Winter 2027 hair color trends caught me a little off guard this year.
After a whole fall of almost everything going warm and golden, winter decided to split down the middle.
Half of it went darker. Like, almost-black-with-a-secret darker.
The other half? Blondes are going cold again. Ivory, beige, pearl, even a little lilac. I honestly didn’t see that coming after months of honey and caramel everywhere.
So there’s something here whether you want deep and moody or bright and frosty. Eleven shades, darkest to iciest. Let’s go.
What’s Changing for Winter
If you read my fall 2026 hair color trends roundup, you know fall was basically one long warm-up. Copper, caramel, golden blonde, all of it.
Winter keeps some of that warmth, but it’s not the main story anymore.
Reds are drifting toward wine and plum instead of orange. Brunettes are going as dark as they can without actually being black.
And the cool tones I said were on their way out? They’re back. Not the harsh, flat platinum from a few years ago, though.
Softer, creamier, with a lot more shine.
1. Black Cherry
Remember cherry cola from fall? This is that, after the sun goes down.
Black cherry is a near-black brunette with a deep red-violet hiding underneath. Allure called it one of the big shades this winter, and it makes sense.
Nothing else here looks this much like winter.
Indoors, it just reads as really glossy dark hair. Step near a window or under warm light, and suddenly there’s wine in it.
I love that it doesn’t announce itself. You kind of have to catch it.
2. Deep Plum
This is my favorite one on the list.
People keep lumping it in with red, but it really isn’t. Red leans warm. Plum leans purple, which feels completely different once it’s on your head.
Picture something between dark brown, burgundy, and a dried fig. In dim light it passes for brunette. In daylight, very obviously not.
3. Burgundy
I almost left burgundy off. It felt too obvious, since it shows up every single winter.
But that’s kind of why it works. Every other red this season is trying to hide under brown. Burgundy doesn’t bother.
It’s full-on wine, and on a gray January afternoon that’s weirdly refreshing.
Never done red before? Ask for a semi-permanent version first. It fades out instead of growing out.
4. Inky Espresso
Hailey Bieber went deep espresso recently, reportedly the darkest she’s been in over a decade. So yeah, expect to see this one a lot.
It’s also the easiest color on this whole list to live with. You usually don’t need bleach for this, so it’s way gentler on your hair than going lighter.
And when your roots come in, the line is soft enough that nobody really notices for weeks.
It’s a step past the espresso I was into for fall. Closer to ink than coffee.
5. Cider Brown
Cider brown is warm brown with little threads of amber and caramel running through it, like spiced cider when you hold the mug up to a lamp.
It’s the warmest shade on this list. After four dark ones in a row, it’s a nice place to land.
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6. Buttered Almond Blonde
If you’re blonde but tired of toning every four weeks, this one’s for you.
Buttered almond sits a shade or two deeper than the usual bright blonde, so you can stretch your appointments way longer.
Brassiness is less of a headache too, since a bit of warmth is already built in.
The color itself is a soft beige blonde with some honey in it.
7. Winter Vanilla
Winter vanilla sits right between platinum and golden blonde, and Allure is the one who gave it the name.
It’s ivory with a tiny bit of beige. Not icy, not yellow. Think real vanilla ice cream, not the bright yellow kind.
It still needs toner to stay that creamy. But it’s the softest thing on this list, and I mean that as a compliment.
8. Ice Beige Blonde
Okay, this is where it gets confusing, because ice beige and winter vanilla sound almost identical.
The difference is temperature. Vanilla leans slightly warm. Ice beige leans cool, closer to a frosty, almost greige blonde.
If you want a rough shortcut, think about your jewelry. Silver person? Ice beige, probably. Gold person? Vanilla.
Your colorist can read your skin tone way better than a ring can.
9. Glass Blonde
I’ll be honest first. This one is a lot of work.
Getting your hair this light usually takes a lot of bleach. Keeping it this shiny means glosses, purple shampoo, heat protectant, the whole routine.
So why is it here? Because nothing else looks this striking in winter.
It’s a bright, cool, pearl-toned blonde with so much shine it almost looks wet. Next to a black coat and a gray sky, it kind of glows.
I’d skip it if your hair’s already damaged, though. Or if you’re a wash-and-go person. This color does not let you wash and go.
10. Ash Grey & Pearl Lilac
Think silver, but softer. Ash grey is the metallic version, and pearl lilac adds a soft pastel purple tint.
These two are easily the boldest pair on this list, and I’m not going to pretend they’re for everyone. They look especially striking on cooler skin.
Warmer undertones can totally work too, just ask your colorist to warm the shade up a little.
If you’re curious but nervous, start small. A lilac gloss over blonde hair washes out in a few weeks. Or put it underneath, where it only peeks out when you move.
11. Face-Framing Highlights
Not ready to change your whole head? Then this is the one to bookmark.
Refinery29 calls them aspect lights.
They’re fine highlights threaded into a darker base, placed where your hair naturally moves, like around your face and temples. The rest stays alone.
You can go warm, cool, or somewhere in between, like a soft khaki bronde. Either way, you get a winter refresh without committing to a full color change.
Bring a photo to your appointment. “Face-framing” means very different things to different colorists.
So those are the winter 2027 hair color trends I keep coming back to, and they’re way more split than I expected after fall.
If I had to book one tomorrow, it’d be deep plum. Dark enough to feel safe, different enough to feel new.
Are you going darker this winter, or finally trying blonde again?
