Teased, spiky ‘dos and bold, color-blocked eyes-reminiscent of ’80s punk goddess Siouxsie Sioux-caused a commotion on New York’s fall fashion runways.
Dust off your tail combs and black kohl liners. This fall, after several seasons of ’60s and ’70s mod revivals, designers have leapt into the ultra-glam 1980s, sending models down runways sporting slick, leather and vinyl neo-punk creations.
Hair continues its disconnected, spiky, piecey track, which began in the spring. Emphasized are how long layers separate from short, texture disconnects with smoothness, and dark divides from light.
To achieve the disconnected look, longer pieces are cut over shorter ones, using razor scissors. Texturizing products then mold the hair into the desired shape and style. According to Edwin Lombardi, artistic team director for Sebastian International, disconnected styles work for almost everybody because of their versatility-hair can either fit closely to the head or be spiked up and out for a more avant garde look.
Wild and Crazy Color
As a hairstylist, I get clients ranging from the conservative to the outrageous. One minute I’ll be giving a trim to a businessman, the next minute I’ll be asked to dye a teenager’s hair blue. That’s what makes my job so enjoyable, the constant unpredictability. I myself have a punk side to me, believe it or not. At the moment my hair is emerald green, and I even play guitar in a punk rock band. But I’m also passionate about hair, and coloring hair is my first love. This week, I’m going to offer some hair-color advice to all the other “punks” out there, or anyone interested in a radical change. After all, Halloween is right around the corner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I’m going to make a list of all the crazy colors we have in the salon, starting from the easiest to the hardest. I’ll give some helpful hints and instructions along the way. Even if you’re more of the conservative type, read on anyway, because hair color is a really interesting and enjoyable topic.
REDS (copper, auburn, ruby, etc.)- Red is the easiest color to get to, because the hair doesn’t have to be pre-lightened too much. Reds can be applied directly to people with blonde or light brown hair. If you have medium brown hair or darker, you must pre-lighten first, especially if you want a vibrant red (like candy apple red or fire engine red). Pre-lightening is done by applying bleach to hair that is too dark to apply color to directly. I wrote a column a few weeks back describing everything you need to know about bleaching and pre-lightening, so I suggest that you read that article first if you aren’t familiar with the bleaching process. When you apply bleach to hair, it should lighten to an orange-yellow stage very quickly, usually within ten minutes. Red shows up well on this color because the red is darker than the orange-yellow. Always remember that your hair color should be at least one shade lighter than your target (or desired) color. The lighter your hair is before you apply the color, the more vibrant the result will be. This is especially true for magenta, or any red that has a bit of blue added into it.
ORANGE- Orange is a good color for guys, although I don’t see many girls asking for bright orange. Orange is also relatively simple to do, as long as the hair is fairly light to begin with. Unless you’re a natural blonde, you should pre-lighten the hair first to a yellow-orange or gold stage. My hair was orange last week, and I recieved alot of compliments on it, even from older people who usually balk at weird colors. My logic is this: you buy clothes and cars and appliances and other items in your favorite color, so why not make your hair your favorite color?
YELLOW- This is one of my favorites because it really draws attention. For yellow, you need to remove any brown or orange from the hair. If it is a little “brassy”, it should be okay. For maximum vibrancy, I recommend pre-lightening until the hair is pale yellow, which usually is around fifteen minutes.
GREEN- Green can be a really great haircolor depending on what brand you use. I generally recommend professional semi-permanent haircolor, like Goldwell Colorance CreativColor for most shades, but I’ve found that Punky Colour by Jerome Russell has the best result. Punky Colour can be found at mall stores like Hot Topic or Spencer’s. I like Punky Colour because the green will still be bright even applied on top of yellow hair. With green, you want to get all of the orange out with bleach, and most of the yellow. If there’s any hint of orange in the hair, putting green on top of it will only make it look like a greenish-brown, not a good color for hair (or for anything else).
PINK- The color pink is achieved by mixing red with white and a very small amount of blue. Pink haircolor shows up best on hair that is platinum or very pale blonde. If your natural haircolor is dark brown, you can probably forget about pink, unless you bleach it out to the point where most of the yellow is removed from the hair, which takes alot of time and can be damaging to the hair.
PURPLE/VIOLET- These colors follow the same rules for pink. Purples are a mixture of red and blue. Your natural color must be very light and even then still needs to be pre-lightened. It is advisable to bleach out as much yellow as possible. Since there is blue in the color formula, it may turn a purplish-green if any yellow is in the hair before the dye is applied. When done correctly, purple is probably the prettiest shade of hair there is. If you have brown or black hair, applying a purple or violet semi-permanent or temporary color on it will add a purple sheen when the sun shines on the hair, which can be really pretty.
WHITE- This takes alot of bleach and alot of time. If you have dark brown or black hair to begin with, it can never get to the platinum stage. White hair occurs naturally as albinism (or albinoism), and is the result of the absence of melanin in the hair. Platinum usually requires two visits to the salon. We would apply bleach for 20 minutes, and if any yellow remains, we would have to bleach it again. Sometimes it may take three or more bleachings before all the yellow pigment has been removed. After bleaching, we apply a toner. The toner here is a very light violet or pearl shade. Violet neutralizes yellow, which allows the hair to appear white. Never attempt this at home, because toning is a very delicate procedure. If the toner is left on for just a minute too long, you’ll end up with a pastel purple tint to your hair. The majority of professional stylists can’t even guarantee a white result. The same rules apply for anyone who wants to have silver or gray color. I did a photoshoot not too long ago where I took a model with jet black hair and made her hair silver. It is my crowning achievement because they said it’s virtually impossible to do. It took several hours, but I got it to silver, and still have the photos to prove it.
BLUE- Blue is extremely hard to accomplish, because blue fades the fastest from the hair. Alot of stylists can get you to blue for one day, but when you wake up the next morning, the blue will be dull, and in a few days it will just be an ugly color. The hair has to be just about white before you put the blue on. Any yellow remaining in the hair will give you blue-green. I sometimes purposely apply blue to hair with a little yellow in it to give a turquoise result. But if you want smurf blue, it is vital that all yellow is removed. Even then, the blue will fade quickly. When I had my hair blue, it needed to be refreshed every third day with a semi-permanent. Blue also tends to run, as do violets, oranges, and reds. This means if you sweat, you’ll have rivulets of blue liquid running down your face.
With any haircolor, to maintain maximun vibrancy, avoid shampooing the hair if you can. If you have blue hair, avoid shampoo the way a supermodel avoids a donut shop. Blue will even rinse out with just plain water. Conditioner will help seal the hair’s cuticle, locking in the haircolor. If you must shampoo, use a shampoo that won’t strip the haircolor. My picks are Goldwell Color and Highlights shampoo, Artec Kiwi Coloreflector shampoo, or Nexxus Botanoil shampoo. Nexxus Ensure conditioner also keeps color from fading and is highly recommended.
For the face, eyes were the focus: contoured in red and deep sienna tones, then ringed with black liner. This look is not for everyone, advises Voula Ampass, makeup artist for the Artist Group and Woman the Salon in Mississauga, Ontario, but it can be adapted for a softer, less severe look.
“Instead of using red, play up the eyes with soft plum or tawny rose shadow, lightly dusted across the entire lid,” explains Ampass, who was part of the backstage team at designer Gianfranco Ferré’s show. “Line the eyes, on the top only, with a soft charcoal liner and finish by applying a coat of black mascara to the top lashes.”
| Sponsored Links :: |