The Hair Colours Experts Say Will Define Autumn/Winter 2026

Icy blonde and one-note brunette are losing their grip. According to Scullion & Scot’s award-winning colour team, the new season belongs to stone-washed blondes, smoke-veiled brunettes and copper with its brightness turned down.

Autumn has long given colourists permission to go darker, richer and redder. In 2026, however, the palette is only part of the story. The most desirable colour will be defined by restraint: fewer hard contrasts, less aggressive ice and nothing that appears to have been applied wholesale. Its appeal lies in minute shifts of tone and a finish that catches the light before it reveals the technique.

At Scullion & Scot in Sheffield, which has now twice won the L’Oréal Colour Trophy, most recently in 2026, the Artistic Creative Team has distilled the season into three shades: Stone Blonde, Smoky Brunette and Weathered Copper. Developed by Jade Proctor, Jessica Ellwell, Lewis Inkles and Gemma Scullion, the forecast moves between blonde, brunette and red, but the instinct remains the same. Contrast is softened, dimension is carefully built and the finished colour looks entirely at home on the person wearing it.

Stone Blonde

Stone Blonde is the antidote to blonde fatigue. After years in which the palest, coldest result often carried the greatest status, neutrality has acquired a new sophistication. Beige, mineral and muted tones lend blonde a quieter polish, without tipping into grey or sacrificing luminosity.

As the Scullion & Scot team explains:

“Neutral blondes are having a major moment, with celebrities such as Gigi Hadid showcasing softer, more natural blonde tones that feel polished without looking overdone.

Stone Blonde is a cool, neutral blonde made up of several carefully blended shades rather than one block colour. The result is soft, natural-looking blonde hair with movement and dimension.

Moving away from icy, high-maintenance blondes, this trend embraces beige, stone and muted tones that create a refined finish while allowing the hair to look healthy and natural.”

Although cool, this is not the brittle, near-white blonde that demands attention through sheer brightness. Stone Blonde relies on the relationship between its tones. For the colourist, the craft sits in the blending; for the client, the reward is hair that looks considered rather than conspicuously processed. Margot Robbie’s mushroom blonde and Jennifer Lawrence’s sand-rooted lengths offer similarly muted interpretations, replacing bright, uniform blonde with cooler beige tones and natural dimension.

Smoky Brunette

A similarly precise adjustment is taking place at the darker end of the spectrum. Autumn brunette can easily become predictable, but Smoky Brunette avoids the usual flat, uniform finish. Depth remains essential, only now it is broken up by cool smoke and the faintest trace of copper.

“For brunettes, it’s all about richness and shine this season.

Celebrities including Daisy Edgar-Jones have embraced deeper brunette shades with subtle tonal variation, reflecting the growing demand for glossy, expensive-looking colour.

Inspired by this movement, Smoky Brunette combines deep brunette shades with cool, smoky tones and the lightest hint of copper to give the hair warmth without losing its reflective finish.

This season’s brunette trend is less about one flat shade and more about expertly blended tones. Known as ‘expensive brunette’, the look focuses on a healthy, multi-dimensional colour that feels luxurious while remaining wearable.”

The copper is not intended to make the hair read red. Used with restraint, it brings warmth to the smoky base and prevents deeper colour from becoming dense or dull. The effect reveals itself through movement and shine: brunette with complexity, but no obvious stripes or forced contrast.

Weathered Copper

Copper’s reign is extending into another season, although its saturation is being turned down. The vivid orange and emphatic red shades that have dominated recent mood boards are giving way to something earthier. Sadie Sink remains a useful reference, but autumn’s copper is less polished flame, more terracotta warmed by late-afternoon light.

“Copper isn’t going anywhere, but it’s becoming much softer for Autumn/Winter.

Celebrities such as Sadie Sink have helped keep copper firmly on the beauty agenda, but this season the trend is moving away from bright reds and vivid orange tones towards something more natural.

Weathered Copper introduces muted terracotta, auburn and golden tones to create a softer finish inspired by natural ginger hair.

The result is a warmer, more understated take on copper that feels modern, flattering and perfectly suited to the autumn season.”

“Weathered” is the useful word here. Terracotta, auburn and gold appear softened rather than faded, giving the colour the irregular warmth found in natural red hair. It feels less like a statement shade chosen for a single season and more like a colour the wearer might plausibly have been born with.

Stone Blonde, Smoky Brunette and Weathered Copper may provide the names for autumn/winter’s mood boards, but the more consequential shift concerns how those colours are created. Scullion & Scot expects demand for lived-in colour to continue growing, with clients seeking individual blends that complement their natural colouring, lifestyle and personal style. Hailey Bieber and Jennifer Aniston embody this softer approach: subtle highlights, natural dimension and seamless blending, with no harsh line separating the colourist’s work from the client’s own base. Lived-in does not mean unfinished. It requires disciplined placement, finely judged transitions and an understanding of how the colour will settle between appointments. The client’s own features become the starting point, rather than something to be overwritten in pursuit of a reference picture. That is what connects the season’s stone, smoke and weathered copper tones. Autumn/winter 2026 colour is not shy. It is simply less eager to prove how much work went into it.

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