Hair Color Trend Forecast: Spring/Summer 2022
Expert colorist and R+Co Color Collective member Aura Friedman shares her trend predictions for the coming seasons.
Aura Friedman has a well-earned reputation in the beauty industry—and beyond—for her eye for color placement, customized formulations and visionary trendsetting. You’ve seen her color work on top models, celebrities, at fashion shows, in editorials and, now, as part of the R+Co Color Collective.
With decades under her belt of headline-making transformations and techniques, we tapped Friedman’s color expertise for her insight into spring/summer ’22 trend forecasting.
What color are you gravitating toward right now?
Aura Friedman: Very Peri, Pantone’s 2022 Color of the Year, is so much fun. I’ve already seen a ton of colorists playing around and experimenting with it and doing such a beautiful job presenting this amazing color. It’s a little sad and cloudy, sort of the vibe of an overcast day—but there’s something hopeful about it, which is exciting because we need all the hope we can get right now. Purples, lavenders and blues can be serene, but they can be also like spiritual and enlightening.
We know you love redheads, where are you seeing reds shift for spring/summer?
AF: One of the trends I love, love, love is strawberry blonde and the kind of natural-looking ginger shades that so many of my celebrity and top model clients are requesting right now. The shade is almost a muted tone, but still strawberry, with a sense of golden, metallic-like bronze coming from the shine. I have so many clients I’m making that color and it’s so much fun because it’s really interesting and unusual. My favorite technique is to mix a lightest copper with a high-lift blonde so it creates this almost pastel copper with a metallic tone because of the high-lift blonde.
Where do you see blonde shades heading?
AF: Blonde hair is becoming more honey-toned and warmer, and I’m really happy this is happening now because we were so cool-toned before. Platinum had gone on for so, so long and I’m ready for the warmth and the sunshine again to warm up people’s faces. Warmth is very healing, and we’re all trying to just look and feel healthier. The warmth of golden-blonde or buttery tones in the hair bring warmth to the face and the skin, and can work on most skin tones.
What about brunettes, is it true that we are going to see a lot of blondes go brunette?
AF: Many people are going back to brunette and I’m starting to see a lot of warm brunettes, very shiny with a lot of dimensional warmth. I’m really gravitating toward mushroom-y browns and violet-toned browns. There are two extremes happening right now in hair color: One is low-maintenance and hair health, which comes from an uncertainty with getting back into the salon as often and embracing natural hair color they experienced during lockdown. And, two, is extreme self-expression.
Tell us about the other extreme.
AF: With everyone stuck at home for so long, people are to come out and really peacock and express themselves. And not just with one color, they want to combine colors that are bright, strong and forceful.
They’re looking for “Look at Me” hair color. I am a moment, I’m not here to fade into the background. Pay attention.
AF: Yes. I’ve seen this the most in big cities, everything from hair to fashion. People are just like, ‘I want to be seen, I want to go out on the streets and scream.’ I’m predicting the same kind of peacocking is going to happen in spring and everyone will be ready to like shake their feathers.