Why everyone is returning to their natural hair colour.

We learnt lots of things off the back of last week's Super Bowl. Taylor Swift is in love. There's a specific lipstick that acts like a literal tattoo. Usher's still got it. And sometimes... Travis Kelce can give us the ick. 

But also, the beauty looks. More specifically the hair. The celebrity hair.

Because as it turns out, the stars have all gone back to their natural roots — and we need to talk about it.

Most notably, Taylor switched from her iconic cool blonde hair colour for an ashy blonde ponytail — which looked miles away from her usual iconic look. It was darker. More natural-looking. Different. But good different!

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Image: Getty

Then there was Hailey Bieber. 

Did you spot her at the game? Because her dramatic hair transformation made her look like a completely different person. And inspired precisely all of us to make an appointment at the hairdresser.

Switching from her signature tawny brown shade with sun-kissed highlights to a new rich, chocolate brown hue, Bieber's long hair was miles away from the light, slicked-back bob and chic 'clean girl' bun we're used to seeing.

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A post shared by Hailey Rhode Baldwin Bieber (@haileybieber)

On a non-Super-Bowl-related note, the Princess of Wales also recently went down a similar route, trading in her highlights for a deeper, brunette shade. 

Image: Getty

Sydney hairstylist and founder of RAW by Anthony Nader, Anthony Nader, said it's no surprise we're seeing a shift — a natural lived-in colour is one of the easiest, "wearable" and "low-maintenance" options.

He said, "We're ditching the platinum blonde vibes of the Barbie film craze in 2023. This year is all about going back to more lived-in shades with darker roots, providing a low-maintenance option for those who want to stretch the time between salon visits."

Read: All of us.

"It’s a natural progression of the time-poor that wants to look effortlessly undone while looking super cool at the same time."

And yes, hi — we need more details. Should we all just go back to our natural roots, or...?

Why are celebrities returning to their natural hair colour? 

"Although so many of us love a good balayage or that fresh glow up, we are starting to see a new celebrity trend 'return of the natural colour'," said Amanda Magistro, Kerasilk Ambassador and owner of Perth’s Salon Alm. 

Why? "I think for many of us natural beauty is now bigger than ever," she said.

"Once upon a time in our early teens, we couldn’t wait to colour our hair. There was nothing worse than our natural hair colour or texture, the simple story of 'you always want what you haven’t got' and so now we are embracing what we had and working back to loving what we didn’t know we really wanted."

Fuelling the shift, Nader said, is — you guessed it — the fallout from the pandemic.

"Fast forward to today and even famous celebrities have changed the way they think about their haircuts, colours and styling without a doubt," shared Nader. "Celebrities have a power to make change, which in our industry filters down into the salon floor, with what our clients are requesting from us."

"When you look at the likes of Angelina Jolie, Emma Stone, Cameron Diaz, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez and Gisele Bündchen, these women are perfect examples of celebrities that don't do a complete head spin of hair colouring. Instead, they embrace ('add') the magic of a 'pick-me-up' colour. You know, the colour you have when you don't want anyone to know you’ve had a colour."

According to Nader, this particular style leans into French-inspired beauty, where hair colour is polished, refined and chic without screaming, 'Hey look at my new hair colour!'.

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A post shared by RAW Anthony Nader | Surry Hills Hair Salon (@rawanthonynader)

Nader said this is also a reflection of what we're seeing on the recent New York Fashion Week runways, where the model's hair colours aren't "screaming" and just "healthy, glossy manes".

The best way to go back to your natural hair colour.

Now, just to be clear — going back to your natural hair doesn’t mean you completely avoid hair colour and your hairdresser all altogether. 

As Magistro said, "This does not mean sit back and wait seven years for your colour to grow out with a god-forsaken regrowth. As we age so does our hair just like our skin right!? Colour glosses are a beautiful service to maintain healthy, shiny hair, think of it like moisturiser for your skin."

Nader adds, "Colour techniques as French hair painting (which is our main colour menu go-to) for brightening up and cleaning out any unwanted dull shades is the perfect recipe for lo-fi colour that doesn’t require high maintenance."

"Then you have colour gloss treatments which add slight colour pigment, but at the same time pumps up the shine factor so hair strands look and feel super gorgeous again."

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A post shared by Amanda Lea Magistro (@amanda.salonalm)

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Magistro said, "A global demi-permanent (an all-over colour) is always a beautiful service that tones down pre-lightened hair and leaves your locks feeling soft and AHHMAZING."

If you're naturally on the lighter side and have darker hair now, Magistro said slowly introducing soft highlights will help break down darker shades. Less is more! "The best part of this is you feel like a new person after every appointment." 

Importantly, just steer clear of box dying at home and opt for a salon consultation instead. A hair expert will be able to give you all the tips on how to best pivot to your individual hair colour, depending on your current shade, together with any hair treatments that might help protect the health of your hair.

"For example, if you went to the dark side and are making a return to natural, you'll want to make sure to have a mix of hydrating and protein products such as strengthening masks and leave-in treatments," said Magistro, who's go-to treatments are Kerasilk Strengthening Bond Builder, $48 and KMS Add Power Strengthening Fluid.

So, there you have it!

See you at the hairdresser x

Feeling inspired to go back to your roots? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Getty/Instagram; @haileybieber.