A case of the blues - how to make classic blue work for your clients' hair

Classic Blue, the Pantone Color of the Year, could be viewed as a tricky shade for colourists to interpret in the salon. As a hair colour it’s often perceived as high maintenance and tricky to get true to tone. Prepare to be inspired by these wearable beautiful blues from the runway and from fashion shoots that can be made wearable for clients in the salon.

The subtle blue panel

“Darker shades of blue such as navy and petrol work beautifully though a brunette base and the right combination of shades can add an extra depth and dimension to the hair, without appearing obvious. Here, a subtle panel was woven through the length, which can just be seen when the hair catches the light.” Leonardo Rizzo, international creative director, Sanrizz Salons

Aquatic blue

“The key is to get the cleanest canvas then apply a pre-toner before applying your creative shade. To get his look, I pre-toned with a steel ice toner adding a bit of black to make sure the base had a metallic reflect. I visually mixed Mind Green, Yellow and Caribbean Blue from the Colourful Hair range by L’Oréal Professionnel and diluted with clear each time. I layered each shade to create multiple aqua hues." Grace Dalgleish, Brooks & Brooks [lead image]

The beautifully bold blue

“I love deep blues – it's one of the reasons we used them in the Charles Jeffrey London Men’s Fashion Week show back in January. I’m always thinking how to translate runway looks for clients in the salon. With my natural brunette clients I pop a tiny bit of blue Revlon Professional Nutri Colour 190 in with the shampoo I use at the backwash to counteract any red tones and make the colour more vibrant. Remember a little goes a long way and the shampoo should look sky blue once you’ve mixed it." John Vial, Revlon Professional global influencer

Smokey blue

"I wanted to create a look inspired by Classic Blue with a subtle nod to the trend. Nordic Blue from ColourCode’s Pastels range delivers a beautiful shade which still requires a little confidence but doesn’t shout for attention. Pastel shades also allow for the client to return to a more traditional shade with ease, compared with that of extreme shades.” Yasmine Hope Willmore, Advanced Pro Salon and ColourCode art team stylist

Blue dipped tips

“As an introduction to blue, I love an icy root that fades into a pastel grey/blue on the ends. It’s low commitment and the most natural way to wear the shade. My top tip is to always have lots of swatches to hold against the client’s skin tone and eyes as this will help to visualise the finished look. For metallic finishes, we create blues with our permanent range and for low commitment, we use our semi-permanent ranges that fade true to tone, such as Wella Professionals Colour Fresh Create or Colour Touch.” Jordanna Cobella, Cobella creative director