Give Hair a Golden Hour Glow With *These* Formulas
Bathing hair and skin in a warm, radiant glow – and granting Instagrammers the most photogenic light – golden hour is coveted for good reason. It's that moment just before the sun sets, when a wash of amber-blush hues breaks the horizon; a phenomenon so mesmerizing, it's sparked a raft of beauty trends.
Amongst them: the Golden Hour Glow hair trend. Revealed by Wella Professionals, this look sees the Pantone Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz, melt into golden and bronze accents for a dreamy, sunkissed color. So, how do you create it for your salon clients? Discover the formulas and techniques you need to know, whether you're mixing up a rosy blonde or crafting a soft, bronzed brunette...
Where Did the Golden Hour Glow Begin?
'Golden hour' was first coined by photographers who, seeking the most beautiful light of the day, discovered the wash of warmth just before sunset casts a flattering glow on skin. In the makeup space, golden hour has since inspired an endless array of looks, from sunset-bronzed skin, to rose gold lids, to gradient manicures.
So, it was only a matter of time before it burst onto the hair scene, illuminating blondes and brunettes with bronzed luminosity that flatters everyone. And now that Peach Fuzz has been hailed Pantone's Color of the Year for 2024, the Golden Hour Glow is taking off, with glow-bestowing results.
How to Create the Golden Hour Glow
For Blondes: Golden Hour Rosé
A show-stopping reverse ombre; this look sees rosé roots melt into golden blonde lengths, delivering bold brilliance that screams 'summer vibes'. This is the masterwork of Wella Professionals Color & Trend Ambassador Jordanna Cobella, who used SHINEFINITY Color Glaze to mix up a blend of blushed blondes.
You can create this look in one step on an already-light base or apply it after a lightening application. Plus, you can personalize this Golden Hour Glow to your client, taking it pinker, blonder or trying alternative techniques, depending on their style.
The Formulas
Roots & Blush: 20g 09/3 + 10g 07/3 + 10g 00/56 + Brush & Bowl Activator
Ends: 30g 09/3 + 5g 08/34 + Brush & Bowl Activator
Tips: 09/3 + Brush & Bowl Activator
For Brunettes: Golden Hour Bronze
Hair industry icon and Wella Professionals Brand Ambassador Briana Cisneros crafted this look, using one of our most popular products of all, Koleston Perfect. It’s the ideal color for the Golden Hour Bronze, a look that centers on an express gradient technique for lit-from-within luminosity, which you can adapt to your client's hair type and depth.
By using Koleston Perfect to both lighten and tone, you're able to deliver this look in a one-step process, with the option to add on a SHINEFINITY glazing service for extra glow. Your clients will love the subtle highlights that take their brunette to sunkissed heights, and you'll enjoy showing the results off on your salon's Instagram.
The Formulas
Roots: 5/05 + 6%
Mid-Lengths: 7/05 + 9%
Ends: 9/05 + 12%
Glaze: SHINEFINITY 09/05 + Bottle Activator
Your Golden Hour Glow Inspiration: 5 Salon Formulas to Try
Glow-Boosting Red Blonde
Image Credit: @artistic.aestheticss and @hairbycaylo
By teaming darker, natural roots with peachy lengths, you get a low-lit, luminous look. Try it by shading your client's root or keeping it au naturel, and then adding sweeps of balayage with Blondor Freelights. For this pinky-peachy-golden hue, you can then tone lengths and ends with a SHINEFINITY Color Glaze blend of 08/34 + 09/36; two warm tones that deliver shine you can feel in one radiant red-blonde mane.
Strawberry Sunrise Waves
Image Credit: @jhair_stylist
More sunrise than sunset-inspired, this mermaid mane puts the spotlight on strawberry blonde tones, with Illumina Color paving the way for the most light-reflective color. You'll need to pre-lighten hair from root to tip for this look, so reach for BlondorPlex first. It's our bond-strengthening lightener, which gives you up to 97% less breakage* and up to nine levels of lift. After reaching the desired tone, apply Illumina Color 9/43 + 9/59 + 1.9% all over. Fully saturate strands for the most even results, then see your client glow.
Golden Copper Curls
Image Credit: @dudugimenez
Bursting with copper brilliance, these curls are a golden hour delight, perfect for boosting dimension in textured locks with contrasting roots and lengths. Want in? On dark hair, paint the root section with Koleston Perfect 7/73 + 8/34 + 6% Welloxon Perfect first. This creates a dark red-brown that segues seamlessly into sunset curls. Once you've rinsed and neutralized the formula, follow with Illumina Color Color 9/43 + 8/05 + 6% on lengths and ends. Hints of gold in these sunkissed blondes make radiant hair goals a reality.
Rosy-Peach Highlights
Image Credit: @shalom_valonz and @leonardo_valonz
By day, it's a neon sensation, but by night, this pinky peach takes on a sunset vibe. Just imagine it during golden hour, with the warmth of the highlights glinting through the dim light. You need a light, bright base for this look, so pre-lighten with BlondorPlex first. Then, for your toner, apply Color Touch 10/34 + 0/34 + 1.9%; a bold blend of golden pinks and copper oranges. Maintenance is key for on-trend colors like this, so advise your client to take the Color Fresh Mask in Peach Blush home. If their shade starts to fade, all they need to do is smooth the mask through clean, damp hair, allow it to develop for 10 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly. Their golden hour hue will be instantly revived.
Sun-Baked Brunette
Image Credit: @WellaHairUKI
Get creative with color block hair by placing highlights where the sun would naturally hit. The burst of blonde in this brunette mane lends the effect of a beam of light, casting a glow just as the sun goes down. To get the look, create a blonde base by painting wide slices with BlondorPlex pre-lightener, taking care to focus on the face frame for a halo of radiance. Next, tone with Koleston Perfect 8/97, rinse out the formula, neutralize the hair, and then finish with SHINEFINITY Color Glaze 09/07 for added gloss. Clients with curly and coily hair textures will love this look.
How to Maintain the Glow
When it comes to keeping these colors vibrant, hair care is everything. Here are our favorite products for making Golden Hour last in between salon appointments...
1. A Color-Kind Shampoo
Healthy hair = glowing hair, so tell your client to prevent and mend damage with ULTIMATE REPAIR Shampoo. It's a color-safe formula that works on all hair types, with a gentle cleansing action that whisks away dulling dirt and debris. Plus, it harnesses the Metal Purifier, so any damaging metals (copper is a common one!) are neutralized, taking the shampoo's damage-defying properties to the next level.
2. A Nourishing Conditioner and Hair Mask
After shampooing, your client should either use ULTIMATE REPAIR Conditioner for lightweight nourishment or ULTIMATE REPAIR Mask for deeper hydration. The conditioner is a creamy, dreamy formula, designed to detangle and visibly repair without weighing strands down. Meanwhile, the hair mask features smart conditioning agents, which identify your hair's most damaged areas, and then deliver targeted care. Smooth through the mid-lengths and ends, allow to absorb (three minutes for the conditioner, five for the mask), and rinse out thoroughly.
3. A Leave-In Treatment
After gently towel-drying hair, it's time to mist with our most innovative leave-in treatment. ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue repairs hair damage in 90 seconds**, giving your clients 12x smoother hair*** with 99% less breakage****. It's easy to use, too. Simply spray from root to tip, allow it to soak in for 90 seconds, and then dry and style hair as usual. The skincare-inspired blend of AHA and Omega-9 will keep golden hour hair glowing for longer.
We can't wait to see your Golden Hour Glow creations. Play with placement, warmth and depth using the formulas above to inspire you, and then share your masterpieces by tagging us on Instagram @WellaHairUSA.
* When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex, versus Blondorplex alone.
** When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue.
*** Vs. non-conditioning Shampoo.
**** When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue instrumental test vs. non-conditioning Shampoo.
