London's Chicest Hairstylists Say These 5 Hair Colours Will Dominate Autumn

As a beauty editor who has written about beauty trends for a decade, there's a key observation you'll find amongst hairstylists. Many don't subscribe to the notion of "hair trends". Instead, when I speak with hairstylists, they'll often nod to a wider mood or movement rather than specific cookie-cutter hair trends that we should follow. And when it comes to autumn hair trends for 2025, that notion holds—more so than ever. Rather than following specific hair colour trends, the best hair colourists will work with you to create a colour that's truly bespoke to you.

"I view hair colour as a way to make you look subtly better without your hair looking coloured," says Luke Hersheson, founder of Hershesons. "The idea of good colour is that you shouldn't be able to tell that someone has had colour," he says, referring to the wider "no-makeup" makeup movement happening within the beauty space. For autumn 2025, our hair colour should look like your own, with subtle tweaks that make it look elevated.

Similarly, your hair colour and your haircut or style should also go hand-in-hand. "You can't look at colour on its own, it has to be in conjunction with the total look," says Hersheson. For example, if you're someone who likes wearing their hair with beachy waves, then balayage and highlights can bring a lightness that matches the undone mood. Similarly, if you have a statement short haircut like a bob, or you like wearing your hair straight, then block colours often work better to highlight the silhouette and shine. "It's rare that you get a colour trend that works on its own without it belonging to a total look," he says.

Having spoken to three different hair colourists for this story, it seems they're all in agreement. Rather than statement colours or bold techniques, every hair colour is more subdued, pared-back and natural-looking than ever before. But if you're still in need of some inspiration for your autumn hair colour for 2025, scroll ahead for the key moods to take note of.

Autumn Hair Colour Trends 2025

1. Marbled Blonde

"We're stepping away from high-contrast colours and are now seeing a movement of more blended colouring," says Jordanna Cobella, Wella ambassador and owner of Cobella, who shared her marbling technique that she uses on her clients for a bespoke hair colour. "Instead of doing highlights or slices with just bleach, we're using colour, which gives a softer result—you have to really look for it in the light to see it," she says. For blondes, Cobella uses different woven strands of blonde to create a marbling effect. The trick to this look is the placement of both warm and cool-toned blonde, which, together, achieve a multi-tonal, bespoke look that's as original as a piece of marble itself. Plus, it's low-maintenance, and the use of less bleach means there is less damage to your hair.

Shop the Trend:

2. Clay Copper

Much like we're seeing moody terracotta tones within interiors trends, the same goes for hair colour for autumn 2025. We're stepping away from the vibrant coppers and cherry reds, and instead leaning towards muted reds and coppers. "With copper hair colours, I'm seeing more terracotta and clay tones for autumn," says Cobella. "They might have a tiny bit of pink or violet in them, which makes them more of a cool-toned clay rather than a true bright copper," she says. Not sure if red will suit you? "If you naturally have those red tones, it will feel like it belongs," says Hersheson. "Julianne Moore is a redhead, so it feels like that makes sense, and you also have to be confident wearing this colour—it has to come from you."

Shop the Trend:

3. Tobacco Brunette

Over the past year or so, we've seen brunettes take on deeper, icy tones, and it's a movement we're seeing trickle into autumn 2025, too, with smoky tones coming into the fore. "I'm seeing a lot more cooler tones in hair gloss," says Cobella, who tells me that she is seeing a big shift from the warm, coppery tones we've seen over the past few years. "Instead of glossing with coppers, we're glossing with violet and taupe, which give a smoky hue to brunettes," she says. Because this look is achieved with a gloss, rather than all-over block colour, the result is low-maintenance and more natural-looking, as you don't get noticeable root regrowth.

Shop the Trend:

4. Heritage Blonde

Heritage blonde is a continuation of the shift we've seen from bright blondes to warmer, toasted tones. "[This is] a honeyed but muted blonde that feels retro and nostalgic but still fresh," notes Tom Smith, hairstylist and founder of Aveum. "This season, we are exploring the most neutral and earthed versions of the warm tones that have been so popular for the last year," he says, explaining that this hair colour is best for natural blondes or brunettes who want to add warmth in an elegant way that retains depth. "Ask for muted golden balayage or gloss after foil highlights, and maintain with caramel or beige tone," he says.

Shop the Trend:

5. Muted Mid

It's not copper, it's not blonde and it's not brunette—instead, Smith calls the muted mid the soft, neutral shade that sits between the three, which we've seen on Hailey Bieber of late. "[This is ] the fusion of all the recent trends, but is intentionally subtle and noncommittal," says Smith. "It's a quiet refusal of extremes and is low-maintenance, versatile, and chic. Ask for a natural earthy undertone to your shade of choice and maintain with glossing treatments to keep the finish refined and the hard-to-describe shade looking shiny and intentional," he says.

Shop the Trend: