"Wine Hair" Is the Best Way for Brunettes to Rock Deep Purple This Fall

Allure
Updated

Just as our happy-hour order swings from rosé to red wine as the seasons change, so do our hair-color preferences. Wine hair is officially a thing, people, and it’s making us want to indulge in a glass, like, yesterday. Richer, yet more subdued than last fall’s hyper-red “mulled wine" color, the update for right now has shifted towards plum. It's closer to what a glass of wine actually looks like. If you’re set on achieving wine hair, make sure to stress plum undertones and saturated burgundy highlights, à la a robust pinot noir.

To serve major vineyard-in-fall vibes, colorist Josh Boynton used Guy Tang’s #myidentity permanent shades in 5MR, 6MR, 5NI, and 3MV. He applied his mix onto a client who had a natural level 5 base with some leftover highlights at the ends. After being told she was looking for something, “different but nothing too bright or off-the-wire,” he saw wine. The plummy color is a perfect option for when your summer hue is on its last leg and you want to get with the new season.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy Josh Boynton</cite>
Courtesy Josh Boynton

The multi-step wine-making process begins with a mix of 5MR Midnight Rose and 5NI Natural Ice, which Boynton applied at the base (or the first two inches of hair), adding in 10vol. He then blended in a touch of 3MV Midnight Violet to give the color its deeper, cooler tonality; this is combined with 20vol for “maximum lift and deposit.” Leaving out the ends, Boynton then fused the 6MR Midnight Rose and 3MV Midnight Violet, applying the formula to the rest of the hair. He processed it for 35 minutes and made sure to use Olaplex “every step of the way.”

“Olaplex can treat the hair while it’s being colored, so it’s a two-for-one kind of deal. It will also prolong the color in the hair once you use the shampoo and conditioner with it,” he explains. Boynton finished the look by styling it with a one-inch curling wand, to show off the color’s dimensionality, letting the curls cool before brushing them out.

Though there’s a version of wine for all skin tones, Boynton recommends the shade for warmer complexions. “I feel like [this color] is the definition of a red wine,” he says.

Well, cheers to that.

More fall hair colors to check out:

Now, watch Kelly Hudson review weird beauty products:

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