Spring and summer are creeping up, and with that comes blonde. When it comes to creating the perfect blonde for your client, skin tone plays a major part. Which is why HJ spoke to industry experts on creating bespoke blondes for your client’s skin tone.
Choosing The Bespoke Blonde
For optimum colour results, it’s important to take into consideration your client’s skin tone. Angelo Seminara, Goldwell Global Ambassador recommends starting with the basics: “Are they warm or cool skin toned? Do they suit gold or silver jewellery? What makes their skin tone glow? Levels of lift will always depend on the starting level and hair history.”
Teri Lowe, Creative Director at The Hair Surgery, Kerry Mather, owner of KJM Salons, and Karen Thomson, owner of KAM Hair and Body Spa, say: “Warm skin tones match well with golden, honey, and caramel tones, whereas cooler skin tones with blue eyes suit platinum, champagne, ash, and icy white blondes.”
But that doesn’t mean you can’t break the rules. Barry Maddocks, UK Creative Director of Haringtons says: “I love breaking rules where blondes are concerned, I love a cool blonde against warmer skin and a peachy blonde against ice cool skin and blue eyes.”
Bespoke Blonde Top Tips from Angelo Seminara, Goldwell Global Ambassador
- When you are looking at the client, drape a white or black towel in front of their shoulders to mask clothing so it doesn’t throw what you are looking at.
- For darker and more olive skin tones, try to work either neutral tones or golds that have a duskier secondary tone to avoid being too yellow against the skin.
- For warmer skin tones, work with more buttery golds and golden strawberries to compliment.
- For cooler skin tones, working with cool neutrals and soft pearlescent will really flatter and add something beautiful to the skin.
Choosing The Best Technique
Clients want to leave the salon with healthy hair that’s full of shine, so it’s important to use the right technique. And there are so many services you can offer depending on the client’s desires. "It’s all about creating a colour journey and protecting the integrity of the hair whilst maximising on achieving the desired results," says Kieron Fowles, Creative Director at Regis Salons.
Karen Thomson finds consultations the perfect opportunity for finding out the client’s hair goals: “There are so many different techniques you can use to create different blondes, from bleaching to highlights, babylights, balayage and foilyage. From a consultation you can decide which technique is best.
“If your client wants something more low maintenance, where they can keep their natural root, balayage may be the preferred choice. If they want the colour to reach the top of the head and perhaps disguise greys, highlights may be best.”
Suzie McGill, Artistic Director at Rainbow Room International says: “Instead of doing a full head bleach and toner, I love to use a combination of highlights and lowlights to create a multi-tonal blonde that has lots of depth and movement, as well as shine and a more natural appearance.”
Aftercare
To ensure your clients' hair remains at top-notch standard, it’s important to use the correct aftercare. “Using a toning shampoo for those stunning cool shades will keep your clients' blonde looking tip top (until those roots need doing),” says Barry Maddocks.
Lydia Wolf, KMS Style Ambassador, expresses the importance of using the correct toning service: “Toning blondes has become such a bespoke service. It’s not often that any blonding service will lift the desired tone and the toning is almost like the refining and personalisation of a haircut, it’s tweaking and perfecting to make the colour come to life.”
Have you seen our guide on keeping hair hydrated in the summer?
Yet, Seung Ki Baek, RUSH Artistic Team says: “Going in too hard on a toner can also cause damage to the blonde – leaving toner on the hair for too long can result in the hair becoming too grey or purple.”
And finally, not to forget the at-home aftercare advice. Jonathan Andrew, Fudge Professional Global Ambassador says: “Ensure they’re investing in professional hair products; the ingredients really do help protect and keep the colour looking salon fresh.”
Top Aftercare Tips to Tell Your Clients From Kieron Fowles, Creative Director at Regis Salons
- Use low or less heat.
- When using heat always use heat protector.
- When detangling, use a wide tooth or detangle brush.
- Use oils to help nourish and protect the hair.
- Don’t use elastics daily. Opt for hair friendly ties to prevent snaps and breakage.
Speaking of blonde, have you tried this blonde technique for summer?
