Most of us take to Instagram for a #hairinspo scrolling sesh when considering a colour change, but after hours of research and an album of screenshots later, wouldn’t it be a shame to have your vision for the perfect summer hue get lost in translation once you reach the salon?
International colour expert Jack Howard brings us up to speed with the latest colourist terms, so you’re totally in the know when it comes to switching up your colour.
Jack explains, ‘We’re not reinventing the wheel when it comes to these new techniques, just adding a spoke to make them work better.’
Strobing/New York lights
Much like the make-up term, strobing is all about the strategic and deliberate placement of colour to highlight and flatter the face. It’s a very individualized service but the aim is to add lighter pieces to the top parts of the bone structure in order to accentuate the cheekbones and eyes.
Contouring
Again, another make-up term, contouring is about visually changing the shape of your face with the use of colour to highlight and shadow targeted areas. Dark areas are used to narrow and shorten, whilst lighter tones elongate the face.
Tricolour
Basically, with tricolour there’s 3 areas of tones – naturally the front section is the lightest, the next section is slightly darker by half a shade & the third section at the nape is the darkest by another half shade. I devised tricolour to mirror the natural beauty of virgin hair, it’s very subtle and natural but a fresh approach.
Babylights/Micro Balayage
As the name suggests, mirco balayage consists of super fine strands of hand painted colour throughout the head which can add depth or lightness. I love this technique because it makes the hair look multi-dimensional as the pieces are so delicate and soft.
Sombre
The ombre trend isn’t showing any sign of disappearing with reincarnations of the technique constantly evolving. Sombre is the softer version of ombre, with a more gradual transition from darker root to lighter ends. Perfect for dark blondes and brunettes.
Nude Hair
We all know about warm and cool tones, but what’s the deal with neutral ones? With nude hair there’s a balance. There’s an even amount of warm and cool tones which cancel each other out to create a neutral shade. Think mousey but expensive!
