Pro hairdressers weigh in on what’s going to be hot in hair colour, cuts and styles for 2014.

Colour: Deep Roots and the Mix of Cool and Warm

With the sure exit of ombré, 2014 will see a new, darker kind of gradient colour. “Every winter, we see crimsons, coppers and violets sweep through the salon. These sultry, solid colours will be seen with a clear and purposefully shadowed root area,” says Michelle Oliver, a Schwarzkopf Professional colour expert from Kick Hair & Beauty in Edmonton. “Unlike ombré, the darker colour is applied on the first inch, only at the roots and looks beautiful on both very straight as well as curly hair.”

Timothy Switzer, Contessa winner, Goldwell artistic director and global colour master, and owner of Timothy & Co. Salon in Oshawa, Ont., speculates an evolution with this year’s trend colours: “With Goldwell’s 2013 Color Zoom Beautify collection, we saw pastel-candy colours merged into blonde hair and earthy, rusty tones added to dark hair. If we look to fashion we are also seeing metalics and jewel tones, creating an interesting monochromatic colour story, which can easily be translated into the hair colour palette.” The combination of cool and warm shades will become a key trend in hair colour, as well. “Look for interesting, unusual combinations of all shades, creating texture and rich reflections,” says Switzer.

Cut: Short Shorts

In a hair landscape that reached a plateau at longer lengths, chopped locks are now cropping up on the heads of Karlie Kloss, Coco Rocha and Saskia de Brauw. “We have had long flowing hair for many seasons and the shorter style trend will return to a haircut rather than a hairstyle,” observes Kevin Murphy. To achieve the modern chunky bobs, grunge and pure androgyny of cuts, “take ideas from the ‘60s and texture from the ‘90s and you get a cleaner grunge and grittier take on the ‘60s shapes,” he says. “Cuts will be geometric. It’s all about having a blunt edge to the cuts, but still having texture that is thick and not thin. Heavy blunt lines will be chunky and not worn in the traditional way you thought about wearing a geometric cut; the hair ]will be more textured and you will want the hair to look like you have put product in it,” Murphy adds.

Damien Carney notes that capitalizing on the shorter cut trend means that you’ll have to master the fundamentals. “Graduation will be a dominant theme. You want the haircut to have a strong impact,” he says. “The techniques will be very [precise]—for the past eight to 10 years, the techniques have been distorted with undercutting and disconnection; but that’s no longer on trend.” He reminds us that although the cuts are edgy and inspired by the underground style scene, “hair still needs to show a strong value of beauty. Adapt these trends to your client’s bone structure or lips. You have individual beauty in your chair, and there can be a lot of variation in how you execute the trends.”

Style: David Bowie-inspired Grunge

Let’s dance to this new wave of punk-grunge styles, which, according to Roch Lemay, Matrix lead educator, can be modified for each generation. “Seen at Gucci, Dior, Prada and Versace, these runway styles, inspired by David Bowie, are great for the younger generation,” Lemay says. “The grunge of the 2000s is different from the 1980s because of how it’s done. In the ‘80s, gelée was the product. You let the liquid gel product dry with the hair to get that glossy, crispy finish.” To steer clear of too much throwback reference, Lemay says, “Start one inch out from the scalp to give a natural flow and volume to support the style and apply gelée on the ends for gripped texture.”

To adjust the style for clients who are working in more conservative environments, Lemay suggests softening the blunt cuts and edgy finishes on longer lengths, falling at the shoulder to three inches below shoulder-length. Alexa Chung is the perfect example of a blunt, chunky style that the career woman can work, says Lemay. “It’s uncomplicated, finished and still has that edgy cut. It’s also easy to take care of, and she can wear it with a fringe. There’s a certain volume to the look and she won’t need a round brush.” He suggests teaching clients to blow dry hair upside down for natural movement at the back of the head and lots of soft texture.

Popular influences on this shorter, grunge style can be attributed to stars including Michelle Williams in the new Louis Vuitton ads and Miley Cyrus’ punk-edge texture. “My clients have been requesting this shorter look,” says Sean Godard, international performing artist at Redken and artistic director at Toronto’s Salon Tocci. “In 2013, we saw this trend begin and I think we are going to see it blossom into 2014. I find that trends always have a six-year cycle—two years being underground, two years when it is hot and then two years when the mainstream culture attaches to it and [by then], stylists are already on to the next trend.” 

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