Warm Autumn: Hair Dye

Hair dye is more than a cosmetic change - it’s a vibrant form of self-expression. Whether you’re masking greys, brightening your natural shade, or embracing bold, adventurous colours, the hue you choose speaks to your personality and emotions. It can also be a powerful confidence booster, offering a sense of authenticity or marking the beginning of a fresh, new journey in life.

In Warm Autumn, we see a medium and dark blondes as well as light to intensely dark brunettes. Due to its dominant warmth, these colours are golden or reddish in tone. Auburn variations are also likely.

In this article, we’ve used a variety of blonde, brunette and fashion colours to demonstrate which hair dyes we’d advise for Warm Autumn as well as those that should be avoided.

Affiliate links have been used to provide additional visual examples. These products have been physically tested on our clients in order to provide the most accurate recommendations but results may vary. We always advise a patch test prior to dyeing your hair. To achieve some of these colourings, you may need to lift your natural colour or strip back any residual dye. This is something a professional stylist could help with.

Please note, this advice is generic for all Warm Autumn individuals and recommendations will vary based on your unique colouring. Some trial and error may be required in order to find the best hair dye for yourself. For personalised advice, we suggest purchasing a Colour Analysis package with the hair option.

Warm Autumn individuals typically have naturally blonde, brunette or auburn hair. As a dominantly warm subtype, these colours are either golden or reddish.

They belong to a season influenced by dark value, which makes them deeper than those we see in Warm Spring.

Those who lean closer to Soft Autumn may be able to select lighter variations. However, individuals who lean closer to Dark Autumn will need to select the deeper hair colours.

BLONDE HAIR

Warm Autumn has a moderate to high contrast level and belongs to a season influenced by depth. This makes blonde tricky for them as it needs more depth.

Saffy’s strongest option here is arguably the dark golden blonde in example two. It may be likened to Clairol Nice'n Easy Crème Hair Dye in 7 Dark Blonde. This colour contrasts with both her light hair and eyes and also draws out her golden undertones.

Compare this effect with the medium golden blonde in example one, which is similar to Tints of Nature Permanent Hair Dye in 7D Medium Golden Blonde. Here, Saffy’s colour is slightly blanched. However, it is still markedly better than the medium ash blonde in example five. This demonstrates that she needs to prioritise warmth.

The medium golden blonde would still be doable if she balanced it with deeper makeup, jewellery and clothing. It may work well for a Warm Autumn leaning towards Soft Autumn as they will have a slightly lower contrast level. The light golden blonde* in example three may also work for these individuals. Those leaning towards Dark Autumn need to opt only for dark gold blonde variations or will look washed out.

Ash colouring is not advised for Warm Autumn due to its cool tones.

In example three, the light ash blonde blanches Saffy’s appearance and that golden glow we see in example two is completely diminished. Her eyes are also muted whereas the sparkle in the golden colours. Autumn individuals have grey pigmentation in their eye colour, which typically softens them. However, wearing the right colours can reduce this effect and create some balanced shine.

The darker the ash blonde gets, the worse the impact is. In examples five and six, the ash blonde and dark ash blonde create dark shadows on her face as well as blanching her image. It’s as if a bright light is being shone on her. This indicates a colour imbalance. 

brunette hair

We see light to intensely dark brunettes appear naturally in many Warm Autumn individuals. This makes brunette an ideal choice for a subtle update or a full image transformation.

Example one shows a light golden brunette, similar to Clairol Nice'n Easy Crème Hair Dye in 6G Light Golden Brown. This colour works particularly well for Saffy as it lightens her image without reflecting any colour onto her skin. The warm tone also draws out her golden glow. This is a colour we would recommend to Warm Autumn individual leaning towards Soft Autumn due to its higher value.

The golden brunette in example two is deeper but has a similar effect. It works with her contrast level and makes her eyes sparkle. A product such as Clairol Nice'n Easy Crème Hair Dye in 5G Medium Golden Brown would be suitable for a Warm Autumn leaning towards Dark Autumn. The same advice applies for the dark golden brunette in example three. This is almost too dark for Saffy as it begins to overpower her. She would need to create balance with warm and medium depth makeup, jewellery and clothing.

Like with the blonde examples discussed above, ash variations of brunette are not suitable for a dominantly warm subtype.

Where example four throws white on Saffy’s skin, example five casts dark shadows on her face. The dark ash brunette in example six is overpowering as it is too deep and increases her contrast level, making it look unnatural. 

other hair

Reds are highly flattering for Warm Autumns because of their strong warm undertones. Many people in this category naturally have auburn hair, making red shades an excellent choice for a subtle enhancement or a full transformation.

In the first example, we see a deep auburn. It makes Saffy’s eyes sparkle and draws out her golden glow. Products such as L'Oreal Paris Hair Dye in 553 Spiced Auburn could create a similar effect. 

We also see a warm copper in example two, which may be likened to Schwarzkopf Oleo Intense Hair Dye in 7-77 Copper Red. This variation is both deeper and softer than those we would see in Spring as that season requires more shine. Saffy’s image is lit up by this warm colour and the depth balances her contrast level. 

There are also a few purples included on the Warm Autumn hair dye chart. These differ to those recommended for Winter and Spring in their warmth and softness. Example three shows a deeper purple that verges on a red. Like the copper, this colour lifts Saffy’s image and makes her eyes sparkle. A good option would be Schwarzkopf LIVE Intense Colour Hair Dye 044 Berry Red.

Colours we do not recommend for Warm Autumn individuals include black, platinum and rose gold. 

Rose gold, as seen in example six, lean either peach or pink - neither of which have the correct colour qualities for Warm Autumn. Where peachy variations are too light and bright, pinks are too cool. A soft copper, like example two, is a stronger alternative.

Though Warm Autumn belongs to a season influenced by depth, black is not included in their colour chart as it is too bright and cool. It is better suited to Winter individuals. Saffy is evidently overpowered by the intense black in example four. She could perhaps opt for a brown-black to reduce the intensity. 

On the other end of the scale, platinum blonde is too light and cool. When we looked at the blonde options previously, we concluded that light blondes are not suitable for Warm Autumn as they don’t match their contrast level. The platinum blonde in example five has the same effect - it throws white on Saffy’s image and mutes her eyes. This indicates a colour imbalance. 

Styling

Warm Autumn has a moderate to high contrast level. This means their best colour combinations complement what is in the individual’s palette rather than opposing it. 

The above visual demonstrates how to effectively combine colours to repeat this contrast level if you choose to style your hair with a mix of highlights and low lights. This also applies to styles such as balayage, which maintain Warm Autumn's delicate appearance. It is recommended to seek advice from a professional hair stylist. 

Example one shows neighbouring hues using a dark golden brunette and a dark red. These could be combined to your natural colour as highlights or using the dark golden brunette as a base colour and the dark red evenly dispersed. This could also be done with monochromatic mixing as shown in example three where we have used a dark golden blonde with a light golden brown. 

Another way to achieve this effect is with the use of a dark neutral and a light accent. In example two, we have used a dark auburn with a copper. Again, this can be achieved with highlights and lowlights or perhaps a gentle ombre effect with the copper delicately drawn through the ends.

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