Wild and Crazy Color
As a hairstylist, I get clients ranging from the conservative to the outrageous. One minute I'll be giving a trim to a businessman, the next minute I'll be asked to dye a teenager's hair blue. That's what makes my job so enjoyable, the constant unpredictability. I myself have a punk side to me, believe it or not. At the moment my hair is emerald green, and I even play guitar in a punk rock band. But I'm also passionate about hair, and coloring hair is my first love. This week, I'm going to offer some haircolor advice to all the other "punks" out there, or anyone interested in a radical change. After all, Halloween is right around the corner.
I'm going to make a list of all the crazy colors we have in the salon, starting from the easiest to the hardest. I'll give some helpful hints and instructions along the way. Even if you're more of the conservative type, read on anyway, because haircolor is a really interesting and enjoyable topic.
REDS (copper, auburn, ruby, etc.)- Red is the easiest color to get to, because the hair doesn't have to be pre-lightened too much. Reds can be applied directly to people with blonde or light brown hair. If you have medium brown hair or darker, you must pre-lighten first, especially if you want a vibrant red (like candy apple red or fire engine red). Pre-lightening is done by applying bleach to hair that is too dark to apply color to directly. I wrote a column a few weeks back describing everything you need to know about bleaching and pre-lightening, so I suggest that you read that article first if you aren't familiar with the bleaching process. When you apply bleach to hair, it should lighten to an orange-yellow stage very quickly, usually within ten minutes. Red shows up well on this color because the red is darker than the orange-yellow. Always remember that your hair color should be at least one shade lighter than your target (or desired) color. The lighter your hair is before you apply the color, the more vibrant the result will be. This is especially true for magenta, or any red that has a bit of blue added into it.
ORANGE- Orange is a good color for guys, although I don't see many girls asking for bright orange. Orange is also relatively simple to do, as long as the hair is fairly light to begin with. Unless you're a natural blonde, you should pre-lighten the hair first to a yellow-orange or gold stage. My hair was orange last week, and I recieved alot of compliments on it, even from older people who usually balk at weird colors. My logic is this: you buy clothes and cars and appliances and other items in your favorite color, so why not make your hair your favorite color?
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