We all have our favourite make-up brands and our go-to
fashion labels but when it comes to choosing a hair colourant – unless you
happen to do your own hair – we pick a salon and rely on the colourist to pick
the one she or he thinks will work best on our locks.
However, after visiting all of the top colour salons in
London, I am of the opinion we should spend more time on researching the
colours that we have on our hair. Most salons tend to work with one main brand
and, like me, you could be missing out as technology is changing all the time
which leads to better formulations.
I was going to a leading colour specialist and asked about
Wella Illumina Color when it first came out and was told they tried it in the salon
but did not feel it was right for them.
One of the reasons being that it tended to have an ashier base than the
products they were using.
As it happens that is just what I needed. I dreaded the
yellow hues that came through a few weeks after I had my hair coloured.
Luckily, fate played a hand and I found myself going on a press trip without
much warning and I was having a blow-dry at HOB Salons, Belsize Park and as my roots were showing, I had
to get them done. I put my tresses into the hands of Chloe Backler, a superb
colourist, who checked out my skin tone.
As I had a lot of pink in my skin I was advised to keep my hair neutral veering towards cool.
I have not looked back. With Wella Ilumina Colour, it would
be hard to guess whether or not you have had your hair coloured as it looks so
natural. What I love is that it
reflects light so it stays beautifully glossy for weeks and does not fade
into some unpleasant shade as some do.
Of course, the results will depend on the expertise of the
colourist. Chloe is passionate about what she does and that comes over in her consultations. She
told me that it takes a few applications to get it right because it will be
affected by the old colour that is still on the hair.
Chloe says it is important to sit down with a client and
find out as much about them as you can before doing any process. “Lifestyle,
what job they do and, most importantly, how high or low maintenance they want
to be. Also I ask them what effect they want their hair to have. Do they want
it to be permanent or do they want it to wash out? Some clients, if they are
covering grey, want it to look dense while others prefer it to be reflective,”
she says.
“If I am going to be colouring over highlights or a client
wants to see how a certain shade will turn out, we can do a strand test,” she
adds. [You should always have a strand test if you are going to be using a new
product to ensure that you do not have an allergic reaction.]
After doing my roots in a darker shade, Chloe put a lighter
tone through the ends. As senior stylist Brandon Messinger dried my hair sleek,
it transformed into what looked like pure silk.
Since Chloe has taken me back to my natural hue, I am
getting far more compliments about my hair. And that says it all.
By Daralyn Danns
