Trend Alert: Just What, Exactly, Is "Cold Brew" Hair?

America's obsession with iced coffee is real: Cold brew hair is now a thing. Naturally, it's a hair color that got its caffeine-inspired name because the shade looks nearly identical to the popular Starbucks order — and it's hitting a pumpkin space latte-level of popularity on Instagram. 

According to PopSugar, cold brew hair first came to the internet's attention after New York City-based hair colorist Kimberly Bonondona posted a picture of her work on Instagram: a dimensional dark brunette color with warm highlights. Several other colorists have since posted their own takes on the trend. 

The subtle and natural placement of highlights mimic the look of coffee with creamer or milk swirling around in it, but by no means is this term universal. To find out exactly what to ask for in the salon, InStyle reached out to colorist Gio Bargallo.

"The best way to describe cold brew hair color is a deep brunette with chocolate red-golden hues," Bargallo said. Another (probably way more foolproof) option is bringing in a picture. Save those IG posts, or Bargallo recommends pulling up photos of Bella Hadid or Penelope Cruz, two celebrities with hair colors similar to the trend.

If you're itching for a change, the time to commit to cold brew is now — Bargallo says the cinnamon tones in the hair color make it a perfect option for fall. It also happens to be incredibly low maintenance — if you're already a brunette. "If you keep the roots darker and closer to your natural [color], you can then add babylights to create a soft dimension," he said.

Unfortunately, Bargallo said that warm-hued hair colors are the fastest to fade, so he recommends using an in-shower hair gloss to keep the shade fresh and vibrant. 

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This first appeared on InStyle