Dakota Johnson’s New “Glossed Espresso” Hair Color Is The Chicest Fall Transformation

Everyone has their own personal “oh, fall is really here, isn’t it?” metric. For some, it’s the first day of school; for others, it’s the first day the thermometer drops below 70; and for me, it’s when all the summer blondes start cozying up to browns and reds. And as much as it might pain my summer-loving heart to admit, it appears that time has finally come: Dakota Johnson, iconic brunette who dabbled in dirty blonde this spring, is officially back to the deepest of dark browns. But her new “Glossed Espresso” hue is so pretty, it might even convince me to get excited about the -ber months.

Johnson was photographed en route to Los Angeles’ Warner Bros. Studios on Sept. 1, donning ballet flats, low-slung sweatpants, and a white tank — along with super shiny, super dark strands, styled with her usual long lengths and soft bangs. The new shade came courtesy of her longtime colorist, Tracey Cunningham, who named the hue “Glossed Espresso.”

“With ‘Glossed Espresso,’ the goal was to create a color that felt darker than her existing shade, while still feeling like a natural evolution of her look,” Cunningham tells TZR. “We didn't want a flat, inky black, but a shade that was rich, glossy, and with beautiful depth.”

Cunningham used Schwarzkopf’s Igora Vibrance range to create the look, blending the base shades into the tones used in zones 2 and 3 of Johnson’s head while the hair was still wet to ensure a flawless blend.

Rich, high-shine espresso brunette is expected to be big this fall (celebrity hair colorist Matt Rez co-signed the trend in TZR’s fall hair color roundup). The luxurious hue “has that beautiful richness that feels so seasonal, but the gloss keeps it luminous and fresh,” explains Cunningham. “It’s a great way to go darker without the color feeling dull. The reflective finish adds movement to brunette hair and a really healthy-looking shine.”