Why Is Everyone Going Brunette?

In the last few months, Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish, Florence Pugh, Dove Cameron and Gigi Hadid, among other celebs, have taken their manes deeper and darker. On TikTok, blond hair was declared “cheugy,” in the neologism of Gen Z. Slews of us, it seems, are yielding to an urge to go brunette.

This new spin on darker, more lustrous hair appears to be spurred in some part by the craving for change that came in the wake of the pandemic, when many people got to embrace their natural color in a good way.

“There’s definitely been a change in attitude as I see clients transition to darker, more luxurious hues,” said the colorist Sharon Dorram of Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger on the Upper East Side. “Brunette shades tend to create a more mysterious vibe, so total transformations by blondes have been extremely trendy. It’s similar to trying on another personality.”

Others are asking that their color be imbued with a hint of warmth as we get into the cooler months. That is not groundbreaking, but there seems to be a different sentiment behind it now.

“I’ve been experiencing a surge in requests for warmed-up brown colors,” said the colorist Aura Friedman. “I think this is because brunette has the power to be transformational on the front end, yet low maintenance in the long term. People are watching others have this moment of brunette hair empowerment and want to experience it themselves.”