Directions 2026 Hair Colour Trends Report: What we saw on our socials

The hair colour landscape never stands still. It’s always shifting, evolving and reinventing itself, as shades come in and out of fashion, styles emerge, and colourists find new, exciting ways to express themselves.

2026 was no exception. So to determine which of the latest hair colour trends really stood out this year, we turned to our greatest resource: the Directions community.

Over the past 12 months, our socials have been full of your creations: bold colour-blocking, daring stripes, sunset gradients, unique combinations. Every like, share and tag gave us a clearer picture of what you loved in 2026 – and we’ve brought it all together here.

From Neapolitan and calico patterns, to halo stripes and raccoon tails. Here are the 8 hair colour trends that defined 2026 for the Directions community, along with shades and tips you’ll need to recreate them at home.

Ready to see what made the cut? Let’s start scrolling…

In terms of pure popularity, pink and purple hair colours dominated our feeds in 2026.

14 of our 20 most-liked Instagram posts over the past year featured our pink or purple tones, or a combination of both. And we’re not surprised; these shades are consistently among our top sellers, and they match an incredible variety of moods, skin tones, and styles.

The soft, whimsical qualities of Pastel Pink and Lavender. The in-your-face intensity of Flamingo Pink and Violet. The rich depths of Cerise and Plum. Every shade of pink and purple captured our followers' imaginations, making them our most popular hair colours of 2026.

Plus, with Coral Crush and Cosmic Purple recently joining our huge roster of semi-permanent hair dyes, we expect more buzz around these shades in 2027 and beyond!

Want to perfect your own pink or purple look? Find out all you need to know in our ultimate guides:

• Your Ultimate Guide to Pink Hair Dye
• Your Ultimate Guide to Purple Hair Dye

Speaking of pink hair dyes, they made up one-third of one of 2026’s most sought-after colour patterns: Neapolitan hair.

Named after the three staples of ice cream – vanilla, strawberry and chocolate – our feeds were full of this sweet style, particularly through the summer. A specific twist on the calico technique (more on that later), this distinctive combo delivers beautifully playful looks, with each shade elevating the others and showing there’s no need to settle for one flavour.

Want to serve up your own Neapolitan hair with Directions? We suggest the following combo:

• Brown Jasper for the rich, chocolate brown layer
• Champagne Topaz for the light vanilla blonde
• Pastel Pink or Carnation Pink for the strawberry strands, depending on how vibrant you want this layer to be

If you have a darker base, we recommend using a hair lightening kit before application to maximise the intensity of the pink and blonde layers. Plus, section your hair with clips to keep the colours from bleeding together and maintain those solid, standout blocks.

It was impossible to escape the hot honey blonde hair trend in 2026, from owning the Met Gala red carpet to remaining a constant in the celebrity hair colour landscape.

And our own socials mirrored this. Spurred by the debuts of Honey Quartz and Champagne Topaz to our Rich Naturals range, honey blonde shades became a fixture on our feeds from summer onwards, standing out for their tantalising warmth, shine and dimension.

We also saw a lot of invention and evolution with this hair colour trend, from fiery copper blondes to striking balayage effects against darker bases. 

Honey blonde hair dyes took over in 2026, and we loved every second of it. And if you need more proof of its popularity, our Honey Quartz shade made the headlines in Behind The Chair’s annual report on trending fall hair colours.

The breakout hair colour pattern of 2026, the rise of the halo hairstyle is typically credited to the signature blonde stripes of Alysa Liu at the 2026 Winter Olympics. In fact, Pinterest’s Summer 2026 report noted that searches for “halo hair” increased an astonishing 598%!

Success with halo hair lies in the right contrast. Lean into complementary colours for the most effective results: red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple, etc. Colours that sit close together on the colour wheel often do not deliver the distinctive layers this style is known for.

Or, you may choose to opt for a light and dark approach, as Liu does with her own platinum blonde and dark brown pairing.

Should you want to try out halo hair at home, sectioning is everything:

• Isolate a round, oval “halo” ring around the crown of your head
• Use hair clips to pin away different segments of your hair
• Place long strips of aluminium foil or clear cellophane underneath the sections you plan to colour
• Apply your chosen dyes heavily onto the sections to ensure complete saturation

The foil or cellophane is crucial, as it prevents contrasting colours from bleeding into each other, leading to muddy, unflattering tones.

For those who don’t want to commit to the full halo effect, raccoon tails were another impactful hair colour trend in 2026.

Originally popularised in the 2000s as part of emo and scene culture, the raccoon tail revival really hit its stride this year thanks to a mix of TikTok nostalgia and alt-girl interest. This meant we saw plenty of these patterns across our own socials, turning this old-school look into one of the most current hair colour trends once again.

Like the halo hair trend, raccoon tails or stripes are all about a clear contrast and effective segmentation. Wherever you place your stripes, we recommend painting alternating bands of colour to keep your shades separate.

Say hello to Neapolitan hair’s older, contemporary cousin. Calico hair styles also saw plenty of airtime on social platforms in 2026, as this trending technique inspires creativity through intentional, high-impact colour-blocking.

Traditionally, calico hair combines three shades, much like the cat coat pattern it’s named after: a warm copper or red, a rich brunette or black, and a radiant blonde. Today, the term describes any tri-colour look, encouraging people to create their own takes on this patchwork style.

However, if you want to stick to the traditional calico style, we have you covered:

• Fire Opal or Sunstone for the copper portion, bringing the heat with intense red and orange undertones
• Bloodstone for the brown/black segment, as its red undertones will harmonise with the warmer copper shades
• Champagne Topaz for the blonde panel, as its lighter, creamier tone elevates the richness of the copper and brown sections

Cherry red hair has been a firm favourite of colour lovers for years, and 2026 was no different. However, the specific flavour of cherry cola has shifted over time, and the latest hair colour trends lean towards a bolder, multidimensional cherry cola style.

Cherry cola hair blends a deep brunette base with an equally rich red, burgundy or violet shade, producing a more wearable, subtle take on this ever-popular tone. It can range from a luxurious, glossy dark brunette indoors, to a vibrant, electric cherry-red in the sunlight, making it one of the most versatile shades around.

In 2026, after much demand, we released our own dedicated Cherry Red shade, delivering an indulgent depth that’s hard to ignore. To turn this into more of a cherry cola shade, mix in a touch of Bronzite or Brown Jasper to bring out the brunette tones.

Remember to write down your ratios when blending shades so you can recreate your custom looks in the future. And, as always, perform a strand test on an inconspicuous section of hair before application, so you can preview the final result.

A fitting end to our 2026 trending hair colours recap, we saw an abundance of sunset tones on our social media feeds over the past year.

A multi-tonal, gradient effect designed to mimic the warm hues of the evening sky, sunset hair uses shades ranging from blazing reds, oranges and yellows to bold pinks and purples. Whether done as a colour melt, balayage or ombré, the result is often a gorgeous, evocative flow from root to tip.

Unlike the halo hair and raccoon tail trends discussed earlier, this look works best with colours that blend seamlessly. Avoid shades that clash or overwhelm one another – every colour should come together in one smooth, harmonious whole.

So, when it comes to choosing shades for your own sunset hairstyle, why not take inspiration from this masterpiece from Jaymz Marsters (@jaymz.marsters):

• Cerise
• Vermillion Red
• Fluorescent Orange
• Sunflower