Which Hair Color is Hot This Winter?

I have chestnut brown hair, and last June I got caramel highlights and haven't done anything since. I've done a red tint before and it was pretty, but I was thinking about doing lowlights. My concern is that it could make me look washed out. Are lowlights a good choice for the winter months? Any shade suggestions?
—Caroline, North Carolina

How do you feel about red? And not just any red—bold, rich, in-your-face, red-velvet-cake ruby à la Debra Messing, above? "We're doing a lot of that right now," confirms top colorist Joey Noufal of the Noufal Hair Color Studio. "Women with fair skin and green eyes are getting deep burgundy color, and for women with darker skin or brown eyes, we’re seeing darker, purplish reds, violets even."

Whether you choose that of-the-moment option or not, you're definitely on track with those caramel highlights, Noufal says. But exactly what you do next should be decided by you alone, with the help of a good colorist.

If your hair is very dry, your best bet is to add foil color to selected areas of your hair—a darker brown for lowlights and a few more light tones, "but," Noufal adds, "a little darker than those caramels you have now. I like to tone down the color in the winter."

If your hair can take it, there's a more promising option: Recolor your whole head back to your natural chestnut brown and go from there. Either way, don't try this at home. Especially if you are craving that delicious-sounding red.

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