Philosophy's guide to cutting and colouring indian hair

According to the last census at the beginning of the decade there were more than one million people in the UK of Indian ethnicity - and that figure is growing.

That represents a huge potential market for your salon, so if do not you have the knowledge and experience to work with Asian hair you could be missing an opportunity.

Mark Creed and the team at Philosophy Hairdressing in Oxford have visited India on a number of occasions in the last four years in conjunction with L'Oréal Professionnel.

In that time, Mark has developed an affinity with the hairdressing industry in India and has a clear understanding of how to get the best results with Indian hair types. So we asked him and his colleagues at Philosophy to share their advice for cutting, colouring and styling Indian and Asian hair.

Mark Creed, technical and business director of Philosophy and vice president of the Fellowship for British Hairdressing, shares his tips for colouring Indian hair.

• An extremely in-depth consultation must be conducted to establish lifestyle, haircare regime etc. It is important to spend enough time ascertaining the best hue to suit the client's complexion.



• Due to the significant darker depths of tone, 9% peroxides are the ideal choice. Lower solutions will result in a colour which is virtually impossible to see and will be generally far too subtle.



• When lifting to lighter shades, always be aware of using the appropriate ash tone to counteract the strong red undertone.



• When your target shade is lighter than the natural colour always endeavour to keep peroxide values as low as possible. This will avoid tone deposit 'burn out' and will keep the hair in the best possible condition.



• Finally, if you are working on models overseas it is extremely helpful to have a complete understanding of local professional hair products, as there is very often a unique range of colouring products that have been produced for optimal use on darker shades. Whenever I travel overseas for colour seminars and shows, I always insist on having a sample colour product range sent to me in the UK to familiarise myself with the product.

Luke Anderson, Philosophy education director, shares his advice for cutting and styling Indian hair.

• Traditionally Indian ladies have long hair, so be aware that the hair may be in bad condition at the ends. Using a quality conditioning treatment on the hair for 15 minutes will prepare the hair before cutting it.



• 'There is beauty in length,' is commonly heard among Indian women so it is important to respect this. Recommending styles that will keep the length is paramount to ensure the clients keep coming back.



• Because of the natural density and thickness of Indian hair, graduation and layering is my top tip. I use layering techniques to soften the area around the face, as well as creating movement and freedom throughout the hair.



• To reduce the volume of the hair through the back, it is effective to layer in tiers, with the underneath tier being shorter than the top tier. This will remove the weight underneath but maintain length at the top to hang over and keep the hair flat.



• With naturally curly hair use a small amount of conditioner as a styling product as well as curl enhancing products. As the hair is dry, it will soak up the conditioner and leave the hair with luscious curls anyone would be envious of.