6 Autumn Hair Trends That Look So Expensive They've Stopped Us in Our Tracks
If you ask me, autumn is superior to the other seasons when it comes to beauty trends, but specifically so for hair trends. As September rolls around, there's a back-to-school feeling in the air, and it feels rude not to try a new short haircut or a hair colour transformation. As we swap out our summer wardrobes to knitwear and layers, it feels apt to update our lengths, too, bidding farewell to sun-parched split ends and faded hair colour from the summer. Autumn marks a clean slate for the year and is an ideal time to switch things up, whether it be with a bob haircut or a hair colour refresh.
As a beauty editor with 10 years of experience in writing about hair, it's my job to spot the hair trends that are about to take off. I've been keeping a keen eye on the haircuts, hair colours and hairstyles that have been brewing as we head into the cooler months, and my Pinterest board is jam-packed with ideas I want to try. From expensive-looking hair colours to the haircuts the fashion set are asking for in the salon, here are the chicest autumn hair trends you need to take note of before your next salon trip.
1. Biscotti Blonde
Perhaps one of the most beautiful autumn hair colours I've come across is Margot Robbie's biscotti blonde. Much like the Italian almond biscuit, it has a rich, twice-baked depth and warmth that only makes her creamy highlights sing more. The biscuity blonde base makes it a great transitional hue to keep the brightness of summer blonde balayage while toning it down a notch for autumn. Belissima.
Shop the Trend:
dpHUE
Gloss+ in Medium Blonde
This semi-permanent hair gloss adds a hint of colour that gradually washes out.
Living Proof
Perfect Hair Day™ High-Shine Gloss Treatment
The key to making this hair colour look expensive is shine. A good hair gloss will bestow a mirror-like shine upon your lengths.
Gisou
Honey Gloss Ceramide Therapy Hair Mask
This nourishing hair mask never fails to make any hair colour look rich, glossy and silky soft to the touch.
2. Torn Fringe
Fringes are firmly back on the agenda for 2025. They never really went away (they're a timeless haircut, after all), but if you've been thinking about taking the plunge, autumn is the perfect time to try them out. Daisy Edgar-Jones' torn fringe lives in my mind rent-free with its face-framing layers that frame the eyes and brows. It gives a nonchalant, cool-girl energy, even if the rest of your hair isn't styled. But there are so many other fringe styles to choose from, too. Whether you go for a curtain fringe, a Bardot bang or a bottleneck fringe, there's a fringe to suit everyone.
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Color Wow
Insta-Wow Advanced Dry Shampoo
If you've not had a fringe before, be prepared for them to get greasier quicker than the rest of your hair. Color Wow's new dry shampoo is the most impressive I've tried yet, which leaves hair feeling clean without any residue.
Hair by Sam Mcknight
Dressed to Kill Defrizz Crème
A tiny amount of pomade can help to keep a fringe in place—run a little along the edges to tame face-framing bangs.
Dyson
Airwrap I.D. Multi-Styler and Dryer
The round brush attachment of the Dyson Airwrap is perfect for blow-drying and shaping your fringe in between shampoos.
3. Bessette Blonde
With Sarah Pidgeon playing Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in the upcoming American Love Story series, there's been a lot of talk about the late American fashion publicist's '90s blonde hair colour, which is a great blonde shade for autumn. With its toffee base and buttery, chunky highlights ("chunking" was the signature technique of her then hair colourist, Brad Johns), this blonde feels just as modern now as it did then. Unlike biscotti blonde, which has finely woven blonde ribbons, this sees chunkier placements of lowlights and highlights, but they still melt into the rest of the hair colour. The result is a warm, golden blonde with dimensional face-framing pieces that ooze sophistication.
Shop the Trend:
Kérastase
Blond Absolu Hydrating Bundle
To keep golden blonde from turning brassy, a dedicated purple shampoo and conditioner can help to keep it looking fresher for longer in between salon visits
Glaze
Supergloss in Honey Blonde
Want to experiment with a warmer blonde colour without the commitment? Try this hair gloss from Glaze, which imparts semi-permanent honey tones and washes out over a couple of shampoos.
Hello Klean
Purifying Shower Head
Metals, chlorine and impurities in our shower water can all affect and distort our hair colour. Since swapping to a shower filter, I've noticed my hair colour stays looking freshly done for much longer.
4. Undone Bob
It's not autumn with a bob hairstyle trend, and this time around, we're keeping things low-maintenance. While previous seasons have seen bouncy bobs and flicked bobs, now, we're putting down the hot brushes and embracing a more pared-back mood with the undone bob. The less-is-more approach feels a little cooler, plus, it's a great excuse to get to know your natural hair texture. For a little movement, you can enhance curls with a curl cream and a diffuser, while those with straight hair can try the kinked bob—a straight bob with just a whisper of a bend in the hair that you can easily create with a hair straightener.
Shop the Trend:
Ouai's curl cream adds bounce, hold and shine to curls without weighing them down.
Hair by Sam Mcknight
Cool Girl Barely There Texture Hair Mist
This texturising spray is like cool-girl hair in a bottle. It adds grit and volume to even the finest of lengths.
GHD
Original Hair Straightener
5. Monochrome Brunette
For brunettes, I'm seeing more and more celebrities opt for monochromatic block colours rather than the honeyed brunette balayages and dimensional highlights that have dominated over the past couple of years. It's a great choice for current brunettes who want to tap into a deeper, moodier vibe for autumn without having anything too drastic. Plus, the deep, iced brunette hues always have the glossiest shine that makes them look all the more expensive. It's easy enough to achieve in the salon with a tint or hair gloss to take your current shade down a few hues, but you can also find some brilliant at-home hair glosses that will give you the look without needing to commit to box colour.
Shop the Trend:
Wella Professionals
Color Fresh Semi-Permanent Colour Mask in Cool Espresso
I use this semi-permanent gloss whenever I want to go a cooler brunette tone and the result is comparable to that of a salon gloss. It gives the hair a deep, espresso hue and an incredible shine.
Color Wow
Dream Coat Supernatural Spray
The key to making monochromatic brunette look expensive is shine. Color Wow's Dream Coat is the best for creating a smooth and sleek style, as well as making hair water-resistant (ideal for autumn downpours).
L'Oréal Paris
Elvive Glycolic Gloss Leave-In Serum
A shine-boosting hair serum to finish will keep your hair looking ultra-glossy and smooth until your next hair wash.
6. The Pixie
I've been spying so many chic pixie cuts of late, and it's by far one of the most elegant and chic short haircuts of all time. Not to mention, it can also be a very low-maintenance short haircut to style at home, too. For autumn, I'm seeing more and more of the longer pixie cuts with plenty of layers and choppy fringes that make it look thick and full of volume. Emma Stone's pixie cut shows just how timeless this haircut is.
