Burnt copper and shimmering gold are setting social media ablaze

Take your mind to 70s California, an era awash in a sunset glow. The hazy warmth of orange and gold, mixed with the luxurious disco feels spilling out from the Studio 54 scene… Well, this is the hot new trend says Paul Dennison, colour director at Ken Picton, as he unpacks the palette for PAINT

Walk on the warm side

We’ve seen huge growth in popularity of copper and golds recently. There’s a bit of a revolt happening against ashier tones, which can give the hair a duller, heavier appearance, in favour of a warmer palette. People have realised warmth doesn’t mean yellow; you can have a rich, golden tone and adapt it to complement most complexions. We’re starting to see more of these shades on social media, particularly with people that want to buck former trends and standout from the crowd. In general, there’s a movement towards wanting hair to glow.

Sizzling shades

Burnt coppers and shimmering golds are key for this colour trend. Some of my favourite formulas to work with are L’Oréal Professionnel Paris Majirel 7.43 (copper golden blonde) and 8.04 (light natural copper blonde).

There are also some really nice new Dia Light releases, which we’ve been asking for a while, so may have even driven the trend a little bit more. I love 8.43, a vibrant copper golden light blonde, great for toning with, it’s brilliant mixed with 7.3, another golden blonde, which gives a truer gold. 7.4 (copper blonde), 10.32 (golden pearl milkshake) and 9.03 (natural golden milkshake) are also spot on shades for this rising trend.

Customisation is heating up

Along with customising the hair colour itself, there’s lots of room for playing with application for this trend. With shorter haircuts coming through, block colour is really effective, interlocking a few different copper and gold shades throughout the hair.

For those that have freehand or a set of foils, we have introduced more playful toners, like soft peach or butter gold, creating our own customised colour combinations. Then for the bold, either a global shade or introducing strong panels of colour – the options are endless to create something individual.

Craving more colour talk? Why not stop by our new video series Spotlight, where we spend six scintillating minutes delving into the 11-year partnership between Paul and Ken Picton>