The Cool New Way To Wear The Copper Hair Trend Is On Your Roots

Forget balayage and '90s-inspired blonde highlights. The biggest hair colour trend to take over in 2020 is officially copper hair.

Celebrities such as Zendaya and 13 Reasons Why’s Katherine Langford have so far jumped on board, serving up the ultimate burnt orange hair inspiration with warm flecks of cinnamon, crabapple and caramel, and the Instagrammable look has since filtered down into hair salons all over the UK.

But if we've learned anything, it's that hair colour trends move fast. While all-over copper looks incredible, one top colourist is making a case for a brand-new way to wear the trendy shade – and it's perfect for colour commitment-phobes.

Enter: hot roots.

The colourist behind the innovative copper hair look shared to Instagram last week is James Earnshaw, hairdresser and amika artistic ambassador. Inspired by none other than hair chameleon Billie Eilish, James dispelled the idea that copper only works on light hair, teaming the burnt orange shade (concentrated solely to the top for an effortlessly cool, grown-out vibe) with dark brown lengths. Starting right at the root, the copper, which stops just short of halfway, melts into the chocolate shade, complementing the red tones.

James shared a video of the process and used the caption to explain exactly how to achieve the look.

To get the copper to take, James lightened the model's roots using Wella Blondor and Welloxon Perfect 6%. "I applied it quite heavy at the root and dispersed through the mid lengths for a more diffused result," he wrote. "We then processed for 30 mins."

James then washed off the lightener and used Wella Perfecton By Colour Fresh (a colouring rinse) which gave the hair a starting point. He left the roots for a moment and turned to the mid lengths to ends, "smudging" the hair with Wella Colour Touch in 5/0 and 5/1, to keep the colour simple and flat in tone. Then it was back to the copper roots. James looked to Wella Colour Create in Infinite Orange and Future Yellow. He mixed the two, let the colour develop for a further 30 minutes, and styled the hair in shaken out waves to appear lived-in and bursting with bedhead texture.

James admitted that although hot roots sounds straightforward, it's not that easy to master. For a look like this, it pays to book into a trusted salon for a professional treatment, especially if your roots require considerable lightening. Ensure your appointment involves a consultation so that your colourist can conduct a patch test and discuss the best copper shades to suit your skin tone.

If your roots are already light and you're brave enough to go it alone, try BLEACH London Tangerine Dream Super Cool Colour, £6.50, spotted backstage at London Fashion Week AW20. For something a little more permanent, look to the colourist-approved Schwarzkopf LIVE Intense Colour in Mango Twist, £2.74. To keep your colour rich, invest in a sulphate-free shampoo, such as Pureology Hydrate Shampoo, £19.95, or OGX Extra Strength Coconut Miracle Oil Shampoo, £7.99.