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| Courtesy of Electric |
Mark Woolley, owner and creative director of the Electric
brand, is regarded as one of the industry’s most highly-respected hairdressers.
I went along to his boutique salon in Marylebone to meet the award-winning
snipper to see what he would make of my tresses.
What I liked about Mark was that he spent ages weighing up
my hair. “Looking at somebody, their face-shape, hair texture and how much they
have got [of it] and how it falls is important. A hairdresser has to be a good
listener and get to know somebody before creating a style,” said Mark.
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| Courtesy of Electric |
“Coming out of summer we are seeing stronger shapes. Most
British women have fine hair. Chunky lines make it look thicker.”
There is nothing like a colour change to update your image,
especially when going into a new season. “Colour should have depth and richness
to it for autumn,” says Mark. “Richness doesn’t necessarily mean warmth.”
For brunettes with dark skins, Mark suggests subtle shades
of plum, for those with medium complexions, he recommends mocha hues. “It’s
about adding dimension by blending subtle tones rather than having one solid
colour,” he explained.
This friendly northerner has his finger on the pulse when it
comes to trends, but knows that fashions cannot be copied straight from the
catwalk, they have to be personalised for each individual client. Mark believes
that the same person who cuts your hair should also colour it as, he thinks,
you get a more individual experience and look.
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| Courtesy of Electric |
What none of us wants
is to get into a hair rut. Mark feels that you should use your
relationship with your stylist to ensure that he makes time for you so that you
are regularly updating your image.
Mark suggested that I grow my hair so that the weight falls
forward to frame my face. I wanted a sweeping fringe but one of the problems
with them is that they can fall into your eyes. According to Mark, it’s all in
the cut. If it is done well and slightly
angled it won’t. The proof of
the pudding is in the eating so they say, and Mark was right – I’ve had
no problems with mine.
Hair should look sleek and glossy, but not as if you have
just stepped out of a salon. I was really pleased with the final result.
As we all know, the key to a great blow-dry is technique.
So, I couldn’t leave the salon without some tips on how to get your hair
looking smooth when you blow-dry it yourself. Mark told me to style it using a
paddle brush. “Tilt your head to the side, put the brush into the hair and pull
through.”
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| My blow-dry |
I have fine hair, although a lot of it, so I shouldn’t be
weighing it down with too much product. Mark has produced his own product line.
To ensure that they really did what they said on the tin, he worked with a
Parisian chemist to develop the formulations.
I left the salon with his Colour Protect Shampoo (£17.50)
and Colour Protect Conditioner (£18.50), which I since have used and they did
leave my hair feeling soft and looking shiny.
But, the hero product has to be the Smoothing Cream (£17),
created to use on photo shoots and the catwalk. It is, he says, is the only one to evaporate totally into the hair. My locks
weren’t at all heavy or greasy, nor did it go frizzy despite being caught in
the rain. I’m sure that is what helped (along with Mark’s expertise, of
course,) my blow-dry was as good as when I left the salon, a couple of days
later. What more could a girl ask for?
By Daralyn Danns
For more info on Electric salons and products visit
www.electric-hair.com
