I keep seeing curly women walk out of the salon with a colour that looks like it was made for them, not for a magazine cover. This winter, it is not about going lighter. It is about depth: burgundy, copper, auburn, bronze. The shades that read expensive even when your roots show at week five.
27 Winter Hair Colors for Curly Hair, from a ten-minute gloss to a three-hour balayage. Some work on fine curls, some need density. A few you can do at home, most you book. I wrote this for anyone who has ever watched their colour fade by December and wondered what else is out there.
Deep Burgundy Curls for Winter
This deep burgundy hair color on curly hair hits exactly where darker winter shades should: dimensional without flattening the curl pattern. The base is a cool-leaning burgundy with subtle red undertones that catch light differently on each coil, collarbone length, and layered so the curls stack rather than cone out. Medium density here, not thin, not ultra-thick. The middle part opens the face without demanding symmetry. A salon color, no question. The tone leans cool enough that a purple shampoo will be your monthly friend, and the base needs refreshing every six to eight weeks to stop the red from drifting rusty. It is admission that this specific hue does not go grey gracefully.
Rich Auburn Blowout With Curtain Bangs
Can a rich auburn hair color survive a round brush? Yes, when the process respects the curl pattern first. This is a shoulder-length layered cut with curtain bangs, styled smooth but not bone-straight: the auburn is warm and deep, no orange in sight, and the tone is neutral enough to read expensive without trying. The technique is a full blowout with a medium-density wavy texture, parted down the middle, finished soft. The layers are cut to hold a bend even after the round brush cools. The curtain bangs are the real ask here. They need daily attention, and they will separate if your wave is loose. That is not a failure. That is a haircut asking you to commit.
Medium Brown With Auburn Undertones
This medium brown auburn hair is the shade you default to when you want warmth without announcing it. Side-parted, mid-back length, layered for volume, no bangs. The medium brown base holds subtle auburn undertones, not a painted highlight, just a shift in tone when the light hits.
Here is what that means for thick curly hair. You air-dry it. You add one curl product. The colour stays consistent through a full work week because the auburn reads as texture, not as a stripe. The grow-out is invisible for about eight weeks. The real trick is avoiding build-up from a colour-depositing conditioner, which can turn the auburn muddy on high-porosity curls. A clear gloss at home every four weeks keeps the undertone clean without the weight.
Dark Brown Bob With Caramel Highlights
I have a small confession. I avoided caramel highlights dark brown for years because I assumed they would look like high school highlights on a curly bob. They do not. This is a chin-length bob, no bangs, middle part, layered just enough to keep the curl stack above the jaw. The dark brown base is the anchor. The caramel highlights are fine, spaced, placed where the curl naturally bends. The tone is warm but not golden, so it does not fight the dark base. The honest downside: the highlights expose every mismanaged curl. If the piece is frizzy, the highlight draws the eye. This look rewards uniform curl definition, which means a curl cream and patience, not a rushed air-dry.
Honey Blonde Wavy Hair
The honey blonde wavy hair you see here is a full-salon investment. Lighter highlights cut into a warm honey base, shoulder-length, air-dried, thick wavy-to-curly texture, layered to keep the shape from turning into a triangle. The process is not a single-session job. Getting from a medium base to this honey tone on curly hair takes a consultation, a test strand, and a minimum two-step colour process. Going lighter means stronger toning needs. The tone is warm with enough brightness to read blonde in daylight, not dusty. The DIY alternative is dangerous because curls lift unevenly without professional sectioning. Book a stylist who understands curl porosity, and plan for a gloss every toning visit to keep the honey from pulling brassy.
Dark Brown With Copper Rose Gold Highlights
This is the colour equivalent of a velvet dress with gold jewellery: dark brown base, then thin slices of copper rose gold highlights woven through the top layers so they catch light when you move. The technique is what sells it. Your stylist paints the highlights on foils in a diagonal pattern, following the curl’s natural S-shape, which keeps the brightness from landing in one flat stripe. The collarbone length and thick, curly texture hold the dimension well. A blowout with a round brush shows off the contrast, but the real win is how the rose gold warms the dark brown without turning brassy. It’s a dimensional look that reads expensive in winter light.
Vibrant Copper Red Curls
Can your skin tone handle a shade this loud? Vibrant copper red hair is a commitment, but on the right person it’s the best thing they’ll do all winter. This works best on warm undertones: think golden, olive, or peachy skin. If you’re cool-toned with pink in your cheeks, the copper can make you look flushed in a way that reads accidental.
On natural curls that are thick and wavy to curly, the copper red base with subtle darker undertones adds depth that flat reds lack. The mid-back length gives the colour room to move. Air-dry with a curl defining cream and let the shape do the work. This colour fades, so plan for salon touch-ups every 4-6 weeks. It’s not a wash-and-forget shade, it’s a wash-and-schedule-your-next-appointment shade.
Ash Blonde Bob With Blunt Bangs
The ash blonde bob with bangs looks incredible for exactly three days, then it starts its slow march toward yellow. I’m not being dramatic, I’m being honest about the maintenance. The chin-length bob and blunt bangs on thick, curly texture create a strong geometric shape that softens as the curls settle. The ash blonde with lighter blonde highlights gives it dimension, but the cool tone is the problem. It needs toning every 4-6 weeks, and the blunt bangs need trims every 3-4 weeks or they start curving into your eyes at odd angles. Air-dry with a smoothing cream and accept that this is a high-attention colour. It’s edgy, it’s cool, it’s a part-time job.
Shoulder Length Vibrant Copper Red
There’s something about vibrant copper red shoulder-length hair that feels like holiday lights in December. The colour is the event here, a saturated copper that reads almost jewel-toned against winter’s grey skies. The defined curls and thick texture give it body, while the shoulder length keeps it from becoming a heavy curtain of colour. A middle part lets the layers fall forward, showing off the dimension. This is festive without being costume-y, which is a fine line. The upkeep is real: salon visits every 4-6 weeks to keep the intensity from dulling into something closer to rust. But for the weeks between appointments, it’s the exact shade winter needs.
Grey And Silver Curly Hair
I’ll confess: I tried to get grey silver curly hair at home once, and it looked like I’d been rolling in chalk dust. Don’t do it. This is a salon colour, full stop. The grey base with silver highlights requires lifting your natural pigment out first, then toning to cancel any warmth, then placing the highlights so they catch the curl pattern. The shoulder length and side swept bangs frame the face, and the defined curls on medium density hair show off the contrast between the two silvers. It’s a striking look, but the process is brutal on texture. Book the consultation first and let a professional tell you what your hair can survive. This is not a bathroom-mirror job.
Rich Copper With Golden Undertones
Have you ever looked at a copper and thought β that is too orange, too flat, too something? This one skips the complaint. The base is a rich copper golden undertones shade that lands somewhere between a burnished penny and the inside of a baked sweet potato. It is warm without screaming, deep without turning murky. The loose waves catch the gold at the bends, so the colour shifts as you move. At mid-back length on wavy, medium-density hair, it reads as expensive weight, not just length. The upkeep is not nothing. That warmth fades first at the ends, and by week six you will see it pulling brassy against your darker root. A toning gloss every eight weeks keeps the gold from going yellow.
Vibrant Copper Red With Golden Undertones
This one is not for the timid. A vibrant copper red golden undertone sits higher, brighter, more unapologetic than the muted version. On thick, wavy hair at mid-back length, it catches every light source like a flare. The golden undertones keep it from turning flat or maroon, which is the risk with any red this saturated. It flatters most hair types because the intensity does the work. Fine hair might need a denser application to keep the colour from looking streaky.
What it asks of you: commitment. A vibrant copper red golden this bold shows every fade, every brass shift. The wavy hair texture helps, because the bends hide the transition zone where the colour wears thin first. Middle part, no bangs, just pure colour and light.
Natural Grey And White Curls
What strikes me first about this natural grey white hair is how much dimension it holds without any artificial help. At collarbone length on thick, wavy-to-curly texture, the silver and white strands layer themselves. The middle part lets the cool tones sit evenly on both sides, and the air dried finish means no heat, no tension, no fighting the curl pattern. The honesty of it: the white near the front reads brighter than the grey underneath, and that is not a flaw, it is the whole point. No root line to chase, no schedule to keep. Purple shampoo once a week keeps the grey from warming toward yellow, and a trim every eight weeks keeps the ends from splitting. That is the whole maintenance list.
Deep Burgundy Red With Violet Undertones
Every now and then a colour makes me stop scrolling, and this deep burgundy violet undertones shade did it. Shoulder length on thick, wavy hair, it sits heavy and dark until the light hits, then the violet comes forward. That is the trick with a base this dark β without the violet, it would read as generic brown. With it, the colour has a cold, expensive edge that winter light loves. The loose waves break up the colour surface so the violet reads at the high points and the burgundy stays in the valleys. No bangs, middle part, all weight and depth.
Shag Cut With Copper Highlights And Bangs
How does a copper highlights shag cut get dimension without looking stripey? The technique matters more than the shade. On chin-length coily, thick hair, the lighter copper strands are placed where the curl naturally lifts β the crown, the front, the perimeter of the curly bangs. That way the highlight lands on the curve, not in the trough, so it reads as a shift in light rather than a painted line. The shag cut already builds texture through the layers; the copper just follows the architecture. Middle parting, front-facing, the colour hits exactly where the volume peaks.
Bright Red With Copper Undertones
This one is not for the faint of heart or the low-maintenance crowd. The bright red copper undertones hit immediately, and on thick curly hair they read as dimensional, not flat. Mid-back length with no bangs, middle part, air-dried curls that actually hold the shape. The honest downside: bright red fades fast. By week three you will see it shift, by week five you will be scheduling a gloss. If you want a color that stays put without a toning appointment every six weeks, skip this one. But if you want winter to look like fire, book it.
It suits medium to deep skin tones best, the warmth of the copper undertones keeps the red from going pink. Fine or low-density curls will struggle, the shade needs density to carry the pigment. A salon job, no question, this is not a box color situation.
Collarbone Dark Brown Lob With Caramel Highlights
The caramel highlights dark brown lob lands right at the collarbone, which is the sweet spot for curtain bangs that actually curtain. Middle part, loose curls with volume, medium-thick texture that holds the shape without product. The highlights sit at the ends and around the face, so the root stays dark and the grow-out reads as intentional. Trims every eight weeks, highlights every ten to twelve, and the curtain bangs need a round brush and two minutes of heat daily if you want them to sit right. It flatters oval and heart-shaped faces best, the lob width balances a narrower chin.
Rich Bronze With Subtle Highlights
Does a warm winter color exist that does not scream for attention? The rich bronze subtle highlights answer that. Mid-back length, middle part, no bangs, air-dried defined curls that catch light without trying. Medium density wavy to curly texture, the bronze base sits deep and the highlights are fine, almost hidden, so the fade is gradual rather than dramatic. By week twenty-seven it looks like a slightly softer version of itself, not brassy. That is the appeal, it wears down well. The defined curls hold the dimension without a refresh, and the color reads warm without tipping into orange. Salon job, the subtlety requires a hand that knows placement.
Visual Idea
I will confess I was skeptical about blonde highlights on curly hair in winter. Then I saw this dark blonde base with lighter blonde highlights at collarbone length, side-swept bangs, loose waves that actually look deliberate. The dimension comes from the placement, not the volume, the lighter pieces sit around the face and through the mid-lengths. This is a salon job, no question. Dimensional blonde on curly texture requires a stylist who understands how the curl pattern shifts the highlight placement. A DIY version will read as stripey and uneven. Side part flatters round and square faces, the asymmetry breaks up the width.
Collarbone Visual Idea
Best low-investment option in this roundup. The medium brown base with subtle blonde highlights at collarbone length, middle part, no bangs, air-dried wavy to curly texture. The blonde is fine and close to the base shade, so the grow-out is invisible for months. Ask your stylist for a single process with a few face-framing ribbons, nothing full-head. That is a two-hour appointment, not a six-hour one. It flatters most face shapes because the collarbone length is neutral, and the subtle highlights add warmth without a hard commitment. A DIY gloss at home can refresh the tone between salon visits.
Copper Base With Golden Highlights Visual Idea
What makes this work is the order of application. The copper base goes on first, all over, a solid warm foundation that reads rich even before the highlights touch it. Then the golden highlights are painted onto the top sections and around the face, placed where the light would naturally hit collarbone-length curly layers. The tone difference is the trick: a true golden against a copper base creates contrast without looking stripey, because the curls scatter the colour lines. On thick curly texture, the highlights wrap around each coil instead of lying flat, which means more dimension than you get on straight hair. The middle part helps, it splits the colour evenly so both sides catch the same light. This is a salon technique, the placement matters too much to eyeball it at home.
Shoulder Visual Idea
Does a warm honey blonde base with lighter blonde highlights belong in winter? Yes, when the base is warm enough. The honey blonde keeps the whole look from going icy, and the lighter highlights are fine and spaced out, not chunky, so they read as sunlight rather than bleach. On shoulder-length wavy thick texture, the blowout smooths the waves just enough to show the highlight placement without losing the volume. The middle part keeps the colour distribution even. This is the shade that glows under grey winter light, which is exactly when you need it. The salon is non-negotiable here, the lift required for that lighter blonde on a honey base needs a professional hand.
Light Brown Base With Caramel Highlights Visual Idea
I will confess I tried to do caramel highlights on my own curly hair once. It looked like I had dipped my head in caramel sauce. This light brown base with caramel highlights on shoulder-length curly medium-density hair is achievable at home if you use a cap or a very steady hand, but the risk is uneven placement and the caramel turning muddy if the base is too dark. The side part helps, it concentrates the highlights on one side for a more intentional look. The air-dried texture hides minor mistakes better than a blowout would, which is the one thing working in your favour. Still, the first time, book the chair.
Mid-Back Visual Idea
The rich bronze base with subtle golden highlights on mid-back curly thick hair is the most forgiving winter colour I have seen in this roundup. The bronze base is dark enough that new growth at the roots does not scream for four to six weeks, and the golden highlights are subtle enough that they fade gracefully rather than turning brassy. On thick curly texture, the highlights sit within the curl pattern and add depth without overwhelming the base.
Who it flatters: warm and neutral skin tones read the bronze as a natural extension of the complexion. Cool skin tones can wear it if the golden highlights lean slightly champagne rather than yellow. The upkeep is a toner every six to eight weeks to keep the golden from pulling orange, but the root touch-up is every ten weeks, which is rare for a highlighted look. The middle part and medium crop framing keep the colour visible without requiring constant restyling.
Layers Visual Idea
Copper on curly hair fades faster than any other colour I have tried, and this copper base with lighter copper highlights on mid-back wavy to curly thick hair is no exception. The lighter copper highlights are what make it worth the maintenance. They sit on the surface of the layers and catch the light in a way a single-process copper cannot, especially from the back view where the layers stack. The fade is actually pretty, it goes from vibrant copper to a softer rose gold over six weeks, which is longer than most coppers last before turning brassy. The middle part and air-dried defined curls keep the colour looking intentional even as it shifts. Salon only, the highlight placement on thick curly texture requires a stylist who understands how curls reflect light.
No Bangs Visual Idea
The difference between a dark blonde base and a full blonde balayage is about three weeks of root anxiety. This mid-back length, thick wavy hair keeps a dark blonde base with lighter blonde highlights, the technique subtle enough that grow-out looks intentional. The tone here is warm, not ashy, which means it reads natural against winter skin. No bangs, a middle part, air-dried waves. I have tried home-dyeing blonde highlights on wavy hair. It ends in orange patches and a lot of regret. The salon does this better because they weave the highlights through the thickness without overlapping. The comparison is simple: you want the winter landscape effect, not a stripey mess. Book it.
The texture is thick and wavy, so the highlights catch light differently on each wave. That is the whole trick. A dark blonde base gives depth, the lighter pieces add dimension. No bangs means the colour runs uninterrupted from root to tip. The winter landscape behind the photo makes sense: this colour belongs in cold weather. The salon-leaning difficulty is honest. Do not try this in your bathroom mirror.
Front View Visual Idea
How long does ash blonde stay ash on curly hair? About two weeks before the brassiness creeps in. This collarbone length, thick curly hair uses an ash blonde base with lighter blonde highlights, the technique a cool-toned balayage. The tone is ash, which fights warmth but loses the fight eventually. For winter, ash blonde reads crisp against grey skies, but warmer blondes hide the yellowing better. The honest downside: you will need a purple shampoo and a toning appointment every six weeks. The defined curls in the front view show how the lighter highlights sit on the surface, which means they oxidise faster. If you want ash to last, plan for upkeep. Otherwise, go golden and save yourself the frustration.
Final Thoughts
After writing all of these, the one I keep coming back to is the deep burgundy with violet undertones. It is the colour that does not argue with grey weather, does not fade into nothing by week six, and looks like you planned it. That is rare.
- Tone every six weeks with a colour-depositing conditioner
- Trim the baseline every eight weeks to keep the shape
- Wash in cool water, not cold, just cool
- Skip heat styling twice a week to let the colour rest
I am booking it next week. That is the one.
