“Chocolate Chai” Is The Balayage Trend To Try This Autumn
When it comes to your pre-Autumn hair colour appointment, the safest approach is to keep it simple. You want a subtle change, like a believably sun-kissed highlight, that will make you feel like a new person, but one who doesn’t need to book a follow-up four weeks from now. (Because who knows where we’ll be?)
For inspiration, let us direct you to the trending brunette balayage tone that NYC-based colourist Stephanie Brown is calling “chocolate chai” — a comparison to the hot latte in your coffee cup on a chilly September morning. From a hair-tone perspective, the dark root colour lends itself to the chocolate reference, while the swirls of chai are the pale-brown highlights placed around the hairline (but off the root).
For a visual on the refreshingly simple, yet cosy hair-colour trend, scroll through the gallery ahead.
Here, Brown shows the quintessential example of the chocolate chai trend. “I kept the root tone naturally dark, and just did lighter balayage highlights around the hairline,” she explains. “The vibe is so subtle — it just looks like she spent a summer at the beach.”
If you’re planning to spend your weekdays on Zoom calls this Autumn, feel free to focus primarily on just the front layers. As seen on Brown’s client here, the result is a hit of brightness that’s almost better than a ring light.Chicago-based colourist Sabrina Yamani Yamga proves that the creamy tone is the perfect seasonal take on money-piece highlights, as seen on her client Chiara. When you’re leaning into your quarantine grow-out, the addition of a warm-brown balayage tone gives your curls an instant refresh, as evidenced by this dreamy look by Australian colourist Jaye Edwards. Out in LA, colourist Cherin Choi shows a variation on the same chocolate chai vibe, but with warmer-brown highlights bouncing off the lighter blonde ones.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
