‘Salted Caramel’ Hair Is the Prettiest Low-Maintenance Fall Color for Brunettes

I don’t even drink coffee, but the latest Instagram hair trend is making me want to run to the nearest Starbucks, stat. Salted caramel mocha hair is the latest food-inspired hair color taking over Explore pages lately, and you can thank Houston, Texas-based hairstylist Eric Vaughn for the sudden craving.

Vaughn recently gave his client Gabriella salted caramel mocha hair after she asked him to warm up her chocolate brown hair with highlights. “She mentioned several times wanting warm-toned highlights but wanted as low maintenance as possible,” he told Allure.

To make her request happen, Vaughn used several highlighting techniques—all with foils. He started off by highlighting the shaft to the ends using what he calls a “teasey-light” technique. This helped keep her roots their natural shade, while creating a soft transition into a lighter color. Next, he moved onto adding babylights around Gabriella’s face to give it that “caramel halo,” he says.

Then, he painted on highlights around the crown of her hair with a lighter shade. After everything processed, Vaughn toned Gabriella’s hair all over with a mix of golds and coppers. You can see a bit of these steps in action, below.

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The result was a warm brunette look that checked off all Gabriella’s boxes. “I would say it’s pretty low maintenance,” he adds. “The most she will need is a toner in eight weeks to keep the tone. She won’t need highlights again until she wants more.” Plus, the salted caramel mocha hair enhances Gabriella’s skin tone, Vaughn says. (Cool tones would have clashed.)

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Even if you think the hair-named-after-drinks trend is cheesy, you can’t deny the color looks incredible. Vaughn recommends asking your stylist for “teasey lights,” as well as face-framing highlights, and a warm gold and copper toner. You can also show them these inspo shots, and maybe even bring them an actual cup of salted caramel mocha.

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• “Vanilla Milkshake” Hair Proves the Ombré Trend Is Evolving

• “Champagne Bronde” Blends Summer and Fall Hair-Color Trends

• “Golden Toffee Hair” Is Fall’s Sweetest Hair-Color Trend

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Now, learn which Best of Beauty winners are best for maintaining your new hair color: