Chocolate-Mauve Hair Is the New Color Trend Blowing Up on Instagram

Credit: hannahthepainter/Instagram

When rose gold and rich brunette cross-pollinate, the results are undeniably gorgeous. Last week, Hannah Edelman, colorist and owner of Brooklyn's Brush in Hand Salon, blessed Reddit with her chocolate-mauve hair color concept, and commenters rightfully lost it over the stunning fade in tone from rich brown to warm pink. Unlike pastel unicorn hair, the ends aren't so insanely pale that they seem out of place against the darker background. Edelman got by with a little help from her friend Marlena in creating the look, but the entire process took a few months to complete. "I started months prior by lifting Marlena's hair to a level 10, which is a very light blonde, and after four months, I painted her roots to create a blended transition, which makes this look low-maintenance as far as lightening the hair is concerned," she tells InStyle. "Three months later, she returned and her hair painting still looked great, so I only needed to do what I call a multi-vivid painting." Armed with a handful of rose-toned Pravana Vivids, Edelman color melted small sections so that the light brown would gradually fade into pink.

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"I wanted depth near the nape area, so I concentrated the chocolate brown and deep mauve there. The colors gradually lightened as I reached the top of the head, mostly blending light brown into pink and mauve," she explains. "I think the most striking piece is the warm pink hair around Marlena's face. When I melted the light brown into the pink, it created the most beautiful salmon tone." Although Marlena's strands had previously been lifted, the same result can be achieved on hair that is already dark, just keep in mind that your ends will have to be a light blonde in order for the color to show. If the ends aren't light enough, the warmer base could alter the way the hue appears, and will eventually turn muddy once it starts to fade. Still, it's a look that flatters every complexion since it mixes both cool and warm tones, and provided that you do the correct after-care steps--using sulfate-free and color-safe products, washing your hair less, you know the drill--it's pretty low-maintenance. "I always recommend keeping your natural color at the root, and it's a great option if you spent the spring and summer going light, but want to try something new without any chemical damage," she says. "The best part? The color will have completely faded back to blonde by the time spring rolls around." As always, you'll want to show your stylist a picture so that they get a better idea of your end goal, so make sure to stalk Edelman's Instagram real hard at @HannahThePainter prior to your appointment.