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Sunshine season part 1 - Summer colour

The summer months can mean a serious boost to your business, if you get it right. Read on to make sure you have the best hair colour and care products, the most up-to-the-minute trend info, and the perfect inspiration to keep your clients happy, at home, and away!

Balayage hair model

Summer colour

Jack Howard says summer is the perfect time to encourage your clients to try balayage, the French word, meaning 'to sweep' or 'paint'.

"Rather than the more traditional method of foils, we highlight the hair freehand for a sun-kissed natural-looking hair colour – similar to what nature gives us as children – with softer, less noticeable regrowth lines. The principal idea being less is more when creating soft, natural looks. Think of Poppy Delevingne and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as the poster girls for this technique – it's all about making your clients look as if they've been in the Caribbean sun for a month!"

"We will see an increase in copper tone reds and natural strawberry blondes, rather than the blue-based red we saw back in 2011. Deep burnt embers, rusty rich auburns and ruby toned reds will be the key shades for this year, continuing with the warm toned balayage and dip-dye fashions from the last few seasons."
Johnny Othona, Director, Ena Salon & Allilon Education

Coloured hair care products

Products to try >>>

Uniq One All In One Hair Treatment Coconut 150ml
L’Oréal Professionnel série expert VITAMINO COLOR Shampoo 250ml
L’Oréal Professionnel série expert VITAMINO COLOR Conditioner 150ml


Mark Woolley, of Electric Hair, gives his summer colour forecast.

  • Redheads
    "Fiery reds are out; redheads should now have peachy pinks and strawberry highlights added, to bring out the lighter, paler red tones in their hair."

  • Brunettes
    "Again, moving away from the deeper and darker browns we saw through the winter, brunettes should now go for creamy highlights, injecting a gentle sun-kissed look, in a very subtle way. Generally we are moving away from ombré for the summer months too."

  • Blondes
    "White hair was everywhere last year, but this summer we are recommending that the bleached blondes play with more caramel and toffee tones in their hair, making it less harsh and more creamy."
Hair colour models

Colour protection

TIGI Bed Head Dumb Blonde Toning Protection Spray

TIGI’s Christel Lundqvist says that protecting colour from the sun whilst on holiday, can be a real problem for your clients.

"Advise your clients to do the obvious – wear a scarf or hat (always a good idea anyway, as it will protect their face too). Make sure you recommend products that add moisture and include UV protection. TIGI Bed Head has just launched Dumb Blonde Toning Protection Spray, which is an amazing product for blondes. Bed Head has addressed so many of the challenges associated with treated blonde hair, like weak internal bonds and increased tangling, combined with violet toners which help counteract any unwanted brassiness. It's my no.1 summer choice."

"We advise clients to purchase the correct products to help maintain their colour throughout the summer months. At Ena we would recommend a colour enhancing shampoo and conditioner system. To keep colour looking vibrant, we recommend our clients have a vegetable gloss treatment for a boost between root applications."
Johnny Othona, Director, Ena Salon & Allilon Education

Blonde hair model

"To look after colour, the Schwarzkopf BC Colour Freeze range is always a winner for brunettes and reds the whole year through, and will ensure anti-fade through the summer months."
Tai Walker, Mahogany Hairdressing

"Intensive masques are great revitalisers during a holiday and can add some much needed hydration post-beach, so encourage your clients to take one with them, or come in for a treatment before and after their trip. An intensive masque is the perfect after-sun treatment to repair coloured hair exposed to UV rays. Hair is left soft and shiny with long-lasting colour radiance."
Steve Rowbottom, Westrow

"For blondes, over exposure to the sun can cause unwanted brassy/yellow tones to come through. There's a little rainbow of colour molecules (red, yellow, blue) which are deposited into the cuticle when you colour hair. Because blue are the smallest, these are the molecules that disappear first, leaving the hair with mostly red and yellow pigment. And you know what those shades produce? Orange! The solution is a 'silver' shampoo or conditioner, as these have violet pigments, which are the opposite of orange, so they will shut that brassiness down." Coloured hair care products
Tai Walker, Mahogany Hairdressing

Products to try >>>

Osmo Colour Mission Silverising Shampoo 280ml
Macadamia Deep Repair Masque 250ml
Schwarzkopf BC Color Freeze range


First published in the Capital Hair & Beauty magazine.