2020; the year the hair salons shut and millions of women and men across the globe took their hair into their own hands. While some people found growing out their colour liberating and adopted a new low maintenance routine, for others, time away from their hairdressers chair only reaffirmed their love for salon hair colour. Luckily for all, there are plenty of new hair colour trends to try next year, so whether you want to go bold or subtle, with a look you can create yourself at home, or bring to your hairdresser in the coming months, you’ll be able to embrace the mantra, new year, new me.
‘After a challenging 2020, 2021 is going to be a colourful year, with trends going in a more expressive direction’, says Josh.
Pink became the stand out shade of the pandemic and pastel hair colour is here to stay. ‘Lockdown liberated a lot of people from their usual hair colours, giving them an excuse to be playful and expressive with their hair colour,’ says Josh. With Zoom calls still looking like the new office normal next year, people will continue to be free to experiment with their hair. ‘There is less pressure to conform to more conservative choices’, explains Josh. 2021 will be all about the elegant pastel hair colour, these shades have an air of sophistication about them; think Pink Quartz, Peach Blush and Blue Reef. The vintage pastels seen at Marc Jacobs SS19 started the trend on the catwalk, and with the launch of at-home hair colour options next year, these looks are going from backstage to bathrooms. ‘Our new Pastel Glazes, which are due to launch in the Summer, are the perfect way to be safely rebellious. Dying your hair a pastel shade is fun, but it also offers an easy way out as they only last 6 washes’, says Josh. ‘We hope to break down any fear barriers with these no-commitment colours and open the door for everyone to wear a little colour. These shades look just as gorgeous on a full head of grey hair as a full head of bleached blonde hair.’ New techniques will also offer a great way to dip your toe into the trend, such as hidden panels of colour and colour dipped ends.
Red was one of 2020’s breakout hair colour trends. We celebrated the colour of the season by launching our wardrobe of red hair glosses, ensuring whatever your redhead personality, we have a shade for you. Red is going to continue to dominate the hair colour scene in 2021, under a more muted guise. Red hair doesn’t always have to be bold and bright. Copper Gold has subtle golden undertones introducing fiery pigments in a more sophisticated way.
Invisible Colour
Men’s hair grooming was a huge topic of conversation in 2020, thanks to the lockdown haircuts that swept social media. 2021 is going to see men’s hair colour hit the spotlight. When it comes to colouring men’s hair, there’s something to be said about making grey hair work. Josh has coined this blended approach ‘invisible colour.’ ‘This technique is about taking away a small percentage of grey, but not all of it,’ Josh explains. ‘This means when the hair colour grows out it won’t be a stark and unnatural change.’ It’s not about completely covering the ‘wisdom hairs’, ‘you want to look like you have some life experience, after all,’ says Josh.
Onyx Black Hair
More and more people will be going over to the dark side in 2021, taking inspiration from icons like Wednesday Adams. Think graphic, gothic and totally gorgeous. We first saw Black Onyx hair on the catwalk at Prada’s AW 19 show, where Josh created high contrast looks. “The whole show concept is a ‘dark romance’. During the creation it became clear to me there’s a shift towards solid, strong, global colours, almost a reaction to all the heavily-blended and balayage shades,” explains Josh. If your hair has a lot of red or warm undertones, try cooling them down with the Josh Wood Colour Smoky Brunette Gloss. Working with your hair’s natural highs and lows will ensure multi tonal colour, that stops your hair from looking flat – a risk you run with using traditional black box hair dyes. Smoky Brunette Gloss can also create a particularly striking effect on warmer skin tones.
Caramel Hair Colour
The golden brown hair hero of 2020, Caramel, will be sticking around for 2021. Caramel bridges the gap between blonde and brunette, we’ve seen it on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, Kylie Jenner and of course Jennifer Lopez. Generally speaking, it’s about having a rich, brunette hair colour base mixed with lighter tones of honey, caramel and mocha. From dark blonde hair to mid brown tones, this buttery brunette top coat works to add a creamy richness to mousey brown hair or a sun-kissed to dense brunette. ‘Caramel is very flattering as it’s a warm hair colour, which gives the complexion warmth. It gives the skin a ‘post-holiday glow’, which is much needed after months of lockdown’, says Josh. Recreate the look at home with Caramel Gloss.
Silver Strands
‘We started to see a lot of women (and men) embrace grey during lockdown, and this trend is set to continue into 2021,’ says Josh. Transitioning to grey can be quite challenging (you can here our full blog post on it here), and it’s vital to keep your hair as healthy as possible. The texture of hair changes as it turns grey, becoming frizzier, drier and more coarse. Really care for your colour by including a deep-conditioning treatment hair mask, such as our Everything Mask, into your weekly beauty ritual. Grey looks best when it’s sparkling and shiny, but it can have a tendency to go brassy and dull. Neutralise any unwanted yellow tones and ensure a mirror like shine with our Icy Blonde Gloss.