By Holly Breen, Award Winning Educator and Master Colourist

We're well into 2026, and if there's one thing the chair has made clear this year, it's that softness is winning.

The colours getting the most love right now are the ones that work with our clients rather than against them. Tones that flatter the complexion, lean into the natural base, and feel like they were always meant to be there. It's a softer, more personal way of thinking about colour, where the goal isn't to transform someone but to enhance the natural beauty that's already there.

We're moving away from those heavily lightened ends in our dimensional blondes. In their place is something far more wearable. Texture carried from root to end, balanced and blended so beautifully it looks like we've just got home from a sun-drenched Euro summer. The kind of softness that catches the light as it moves and never shows a harsh line or a hard finish. Effortless is the whole point.

Our global colours are all about richness and shine this season. Think depth that catches the light, that buttery, lit-from-within glow that makes hair look expensive without ever trying too hard. To get there, we're leaning into gold. A touch of warmth added through the mix gives our brunettes and coppers the softest warmth, with just a hint of reflectiveness that keeps everything looking luminous and alive. It's the difference between flat colour and colour that feels lit up from the inside, soft and impossibly glossy.

We're moving towards colouring hair with intention. Less maintenance, more longevity, and a finish that grows out like a dream instead of counting down till the next appointment.

This is colour that moves with you. Lived-in, luminous, and made to last the way the best things do.