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It may be little more than a coincidence, but after Gen Z unceremoniously proclaimed blonde hair to be ‘cheugy‘ last year, a slew of celebrities swiftly made the switch to brunette. In a TikTok video, GirlBossTown host Robyn DelMonte noted, “Every celebrity and cool girl is going dark,” a trend that has continued into the new year.
While face-framing creamy blonde balayage and fine highlights have seen lighter colours the most requested hue at salons for several seasons, it seems richer, deeper brunette tones are set to dominate in 2022.
Allow us to present the celeb-laden evidence.
Gigi Hadid is among the most recent dark side converts, after debuting a darker chocolate colour at Paris Fashion Week back in September. While at the time it was tricky to tell whether it was a permanent change from her previously copper-coloured locks, shots of the supermodel in subsequent months have confirmed that she has indeed adopted the mocha hue.
Katy Perry is another star who went dark during the latter part of 2021, subbing out the platinum blonde colour she’d been wearing for several years to reintroduce the iconic liquorice locks she was known for in her earlier years.
Hailey Bieber phased out her infamous blonde hair over the course of the year, transitioning to a rich nutmeg hue before going even darker in October. Her colour proves that brunette hues can possess depth, thanks to finely-placed honey highlights spliced throughout for an expensive, glossy look.
A lot of celebrities opt for a brunette colour to restore the health of their hair, after years of damaging bleach and heat styling begin to take their toll. Perhaps that was the reason behind Billie Eilish‘s recent hair revamp, which saw the singer ditch her Marilyn-esque bottle blonde for a warm chocolate shade.
Brunette doesn’t have to get boring either, as Dakota Johnson recently demonstrated in her recent switch-up of her signature dark hair. The star added some soft, sun-kissed highlights to her long locks, strategically added to create movement without overhauling Johnson’s entire look.
Of course, brunette hair isn’t new but trends dial up and down over the decades. With the onset of the ‘indie sleaze‘ aesthetic – which was dominated by brunettes like Zooey Deschanel and Alexa Chung – it seems as if decadent brunette hues are a palate cleanser for the bleach-soaked Y2K trend, led by an early Noughties Paris Hilton.
It’s also far more low-maintenance, requiring less time and money spent at the salon. Need further proof? Style savant (and indie sleaze original) Chloë Sevigny also turfed her trademark dishwater blonde for a moody brunette hue late last year.
Expect currently-blonde locks to become further casualties of brunette hair dye in the coming months.
