Ash brown is, by most accounts, TikTok's single most-requested hair colour right now: a cool, smoky brunette popularised by celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Dua Lipa. The trouble is that it rarely looks the same once you leave the salon.
Annabelle Taurua, beauty expert at Fresha, says the shade that appears effortlessly cool under studio lighting behaves very differently the moment you step away from the ring light.
“Ash tones absorb light rather than reflect it, so the upshot is a colour that reads as flat, sometimes outright dull, in real life. Not quite what the transformation video promised," says Taurua.
Despite that, the shade is not going anywhere. While 2026 hair trends are broadly shifting back towards warmer tones, cooler brunettes like ash brown remain hugely popular for their “expensive”, low-maintenance finish (at least on screen).
Why do ash tones look different off-screen?
Warm tones (gold, copper, caramel) bounce light straight back at the viewer, which is why warm hair always reads as glossy and full of movement, even under the grim fluorescents in your office. Ash tones do the opposite, they swallow light.
The effect is hair that looks lifeless and weirdly uniform, and the problem only gets worse when a colourist has slapped on a single shade with no variation in depth.
Ash pigments are cool, blue-based tones that cancel out warmth. That is what makes them look so good on camera: ring lights and filters add warmth back in. Take those away, step into daylight or office lighting, and the colour can wash you out completely.
“It is not a hard and fast rule, but in general those who are mostly cool-toned in their complexion will find ash shades more forgiving than those with warmer skin. For anyone with golden or olive undertones, a straight ash brown applied root to tip can leave you looking washed out," she explains.
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Highlights and face-framing colour make the difference
The fix is not complicated: A one-shade-fits-all ash brown with no tonal variation is the most common mistake, which can be fixed by adding some contrast.
Highlights, lowlights or a few lighter pieces around the face can break up that wall of sameness and give the hair the kind of movement a filter conjures on screen, but that real light simply cannot.
This is also the approach seen on celebrities like Hailey Bieber, Dua Lipa, Ciara and Lily-Rose Depp, whose ash-leaning brunettes are built with subtle highlights and face-framing pieces to keep the colour from falling flat.
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“What people think is one shade is usually three or four working together. That combination is what creates movement. If you want ash brown, the worst thing you can do is apply one shade all over. You need variation," the expert says.
A gloss, or even a toner in a slightly warmer shade, can cover up dullness and a million other sins. Adding a few fine highlights or some face-framing pieces in a slightly warmer tone will stop the colour from draining you.
Ask your colourist about balayage or babylights rather than a single process. A little extra upfront can save you from costly corrections later.
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What to consider before copying a viral look
The gap between what works on TikTok and what works in your bathroom mirror is wider than most people expect. And according to the expert, the consultation is where that gap either closes or turns into a problem.
“A good colourist will look at your skin tone, your natural base colour and the light you actually live in before deciding how to formulate that ash brown. You should make the right choice based on your complexion, not on whatever is trending on your feed," Taurua adds.
She recommends bringing reference photos and keeping an open mind about how the colour will need to be adapted to suit your particular hair and skin.
