Men-only hair colour to turn back time

Men and hair colour has always been a contentious issue.

Fashions have seen it come and go as an accessory - the garish, angry hues of punk, the flamboyant flashes of blonde and red that prevailed in the 80s - but these weren't mainstream trends, they were music-led fads embraced mainly by under-18s.

Any hairdresser or barber dealing with male clients on a regular basis will know that for many - in fact most - men, having colour applied in a salon is still a complete no-no. 'Reveal my vanity to a room full of people, never!'

But there are definite signs that colour is creeping into the mainstream for men, with major manufacturers entering the market with professional colour products that are male sympathetic and salon owners waking up to methods of tapping into this previously unexplored potential.

Speed and discretion are of the essence for most men who do dare to ask for professional colour and the new raft of products have taken these elements into account - and promote them heavily in any marketing activity.

Men's Hair Colour to Turn Back Time

• Redken for Men was the first of the current batch of colour brands to catch on to the demand from men looking to turn back the clock by covering grey with the launch of its 10-minute professional colour treatment for men in 2004. Its Color Camo brand has now been updated with new technology that enables it to do the job in five minutes.



• L'Oréal Professionnel's Cover 5 focuses on its ability to 'gently blend away grey hair or refresh natural colour', for example. Says Kay Connelly, product development director, L'Oréal Professional Products Division: "Men require colour that is quick to develop, easy to apply and fits with their salon visiting patterns."



• Paul Mitchell has also entered the market with Flash Back, a 10-minute colour service with a range of tones designed to discreetly cover grey.



• The newest entry comes from men's haircare specialists American Crew, with Precision Blend, which also claims to cover grey in just five minutes for a natural result.



• Entering the fray in 2009 was Goldwell with its Men ReShade brand - again promising a natural solution to reducing grey hair in five minutes.

Research carried out by Goldwell and Datamonitor reveals that currently 10% of men in the UK already colour their hair. It also found that 50% can imagine doing so - it's this percentage of men that salons need to sensitively target in order to successfully grow their male grooming business.