*calls hairdresser immediately.

The hottest hair trend of winter 2021 is here – and let it be said – this time, blondes do not have more fun. If you have been fancying a change when it comes to your hair lately (the change of seasons will do that to you), this latest brunette trend might be right up your street. Say hello to expensive brunette – the glossy, rich, multiple-shade brown that you are about to see everywhere soon. "Expensive brunette is all about giving deeper hair energy, dimension, and detail,” celebrity hairstylist and creative director for Evo Hair, Tom Smith, explains to Glamour. But don't even think about going down the DIY route, Smith warns. “It’s all too easy when going for a darker shade of hair colour to apply one tone all over, a similar result to using a box dye at home," he explains. "I’m of the opinion that it’s professional hair colourists’ responsibility to give our clients something they could never get at home, and so expensive brunette is all about adding detail and interest with multiple deeper shades to make the result more dimensional and expensive looking.” Now, glossy brown locks is, of course, nothing new, and over the past couple of years, more and more natural brunettes have opted to stick to their gorgeous natural shade and ditch the dye. But now we are seeing brown slowly, but surely becoming the IT hair colour – with even famous blondes like Hailey Bieber going over to the dark side. "In the celebrity world, it’s often ‘the bolder the better,’ hence why so many celebrities are blonde or choose obviously artificial shades for their own hair or use wigs," Smith explains. "Now that a brunette can look equally as ‘expensive’ and ‘designed’ as brighter or bolder shades, it makes sense that many celebrities are interested in the deeper tones.”

What to ask your colourist for

If you fancy trying out the expensive brunette trend for yourself, Smith points out that it’s important to use some specific language at the salon: “The key element to discuss with your hairstylist is that you don’t want one flat colour all over. Expensive brunette is all about depth and dimension, and so you and your colourist should agree on the deepest shade and the lightest shade you want to see in your hair and then allow the colourist to place shades between in a way they see fit to enhance your hair cut.” “It’s key to make sure your colourist knows you want to be seen as an ‘exciting brunette,’ not edging towards being seen as a blonde," he explains. "It’s also worth discussing whether warmer or cooler tones suit your skin, as this decision can be taken independently of how light or dark you want to be. Warmer shades would present as coffee, caramel, copper, and gold, while cooler tones would present as iced chocolate, ash, taupe, silver, and ice.”