Why ‘glossy mouse’ is the low-maintenance hair colour to try this autumn

I’ve spent decades highlighting my natural mousy hair only to find it’s suddenly a trend. Could I be saving myself a fortune at the salon every six weeks by going back to my roots? Zoe Irwin, who is creative director at John Frieda and based in their Mayfair salon, explains more.

“It’s a trend that has been slowly creeping in for months,” she says. “It’s a luxe Boho look; more Parisian Left Bank than Glastonbury, which most of the girls on the Chloé Spring Summer ‘25 runway had. It’s ‘Old Money Blonde’. There’s no brassiness or gold, more of a soft ashy beige.”

Model on runway at Chloé Spring Summer '25 show with mousy brown hair — Most of the girls on the Chloé Spring Summer ‘25 runway were sporting the ‘old money blonde’ look – Getty

So is this just hairdresser’s speak for “mousey”? Well in a way, yes. But there’s a luxurious new gloss to it. Elle Machpherson has been doing this for years, as has Jennifer Aniston, but the latest devotees include Taylor Swift, Chloë Sevigny and Jennifer Lawrence.

Chloe Sevigny on Jimmy Fallon show with glossy blonde hair — Chloë Sevigny is a more recent devotee to the ‘glossy mousey brown’ trend – NBC

Elle Macpherson with shiny brunette hair at Christian Dior fashion show — Elle Macpherson, pictured at a Christian Dior fashion show, has championed natural-looking highlights for years – Stephane Cardinale – Corbis

Swift is really the poster girl for this glamorous mega-watt mousey brown whose pared-back hair worked brilliantly on her recent tour allowing her to effortlessly flip between really bright outfit changes. Her hair was the background, neutral tone working with all colours. And it very much fits with the less-is-more ethos of beauty in general today.

Taylor Swift onstage wearing red dress for Eras tour — Swift’s pared-back hair worked brilliantly on her recent tour, allowing her to effortlessly flip between bright outfit changes – AFP

“The message isn’t that as we move towards winter, you should suddenly lose your blonde, but it’s just about altering the tone of it to making it more subtle and minky looking,” says Nicola Clarke, hair colouring guru who looks after a myriad of blondes, including Kate Moss to Brad Pitt.

So how is this new shade achieved? “It’s lots of different shades of taupe,” explains Irwin. “It’s about creating highlights that don’t look like highlights. These are super fine microlights taken through the parting and stopping before the root, using beige and ash tones.” This, I’m told, gives a similar effect as having a ring light over the head. “Then we’ll layer on glosses and glazes for the final polish,” says Irwin. This technique also works well if you have a few greys coming through as they blend in beautifully and you don’t really notice them so much.

The glaze treatment is key as otherwise, it just looks a bit flat, which isn’t flattering on any age, even Taylor Swift. And Irwin stresses that condition is really important too. “Just because you may be having less bleach in your hair, weekly hair masks are a must to keep the hair in good condition. And use anti-frizz products to keep it smooth.”

Taylor Swift in yellow and black dress — By opting for neutral tones, Swift is able to achieve the less-is-more beauty aesthetic that is very much on trend at the minute – Getty

There are so many good ones around – you may prefer a cream, a lightweight oil, or a pre-blow dry frizz-proofing spray. My go-to is a couple of spritzes of Rahua’s Hydration Detangling Spray with some Hair by Sam McKnight’s Happy Endings cream on the ends. Irwin’s anti-frizz tip is to sprinkle a few drops of hair oil on to your hairbrush before blow-drying.

There are also some very good new hair glossing at-home treatments available. Some have a hint of colour, some are just clear glosses. They work differently to hair conditioners as they use light reflective particles to bounce the light off the hair to add gloss. For an in-salon experience, John Frieda offers a “Gloss and Go” hour-long treatment (including a blow-dry), £125, which works well in between appointments to refresh the colour.

My next appointment with my hair colourist is booked. I certainly don’t intend on abandoning my hair dyeing habit, but I do like the sound of glossy microlights and expensive looking “old money blonde”. I also like the idea of less lengthy salon visits instead of a full head of blonde highlights (and a full afternoon at the salon). And who knows, with the money saved, I may actually be able to afford something from the Chloé Spring Summer catwalk show.