Hailey Bieber is making hair headlines again — this time with a longer, lighter look revealed ahead of Coachella.

According to Vogue, her new style features a fresh cut by hairstylist Justine Marjan and colour by Matt Rez, with honey blonde pieces woven through the front and ends to create soft dimension. Marjan described the cut as “long wispy layers and face framing” with an early 2000s feel and lots of movement. 

While this latest change is a step brighter, it also reminds us just how much Hailey Bieber has influenced hair colour trends over the past few years, especially when it comes to the return of glossy, elevated brunette.

At Bixie,, we’ve felt that shift in a big way.

Clients who once wanted brighter blonde, heavier lift, and more obvious contrast have increasingly been asking for richer depth, softer dimension, and more natural looking colour. Hailey’s brunette era played a big part in that change. Huge, our No 1 reference photos.

Pic via Hailey Bieber Instagram 

Why Hailey Bieber’s brunette looks mattered

Before this new lighter transformation, Hailey Bieber had become strongly associated with polished brunette shades and softer, more tonal colour. Vogue notes that in recent years her colour has moved around “teddy bear brunette” with caramel-toned lowlights, while Byrdie reported her darker “chocolate brown” hair in February 2024, a richer, deeper brunette look created by Matt Rez. 

That matters because celebrity colour often shifts what clients feel is current.

Hailey’s brunette looks never felt flat or overly dark. They felt expensive, glossy, healthy, and wearable. That’s exactly why they resonated with so many women who wanted a softer alternative to traditional blonde maintenance. 

Image via Hailey Bieber instagram 

The brunette comeback we’ve seen in salon

Over the last year or two, one of the biggest changes we’ve seen in salon has been blondes choosing to go darker.

Not flat box dye dark.
Not one-tone brown.
But richer, shinier, more dimensional brunette.

This trend has been driven by a few things:

• a desire for lower-maintenance colour
• healthier-looking hair with more shine
• softer regrowth
• a move toward more natural, luxurious looking tones

Hailey Bieber didn’t invent brunette, of course,  but she helped make this version of brunette feel modern again. Glossy brown with subtle brightness, softness around the face, and that clean, expensive finish became a real reference point for clients. That salon influence was also noted in industry coverage from Behind the Chair, which said she was a major inspo image for younger clients wanting natural brunette with glow.

What her new colour tells us now

Her new Voguefeatured look is longer, lighter, and more festival ready, with extensions and brighter blonde dimension through the front and ends. Vogue describes it as her longest and lightest look in years.

But interestingly, it doesn’t undo the brunette movement she helped build.

If anything, it shows how today’s trends are less about committing to one extreme and more about strategic dimension. Clients still want softness. They still want gloss. They still want colour that feels expensive and effortless. Whether they stay brunette, add caramel, or brighten around the face, the overall look has become more blended and more wearable.

Image via Vogue beauty & Hailey Bieber TikTok

The Hailey Bieber-inspired brunette our clients are asking for

The brunette looks inspired by Hailey are usually built around:

• a natural-looking brunette base
• subtle lighter ribbons or lowlights for movement
• shine over contrast
• softness through the hairline and face frame
• a polished finish that still feels easy

That’s why this trend has worked so well in real salon life. It looks beautiful in photos, but it also grows out better and often feels healthier than chasing constant blonde.

Final thoughts

Hailey Bieber’s newest hair change may be lighter, but her influence on the return of brunette is still undeniable.

Her brunette era helped shift the conversation away from ultra-bright blonde and toward richer, shinier, more dimensional colour. And for many clients, that was the permission they needed to go darker.

In our Bixie colour salons, , we’ve seen that trend firsthand, with more blondes choosing brunette tones that feel softer, more modern, and more luxurious than ever.

And honestly? We don’t think the brunette movement is going anywhere.