More men are colouring their hair - but why?

It's a fact, men are being more adventurous with creative hair colour - and we're loving it! We spoke to leading colourists who have been at the forefront of the trend to find out more.

Creative hair colour - not just for women

From festival looks (hello Pride) to toned-down vivids for everyday wear, creative hair colour is not a service reserved for women. Are your creative colour services catering to men? Freelance colourist Christabel LeGrand recently collaborated with Luka Chitty from Luka's Barbers to create a stunning collection that features rainbow hues (it's the lead image from this article) and Kate Wingrove and Giuseppe Stelitano from Trevor Sorbie recently scooped the L'Oréal Color Trophy Men's Image Award with their sherbet lemon look. "Over the last year and a half I’ve noticed a real shift in men’s colour. Full head bleach and toners are some of our most popular services, but even balayage or (guy)layage as we call it has proved popular too!" explains Christabel. The colourist explains that she was inspired to work with Luka because she noticed that men were going to the barbers for their cut and the salon for their colour. "We wanted to break boundaries between our two industries," she explains. Over at Trevor Sorbie, Covent Garden Giuseppe and Kate have noticed a rise in male clients requesting a full head of pre-lightener, although the duo do admit that for the majority of their clients natural looking colour still reigns supreme.

How has society changed?

It could be argued that society has changed to embrace more out-there looks. Even people with office jobs can sport bolder colours now without any judgement being passed. "The whole of men’s hairdressing has come on so far in the past decade, in regards to more acceptance and more choices available. So with that naturally comes more experimentation, which is great for us," explains Kate and Giuseppe. According to the pair, fashion designers now want to play more with hair colour, and fit the styling around the hair, rather than the other way around. "There’s lots of 1970s and 1980s revival styling, where colour in the hair plays a huge part in achieving the final look.  Designers are taking inspiration from the hair they’re seeing on the streets, and styling the clothes around it," they add.

What's next for men's colour trends?

Bold colour might not be right for your everyday client. However there are lots of colour variations you can offer that are on trend right now. "Use bold colours like oranges and yellows, but tone them down to make them softer and more natural looking," suggests Kate and Giuseppe. Just like the duos winning L'Oréal Color Trophy Men's Image Award look, a pale lemon yellow is a more subdued version of creative colour. "I definitely think we will see a shift to more mainstream men’s colour - subtle pastels pinks/purples and icy tones are all becoming the norm," says Christabel. "I love to create bespoke mixes with Pulp Riot's semi permanent colours. They don’t bleed, don’t stain the hair and are conditioner based. The brand also has great free online education." Don't miss Christabel and the Pulp Riot squad at Salon International on the HJ stage where they will be demonstrating creative hair colour live on both men and women. (Book tickets now if you haven't already!) Lead image credits Colour: christabel legrand @christabel_legrand Cut: Luka Chitty @lukasbarbers Photographer: pooch @poochpurtillphotography Paint: pulpriot