintage blonde, seen on the likes of Elsa Hosk and Zendaya, which references vintage Hollywood icons Grace Kelly, Doris Day and Brigitte Bardot. An elevated, natural, baby blonde, it blends sun-kissed blonde with deeper undertones and roots to give a soft, natural effect. Pretty ribbons of bright vanilla and oat blonde are woven seamlessly through the crown and lengths to give a gentler nod to light blonde. They work beautifully against a natural root to keep it all feeling grounded – it makes upkeep a lot more low-maintenance, too.

Cinder toffee brunette

You didn't think we'd round-up autumn hair trends without giving you a chocolate-inspired brunette? Tom has named “cinder toffee brunette” as 2024's trending rendition. It's a “rich and intense brunette that glows,” he notes. “The tones are totally warm and combine chocolate, caramels and intense golds to give a reflective shine to the hair. This can be achieved with an all-over colour or incorporated into a darker base with various dimensional high and low lights,” he explains.

Dom's also backing expensive-looking brunettes. “Khloe Kardashian is freshly rocking this shade. It's multi tonal and dimensional with buttery soft highlights that are warm in tone mixed with a darker medium brown base,” he says. And to ensure it looks luxurious, “you want health, shine and texture within the colour. This colour really helps keep things soft around the face as you still have the pop of highlights, but I feel we’re moving away from the money piece and dramatic face-frame colours to this more expensive subdued hair colour,” says Dom.

Sunflower blonde

One way to give blondes an autumn spin is to keep them feeling warm. “A huge trend we will see for autumn is golden blondes,” says Dom. “They're much warmer for 2024 and I'm here for it. Expect healthy, shiny, glistening blondes and strawberry blondes with richer tones,” he adds. Tom agrees backing “sunflower blonde” for the autumn months. “This is as warm as a blonde can be before it turns into a copper,” he says. “Intensely golden shades have been trending for the entire year, but they continue to grow in popularity,” he adds. We can thank Sabrina Carpenter, Serena Williams, Rihanna, Lindsay Lohan, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Sydney Sweeney for their contribution.

The good news is the colour has universal appeal. “Golden blonde works well across different skin tones and eye colours,” says Dom. And, like cinder toffee, they feel expensive. “Warmer shades help the hair to look healthier, brighter and shinier which means they'll glow in the light, plus they'll continue the echo of summer for longer,” says Tom.

'90s baby highlights

While subtlety has underscored most of the autumn hair colour trends, we'll always have a soft spot for contrasting '90s chunky highlights. We’ve noticed they've been given a gentler update for 2024, with high contrast threads of bright blonde and caramel scattered through strands to keep them interesting. Instead of chunky strips though, the sections are a little more delicate. Very demure, very mindful, very cutesy.

For more from GLAMOUR's Senior Beauty Editor, Elle Turner follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk.