Conversations on colour: paul dennison

Paul Dennison is colour director at Ken Picton and is a former winner of HJ's Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician of the Year. Paul is also a member of the L'Oreal Professionnel 20:20 Colour Collective; an elite group of colourists from across the UK. Here, we find out more about his life in colour. 1. What do you love most about being a colourist? What I love the most about being a colourist today is basically the same as it has been from day one; that feeling you get when all the colour has been rinsed off and watching your creation come to life as the hair dries. I'm also lucky that my job takes me to places where I get to work with like-minded creative people, whether that be during shows, shoots, teaching seminars or judging. 2. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing professional colourists in 2015? Skin testing and retaining condition are two major day-to-day challenges. Luckily, product companies are helping to overcome these. There's also a problem with expectation vs reality in the consumer sector, which is made even harder by celebrity and home colour. Great hair doesn't happen by chance, it happens by appointment. 3. What do you think is the most exciting thing about being a colourist in 2015? In this day and age we are spoilt for choice. Colour is no longer a hushed word and more and more people are embracing it. Colour ranges and palettes are growing as quickly as our techniques are expanding. 4. What colour trend or technique are you most excited about for 2015? Right now I'm loving the pixel trend. It's bold and graphic and is a welcome change to the sea of ombré we have been wading through. It's refreshing to see bold colour making a comeback. 5. What one piece of advice would you give to trainee colourists who would love to be where you are now? Practice, experiment, listen and absorb as much as you can. Education is key and you need to keep you eye on social media for upcoming trends so that you can be the first to deliver them to your clients.