Vintage colour is making waves everywhere—from fashion week to the red carpet to social media. Add a throwback touch to your clients’ colour service this season with expert tips and go-to colour products.
From Marilyn Monroe blonde to Rita Hayworth red to deep brunette Bettie Page, we’re seeing a resurgence of Old Hollywood hair colour. “We always say ‘everything that is old is new again,’” says Susan Boccia, education manager for Schwarzkopf Professional Canada. “On the runways, designers were looking at a colour palette of richer shades, and people are looking at that as a refresh for their fall colour.”
Why Now?
“People are looking for something a little more age-appropriate and glamourous,” says Boccia. “Consumers tend to look more to Hollywood celebrities for fashion and hair inspiration, so I think they are kind of demanding that we stay focused on the glamour and Old Hollywood and that opulent feel to hair.” Schwarzkopf Professional drew inspiration from the Renaissance era for its Igora Royal Opulescence colour range of six shades of “muted reds, cool violets and soft, copper, apricot tones that are softer, feminine and more delicate.”
“Most salons are doing a lot of corrective work in September and October, or have clients that are high-level blondes during the summer who often want to soften the tone or go a little bit darker in the fall,” adds Boccia. “There’s a shade in the Opulescence range that is a level nine, so it’s a light blonde and it’s a really soft coppery gold, more of an apricot shade. It’s one way to introduce a softer tone without changing the fact that they are blonde, but it makes them seasonal blonde—slightly darker and slightly warmer for the fall.”
Coinciding with the release of Opulescence, the brand’s global colour ambassador Lesley Jennison, and North American colour director Rossa Jurenas created two application techniques: Natural Illumination and Soft Illumination. Natural Illumination utilizes the brand’s ColorMelter to combine three shades for a melted effect. Soft Illumination uses two shades applied in a diagonal chevron pattern to three circle sections (one on top and one on each side of the head) for depth and movement in the hair.
For brunette clients, Boccia says the Opulescence range can help refresh their colour while still staying on trend with vintage colour. “For clients that are accustomed to softer, more natural-looking chocolate browns, there are a couple of really deep, muted violet tones and soft chocolate tones, so if someone wants to update their brown colour without changing to a blonde, it’s an interesting way to introduce some of these really soft fall tones into brunettes, too,” she says. “With the palette we have, there’s enough to appeal to everybody, whether they are warm, cool or neutral.”
“Most important for any colour, especially trend-driven colour, is the suitability to the client’s skin tone—their hair colour should help accentuate it. Have fun with it but make sure it’s also appropriate for the client’s lifestyle.” ~ Susan Boccia, education manager for Schwarzkopf Professional Canada
Who Will Love It
“I think these looks are for anyone looking to make that extra statement without being too loud,” says Melissa Duguay, a Joico platform artist. To help clients find their right shade, Duguay recommends choosing a half shade darker than the desired tone.
As with many colour services, pre-lightening can go a long way in helping achieve your client’s ideal vintage colour result. “You don’t want to counter balance your desired end result,” she says. “For the last few years we’ve been seeing lighter, softer shades with a more natural look. With these types of hair colours, it’s easier to get a bigger impact without a full commitment.”
Duguay suggests Joico’s Color Intensity line of intermixable, semi-permanent colour. “It’s less commitment for those more conservative clients,” she says. “Most of these soft shades would most likely fade quicker than a permanent colour, so it makes it easier to approach your clients and explain that they don’t necessarily need to marry this colour for life, but can try it out for a little while.”
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