Slang dictionary
recession brunette
[ ri-sesh-uhn broo-net聽 ]
黑料网 does recession brunette mean?聽
Recession brunette describes the trend of individuals with dyed hair returning to their natural color to save on salon costs during tough economic times. This can involve letting their darker roots grow out, or dyeing their hair a more natural color at their next salon appointment to reduce the cost and frequent maintenance of highlights and bleaching. The term usually refers to a person with dyed blond hair who has decided to go brunette, but it can also include those with darker hair who are simply opting out of coloring services at the salon.
Where does recession brunette come from?
The term recession brunette has caught on as a way to describe people “going back to their roots” to save money. It became especially popular on social media in 2024 and 2025 because of an economic slump (though not officially a recession), coupled with an increase in the cost of goods, including groceries. But the term technically dates back to the 2008 financial crisis, known as the Great Recession. Back then, this beauty trend was more generally referred to as recession hair, in which people visited the salon less frequently, chose natural hair colors, and even attempted DIY cuts and color. Balayage 鈥� which had already been around for a while 鈥� grew in popularity during this time because it requires less upkeep. Balayage is a style of hand-painting color onto hair for a more natural, root-blurring look.
Examples of recession brunette
Who uses recession brunette?
The term recession brunette is primarily used by beauty influencers, hairstylists, and social media users, particularly on social media platforms. It is often used humorously or self-deprecatingly by blonds (or rather, former blonds) who have chosen to embrace their natural brunette hair color. Recession brunette is used on social media as a general economic indicator, much like the lipstick effect. The lipstick effect suggests that people skip big-ticket luxuries during economic downturns in favor of smaller indulgences like lipstick. Similarly, recession brunette refers to forgoing costly hair appointments in favor of natural hair colors that require fewer salon visits, thus saving money.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of recession brunette like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of recession brunette that will help our users expand their word mastery.