Here's why you should get ash brown hair in 2021

Who says blondes have more fun? If there’s one hair colour we can’t get enough of, it’s ash brown hair. Ash brown is the hue you get when you mix brown hair with silver highlights. Its cool undertone complements fair, medium and deep complexions.

The same property also helps to cancel out any brassiness. Judging from Instagram and celebs like Ji-soo, Jennie and Ji-yeon who have been seen sporting this trendy ‘do, the shade is well on its way to becoming one of the most popular colours of 2021. Ahead, here are some ash brown hair colour ideas and tips on how to achieve them.

Jiyeon: Balayage

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Looking for a subtle take on the ash-brown hair colour trend? Follow T-ara Jiyeon’s lead and opt for balayage i.e. hand-painted highlights. Your roots will still be dark but the lower half of your hair will have some ashy highlights to add depth, texture and create the illusion of thicker, fuller hair. One rule of thumb is to avoid overly chunky highlights as it will look too unnatural and stiff. 

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To maintain a healthy-looking shine á la Jiyeon, make sure to use a heat protectant before heat styling and treat yourself to a pampering hair mask once a week. Additionally, a pea-sized amount of hair oil will help impart instant shine when your hair is looking a little lacklustre.

Jisoo: Light ash brown

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To cop Blackpink Jisoo’s smoky, matte-like mane, you want to start with a base hair colour that’s a little lighter. Such hues typically require some bleaching to cancel out the warm pigments to make way for the cool pigments. 

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Bonus tip: While ash-brown hair looks great on any length, the longer length of Jisoo’s ash-brown hair accentuates the dimension of the hue. 

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Another tip to attain Jisoo’s light ash-brown tresses is to tone your strands and neutralise unwanted yellow and orange tones with purple shampoo. That way you will get a healthier and brighter looking brown.

Jennie: Ash brown hair with a hint of silver

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If your complexion is on the fairer side like Blackpink Jennie, ask your colourist for silver highlights and lowlights throughout to give your hair some depth without washing you out.

Ryu Su-jeong: Grey ash-brown locks

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A great way to spice up your IG feed, this ash-brown hue seen on “Tiger eyes” singer leans a bit more grey compared to the previous look. This hair colour will bring out the warmth in medium to deep complexions and create a brightening effect on pale to light skin. 

Hong Jin-young: Ash “bronde”

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Equal parts brown and blonde, this ash “bronde” hue seen on South Korean trot singer Hong Jin-young is universally flattering. But before you schedule an appointment with your colourist, be prepared to block out the entire day.

With dark brown to black hair, bleaching is required to lift the hair and get it two to three levels lighter. Since Asian hair tends to have lots of red and yellow undertones, doing so usually results in an orange-y colour. Hence, the colourist would then need to tone the hair to get rid of the red tinge. 

Jo So-jin: Caramel ash brown

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If highlights are not for you, take a leaf out of former 9MUSES member Jo So-jin’s book and opt for an all-over caramel ash brown hair colour. The end result is soft, feminine and really natural-looking.

Since ashy shades like this one tend to wash out easily, choose sulphate-free hair products and limit hair washing to thrice a week if you can to keep your colour looking fresh.

This article was first published in Her World Online.