Time to visit the colourist

“Wow, look at that hair,” was how José Molino, at Neville Hair and Beauty greeted me when I recently visited the salon. He couldn’t believe how quickly it had grown and what good condition it was in.

It was only a few months ago that I put my over-processed hair into José’s capable hands. He told me that he was only going to put a few highlights into my hair and that has dramatically improved its health. So, thanks to him, I’ve now got longer tresses, a current trend.

Since my last visit, when I touched on the subject of hair looking different in various types of lighting, 

I’ve been paying attention to other people’s hair to see the effect on different shades of hair. I had noticed that I was getting too much warmth through in daylight. “The light in November and December tends to be greyer than in January and February, when it tends to be brighter and clearer. So, it will make your hair seem a different colour,” José told me.

The remedy was to take out the extra warmth and readjust the colour. One thing I have learned from José is that you always have to keep adjusting your hue as the light changes. The colour that looks right in September may not look right in December unless you slightly change it.

“It just gets better and better,” José said looking at the finished result created by my stylist, Sam Snell. She had worked with my hair’s natural texture to create a lovely “big hair” look, which as I moved, showed off the colour.

By Daralyn Danns

Neville Hair and Beauty (nevillehairandbeauty.net)

Blonde or brunette

The best Christmas present I got was my fabulous hair colour, all thanks to the wonderful José Molino, at Neville Hair and Beauty. A year ago, it was a completely different story. I walked out of the hairdressers with too many ash blonde highlights in my hair. As I am a naturally a brunette, they made my skin look grey. Not a particularly flattering look in the winter, especially under electric light.

                                          Blonde

A year later, José has reinvented me as what I describe as, a sun-kissed brunette. Blonde hair does stand out in a crowd, but some women look better darker and I am one of them.

Colour has to work not only with your cut, but with the colour of your eyes and skin tone. A few ash blonde highlights in my hair were fine as I have a neutral skin tone, but when I had too many in my hair the grey reflected on to my skin making me look ill. The next colourist made it orange streaked with yellow and the one after managed to turn it into what could only be described as mud tinged with red and green. Subtle it wasn’t.

When I met José he immediately wanted to make me a sandy brunette – a mixture of both – with the emphasis on gold lights rather than ashy. From the first time he did my hair it became light brown with oompf, I was delighted. It threw light on to my face and warmed up my complexion.

                                                               Sandy brunette

Walking from the salon, I instantly felt me. My whole demeanour changed. As a blonde, I always felt as if I was somebody else. I found it harder to buy clothes. Colours which I had previously loved didn’t work anymore. Did I get treated differently? I don’t think so. But, when I emerged as a brunette 

I went into one shop and looked at a handbag which the assistant told me was far too old for me. A couple of friends also commented I looked younger as a brunette – probably, because my hair looks more natural and works better with my skin tone. 

The rule of thumb is: the darker your natural colour, the more difficult it is to go blonde. If you are a medium brown, stay a brunette. If you have sallow skin steer away from blonde.

Due to the mess that my hair was in, José had his work cut out eliminating all the orange tones to get it perfect. It did take a few times to get it right but it has been well worth it. My golden brown locks look so natural that people don’t realise I colour them.

There are also benefits of having dark hair. It is glossier than fair hair. Deeper shades add dimension to your tresses making them look thicker. But, the greatest advantage being a brunette is that I need less make-up as my hair warms up my complexion. And that is a lot of time saved each morning!

By Daralyn Danns

Neville Hair and Beauty (nevillehairandbeauty.net)