We Have The Exclusive Details On Beyoncé's New Fall Hair Color

Honesty hour: One of my favorite downtime pastimes is looking through Beyoncé's Instagram comments. To me, there's some sort of quiet solidarity amongst the worldwide collective that is the Beyhive. We might have different political stances or observe different faiths, but millions can agree on one thing: Mrs. Knowles-Carter is everything. The Beyhive also has this innate ability to predict the future. So, aside from my obsessing, I also scroll through to look for tea on the twins, the possible new album, and the solution to world peace.

In a recent search, I noticed that the Beyhive has been speculating about our fearless leader's possible new (brown!) fall dye job, as (maybe) seen at Tidal X Brooklyn, above. Was it a trick of the light? A filter? An after-effect from those cool stop-motion videos she's been posting lately? Or did Blonde-yoncé really go darker? Sometimes, the Beyhive sees what they want to see. But in this instance, they got it right.

"Yes, her hair is a little bit darker," Rita Hazan, Beyoncé's longtime colorist, tells Refinery29. "It's still light, just not as light as her golden blonde. It has more honey tones. Her last color was more baby blonde than golden tones."

And if we think that Bey is mysterious, imagine being Hazan, who changes her client's color nearly every session. Don't think that the duo is storyboarding or preplanning these looks, either. "Everything is last minute," Hazan says. "We change it up frequently. She'll be lighter before I see her and then the next three weeks we'll change it again. It depends on what she's doing and what she's wearing. Whatever look she's going for, she goes to execute it fully — casual or formal." And best believe she slays either way.

In this instance, Bey's warmer color paired perfectly with her emerald green Walter Mendez gown. To achieve the look, Hazan used her True Color shampoo and enhanced the highlights with a blond gloss. Afterwards, she used the Weekly Remedy Treatment, a hydrating, two-step system she uses during each session. Proper care ensures that Bey's beautiful head of hair stays healthy and hydrated. "When you change tone, it's not that big of a deal [if you do it correctly]," Hazan says. "You can highlight and lowlight at the same time with vegetable dyes. That's not damaging at all. But when you're going from super light to dark, then back to light again, that's a different story. Maybe don't go too dramatic every time...like, try two levels."

While there's no deeper meaning for Bey's latest dye job aside from the outfit, Hazan says that most people tend to go darker in the fall because skin tones tend to get paler. "Your tan is fading, and your clothing is different, too," she notes. "You want your tone to match the seasons. You want to add depth to your hair in those moments."

Trying to pick the proper blond for your skin tone? Hazan says that people with paler skin should aim for warmer tones, as opposed to ashier blonds. For olive-skinned peeps, like Beyoncé, stay neutral. "There's a little bit of gold in her color, but it's not too orange-y," Hazan notes. "Her color now is not too warm and not too ash." And if you've got deep skin, it's all about balance. "A little warmth is good, but too much is bad," she says. "That's when things get orangey and brassy, and you want to stay away from that."

In terms of Bey's next move, obviously, there's no telling if she'll stay in the same palette, or go darker, or even move away from blond completely. "Everything and anything is possible at any moment with Beyoncé. Who knows?" Hazan says. "Just be ready, because it will happen at some point, I'm sure of it. That's what makes her one of my favorite clients. She changes so much, and as a colorist, it's exciting not to do the same thing every time you see someone. It's fun and it's a good relationship. I can handle whatever she wants to do and keep her hair healthy at the same time."