I dyed my hair ‘Autumn Orange’ & here’s what you should know
#1 What is autumn orange hair?
“When someone says an autumn orange, I think of the really warm orange tones,” explains Kornelija Cecetaite, junior stylist at Bleach London. “It’s more of a rustic orange as opposed to a bright color.” With that in mind, I booked into Bleach’s Dalston salon for a blonde to autumn orange makeover.
I had little knowledge of how the process would be, what the maintenance would require, or how to care for the color at home. Fortunately, Cecetaite answered all of my pressing hair transformation questions during my appointment, providing vital information about what it really means to commit to fall orange this season.
#2 How do I get Autumn Orange Color?
Cecetaite emphasizes the importance of bringing a good reference photo to your hair appointment to determine whether your desired shade should be more orange or more brown, depending on your skin tone. Once the ideal color is established, you can discuss whether permanent or semi-permanent color is best. It all depends on the base color and the level of maintenance that suits your lifestyle.
Since I was working from bleached blonde highlights, we wanted something that would blend easily once my natural dark roots grew out. We chose a semi-permanent autumn orange color using a Wella toner (this will vary between salons). After applying it all over the head, the color was left for 20 minutes before being washed out with a mix of Bleach London’s Tangerine Dream and Proper Copper hair colors mixed with conditioner.
#3 Does autumn orange work on all hair colours?
A reference image is a good starting point, but the final shade will always depend on whether you start with light or dark hair. “Bleached hair acts as a blank canvas,” explains Cecetaite. “When you go from darkness, while it’s also a blank canvas, you have to go about it in a different way.”
When it comes to dark hair, Cecetaite says that while you can get a really nice copper shade, sometimes it won’t be as vibrant. “The color will always have a little bit of depth because you’re essentially working with the natural color of a person’s hair as opposed to bleaching it, which removes it from the hair,” she says.
Shortly said? It’s good to determine how light an orange you want before the appointment so your colorist can determine if the hair needs to be bleached before adding color.
#4. How long does autumn orange color last?
If you want your fall orange to last long beyond the actual season, there are a few things to keep in mind. “Typically, when it comes to a shade, you’ll find that the first thing that will fade is the orange,” Cecetaite explains. “Because the shade is a mix of brown and orange, it’s always the lightest color in the mix that fades first, so it’s still a copper color, but not as bright.”
Although Cecetaite says the color can start to fade from a month onwards, there are plenty of things you can do to help it last longer, like keeping washing to a minimum. “If you don’t wash your hair as often, you don’t need to bulk it up as much,” Cecetaite explains. Her suggestion? Build your hair tolerance step by step.
It might sound like a lie when people say they ‘trained their hair’ to go longer between washes, but Cecetaite says it’s possible. Since I typically wash my hair every three days, she recommended that I try switching to every four days for a week, then back to three, then back again to four, and so on until there is no difference between my three- and four days of hair.
From there, you can continue to increase the days between washes, with the goal of washing your hair once a week for maximum color protection. Cecetaite also suggests using a heat protection spray when blow-drying or straightening, for example, as heat styling can also lighten hair color.
#5 How do I preserve autumn’s orange color?
All hair color fades eventually, but maintaining lighter colors requires a bit more than your average touch-up. “Once the hair is bleached, you’ll find it will fade significantly faster because the dye doesn’t have much pigment to hold on to,” Cecetaite explains. “This means that if your base is blonde, you’ll probably have to redo the entire dye, not just top it off with a bit more orange or brown, depending on which pigment is obviously faded. The best you can do , is to let it all fade out and then do it all over again,” she says.
If you want to keep the color as you go, another option involves mixing the dye with your conditioner. “Every time you shampoo your hair, regardless of what’s fading, you can top up by letting the dye and conditioner mix for a few minutes.”
For top-ups at home, Cecetaite recommended I try half and half of Bleach’s Tangerine Dream and Proper Copper. [Editor’s note: A hair red hair gloss, like Kristin Ess Copper Penny, is another at-home option.]
Cecetaite recommends completely avoiding conditioner in favor of a nourishing hair mask. Using this in the shower will work to moisturize the hair, while a quenching hair oil like Bleach Hair Elixir is great for adding extra smoothness and shine.
#6 How hard is it to go back to my natural color?
Fall orange might be the color of the moment, but it’s always good to think ahead, especially if you change your hair often. One of the most important things that will affect how easily the color can be changed is how often the color job has been topped up along the way.
Cecetaite explains that if you add color to your conditioner every time you shower, this will create more build-up on your hair that you’ll eventually have to get rid of. If you let the color fade gradually before going full red, there will be fewer layers of color on the hair, making it easier to work with further down the line.
In my case, Cecetaite said it’s possible to go back to blonde as long as I’m happy with the hair being a warmer tone than before. “With bleached hair, it can end up being a bit more orange or peachy before you can get yourself back to blonde, but I think it’s quite fun. There’s a nice variation between the shades.”
In other words, the coloring process is a journey, but I’m more than happy to enjoy the ride.