Huffington Post: Gina Rivera on Blondes Still Trending

Blondes are hangin’ on.

Summer has long faded into fall as we head into the Holiday season, a time when hairstyles typically shift toward darker colors. We’re certainly seeing those deep, rich browns and some reds but the lighter shades, including baby blondes, are still holding strong on the trend meter.

It looked like summer at the recent Country Music Association Awards, there were so many blondes on the red carpet: Carrie Underwood, Jewel and Kellie Pickler. Miranda Lambert wore hers with the ends blushing fuchsia-pink, keeping with a trend of soft looks but with a pop of color.

It will be interesting to see whether we find the same affinity for these light, bright shades at the American Music Awards this weekend. Maybe this is just a country thang, but I doubt it. I bet we see lots of blondes on the red carpet leading to the festivities at the AMAs in Los Angeles.

One style we’re seeing a lot of with the blondes is a dark base, right at the roots near the part. The color transitions are very soft and natural looking, keeping with that long trend. We don’t think about dark roots being attractive – that’s typically a reason to call for an appointment with your stylist. This is a great look, though. Both Jewel and Carrie Underwood had their hair this way, and it’ll be interesting to see whether it shows up in L.A. at the AMAs.

The other style we’re seeing with blondes is highlights, some lighter pieces being integrated through the ends with a couple of face-framing highlights as well. All of this is very softly done, so it’s not a sharp, edgy look. This is a great way to keep depth in the look while remaining light overall.

Are we getting the darker colors typical this time of year? Oh, yes. Some of those are bold and single-tone but others are blending some very subtle, color variations, including some barely-red shades.

This is a season when we could see some breakaway trends, something totally new and, frankly, I think we’re due. We’ve been going with the soft natural looks a long, long time. Even the way we’re dipping the ends in pastel colors gives us a pretty soft look. Matching the soft natural colors are cuts that are pretty soft, natural and mostly longer.

Can’t wait to see what the stars do with their hair at the AMAs. Be open to change!