ccording to Kenzie Green,
stylist at Volume ONE Salon, one of the biggest trends right now is low maintenance “lived-in” color - the natural look with roots showing. Also, many of her clients want to work with their natural hair texture to reduce styling time and complete the lived-in look.
“In the past, men sported the shaggy, lived-in look and women were high maintenance,” Green said. “But now it has flip flopped. Men are coming in more frequently to get cleaned up - the tapered, European cut is popular. And women want less maintenance, so they are embracing their natural color and texture.”
Block coloring and vivids - greens and blues - are popular with younger clients.
“Reds and coppers are huge,” Green said.
Many clients still do keratin treatments, especially in summertime to reduce frizz. But, according to Green, they are going for smoothing, not straightening.
Another big trend, especially for women over 50, is to stop using hair color and go gray. According to stylist Tamar Mitchell, this transition requires patience because it can take up to a year to complete the process. She advises her clients to be sure the timing is right - no weddings or special events during the process.
“A good time to start the process is summer when your hair is already bleached out or lighter,” Mitchell said. “It is easier to go from blonde to white.”
According to Mitchell, the first step is to remove dye molecules, decolorize or bleach the hair. Then the hair is toned to a cooler, lighter shade to remove the warmth. This can’t be done in one visit.
It can take up to nine months to get the majority of the dye out of the hair and tone it from a warm, golden yellow to an icy, cooler shade.
As a stylist, Mitchell is playing a game with vision during this process - trying to hide the line of demarcation until the hair grows out. Sometimes she foils the hair to a pale blonde a few times. On some clients she adds chunky blonde streaks or brightens up the front pieces to hide the line of demarcation.
Mitchell’s client, Kricket Rich, chose the two-year period that started with the COVID lockdown and Hurricane Sally to go from golden blonde to gray.
“I was ready to let it go,” Rich said. “Tamar transitioned me one step at a time. The first bleach-out day was the longest. It took three or four more visits to bleach, with toning in between.”
Rich is not only embracing her natural hair color, she is also embracing her natural curl.
“I spent so much time straightening my hair. Tamar taught me about my three different curl textures and how to work with them,” Rich said. “It’s a drastic change but it’s been fun. My grandkids love it!”
— Kricket Rich
