Rachael Lomax shares her thoughts on Cowboy Copper and the evolution of colour technology...
What do you love most about being a colourist?
I love how expressive you can be – it really gives you the opportunity to think outside the box.
What is the most important question you ask in a colour consultation and why?
I always ask clients what they don’t like, because then you’re left with all of the options they would be open to.
What colour trends are you pleased to see out of fashion?
I think at the moment, most trends are a go – things that we didn’t think would ever come back, like super blocky highlights, have. However, I’m not a fan of back-to-back highlighting and generic colouring – I think it’s nice to be more creative, technically speaking.
Are there any colour trends you’d like to bring back?
I do a lot of melting into global colouring and I don't think that is really spoken about a lot, but I do think it has a massive place.
What are the challenges facing colourists right now?
For me specifically, the problem I face is the stigma around copper. It hasn’t always been an on-trend colour, and I think that’s because in the past people were scared to try something that they don’t understand – but I’m here to change that as an educator.
What do you think will be the next big colour trend?
I think we’re still on coppers but moving away from the Cowboy Copper trend and transitioning towards more rich, earthy tones – think whisky and brandy inspired shades.
What colour techniques are you known for?
In addition to my copper work, I think I’m known for taking catwalk colour and making it more suitable for everyday clients.
What colour transformation are you most proud of?
It was one I did yesterday. As colourists, we're always doubting ourselves – there's so much on social media to compare to. But sometimes you’ll use a certain technique and you just go, 'that’s the one.’
What advice would you give to a trainee colourist?
When you find the thing you love, put your all into developing it. We don’t all have to be amazing at everything, there are so many colourists out there. Once you find that one thing, you’ll be excited to go into work each day.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from being a colourist?
You’ve got to keep moving forward, because if you stay still, technology will move on too fast for you to catch up – you don't want to fall behind.
When I was in the supermarket, I saw a beautiful mushroom that had soft iridescent copper colouring. I thought the shade would be great for blondes wanting to dip their toe into copper.
MUSHROOM COPPER
I love to think outside the box, but it’s also important to be relatable to clients, so recently I’ve enjoyed rich and warm whisky and brandy inspired shades.
WARM WHISKY
I like taking inspiration from the things around me; in the autumn particularly, coffee shops are filled with pumpkin spice and cinnamon syrups, which are colours I love to layer.
SUGAR AND SPICE
