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12.04.2025
2026 Trend Report: 10 Show-Stopping Hair Colors
By: Zara Kenyon
The 2026 Hair Color Trends (and Formulas!) are Here
The 2025 hair color trends spoiled us with a stunning array of statement looks, from gold-spun platinums to molten brunettes and dreamy, soft-focus pastels. But the greatest thing about hair color trends is that they keep evolving, pushing artistry and self-expression to new heights every year.
That’s why we’re so excited to unveil the hottest hues and techniques set to define 2026. Think cozy, comforting blondes, a marine hue that's stormed the runways, and a new spin on balayage. Without further ado, here are the 2026 hair color trends...
1. Teddy Bear Blonde Hair Color
Image Credit: @jhair_stylist
The coziest blondes will be keeping us warm through winter 2026, with teddy bear hues wrapping hair up in comforting tones of caramel, chocolate, toffee and gold. The more dimensional the blonde, the richer it feels, so get ready to play with a spectrum of gilded shades. The true-to-tone vibrancy and shine of Color Touch will ensure every teddy bear blonde creation appears soft, glossy and healthy.
Formula:
Highlights: BlondorPlex + 6% Welloxon Perfect
Toner: Color Touch 9/97 + 10/81 + 1.9% Color Touch Emulsion
2. Burnt Sienna Hair Color
Image Credit: @artetcoiffuremontussan
Segueing from the cowboy copper trend, reds will still be beautifully burnished in 2026. This time, your inspiration is the earthy, red-brown pigment of sienna clay when it's been heated. Enter burnt sienna hair. Your goal is radiant rust tones with shimmering ribbons of copper, bronze and tan, worn in sweeps of balayage or with an ombre finish, as seen in this masterpiece. The uncompromised vibrancy of Color Touch levels up the look, with a wide array of head-turning reds to help you custom-mix with precision.
Formula:
Toner: Color Touch 6/47 + 6/77 + 6/05 + 1.9% Color Touch Emulsion
3. Air Touch Balayage
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
This trending technique is set to go mainstream in 2026. Less of a fad and more of a failsafe, air touch balayage has proved its power for the most seamless results. For the uninitiated, it involves swapping backcombing for blow-drying to move shorter inner layers out of the way, so you’re only painting lightener onto the longer strands of hair. Cue softer, more diffused blending. Blondor Freelights is going to be your ideal lightener for this look, with up to seven levels of lift, and an adhesive mass that ensures it stays right where you want it.
Formula:
Lightening: Blondor Freelights + 6% Freelights Developer
Root Smudge: Shinefinity 06/0 + Shinefinity Activator
Toner: Illumina Color 10/69 + 1.9% Welloxon Perfect
4. Transformative Teal Hair Color
Image Credit: @leothehairalchemist
The bold of the year is set to be green – or, more specifically, transformative teal. It’s a shade that saturated the Fashion Week runways, and now it’s set to give your color-brave clients a green upgrade, too. So, make sure you’ve got the Color Fresh CREATE semi-permanent bolds on your salon shelves. This low-commitment collection of fades true to tone, letting your client experiment with teal on their terms.
Formula:
Root shadow: Illumina Color 5/02 + 5/81 + 6/19 + 1.9% Welloxon Perfect
Lightener: Blondor Multi Blonde Powder + 6% Welloxon Perfect
Toner: Color Fresh CREATE in Neverseen Green + New Blue
5. Mocha Brown Hair Color
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
Brunettes will be brimming with movement in 2026, courtesy of the dreamy, decadent and dimensional mocha brown trend. Whether they take it milky, ultra-dark or with a hint of caramel, your client’s go-to brunette will pack in plenty of babylights and balayage to achieve maximum body. For clients trying the trend, make sure they go home with the Color Fresh Mask in Chocolate Touch. The color-depositing treatment will revive their shade in 10 minutes – perfect for in between salon visits.
Formula:
Roots: Shinefinity 04/0 + 06/0 + Shinefinity Activator
Highlights: BlondorPlex + 6% Welloxon Perfect
Toner: Color Touch 6/71 + 1.9% Color Touch Emulsion
6. Herringbone Highlights
Image Credit: @haleyhaxtonhair
Grey blending is set to dominate 2026, as an increasing number of clients choose to enhance their natural greys rather than cover them. This shift means offering softer, more dimensional results that grow out seamlessly – something you can achieve with the herringbone highlight technique. With its diagonal sweeps of warm and cool hues, it melts grays into the base, while keeping regrowth ultra-soft for a low-commitment camouflage. So, have BlondorPlex at the ready for clients seeking ways to make their greys work for them. With up to nine levels of lift and up to 97% less breakage¹, it’s a game-changer.
Formula:
Roots: Color Touch 6/0 + 5/0 + Color Touch Emulsion
Mid-lengths: Shinefinity 09/07 + 08/38 + Shinefinity Activator
Ends: Shinefinity 010/36 + 09/81 + Shinefinity Activator
7. Metal and Chrome Hair Color
Image Credit: @larissaappel_hairandmakeup
Manes are going metallic for 2026, and there’s no limit on the shades we’ll be flaunting, from classic metals like silver and gold to chrome-finish pastels and bolds. You need a glossy effect for this look, so both color and care need to work together. First, use Shinefinity as your toner. The zero-lift, zero-damage color glaze lets you create a spectrum of gilded and gunmetal hues, while giving your client up to 250% shinier hair². Then, make sure you have the Wella Professionals Ultimate Smooth range in the salon. Wash with the Shampoo, treat with the Mask, and style with the Miracle Oil Serum for mirror-like glossiness and smoothness that lasts up to 3 days³.
Formula:
8. Crème Brûlée Blonde Hair Color
Image Credit: @fraeulein_lieblingshaar
It wouldn't be a hair color trends list without a gourmand-inspired shade. In 2026, crème brûlée will be served piping hot in the form of multi-tonal, expensive-looking blondes. You've got the golden roots up top, reminiscent of the caramelized sugar on the French dessert, then the sweet, creamy lengths that shine and shimmer under the light. Reach for Illumina Color to achieve this look; a permanent formula with MicroLight Technology that allows each strand to be illuminated from the inside out. It also features MicroTones, which mimic the natural highs and lows in the hair, so your client's blonde appears 100% natural-looking.
Formula:
Highlights: BlondorPlex + 1.9% Welloxon Perfect
9. Dark Bronde Hair Color
Image Credit: @hairxjojo
Bronde – or brown-blonde – was the color of 2025, but we're taking it darker, richer and even more captivating in 2026. The trend embraces both warm and cool tones, meaning it can feature anything from chocolatey caramel warmth to smoky mushroom hues, giving hair a sophisticated, multi-dimensional finish. Create the look with subtle highlights that add lightness and movement to a brunette base, maintaining that natural, lived-in bronde appeal.
Formula:
Highlights: BlondorPlex
10. Liquid Glass Hair Color
Image Credit: @harishair
The last trend on our list isn't actually a color – it's a hair care innovation. But, because it transforms the look and feel of the hair, it has a huge impact on how your client's dream shade looks. We've all heard of liquid brunettes, liquid blondes and liquid redheads – and now that impossibly glossy glow is, well... possible, all thanks to the Ultimate Smooth Glass Liquid Layer. (Coming Soon!) The salon-exclusive, spray-on formula smooths the cuticles, locks in glassy shine and keeps frizz controlled for a long-lasting salon look, so your client can swish their way out of the salon with unreal levels of glow.
Looking for more hair coloring inspiration? Discover pro formulas, more up-and-coming trends and transformative care tricks on the Wellastore Blog.
¹ When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex versus Blondorplex alone.
² Versus untreated bleached hair.
³ If unwashed for 3 days, vs. untreated.
