SILVER LINING:
How to wear metallic hair
INmy opinion, the best way to have an informed opinion about something is to try it out for yourself. So in the name of research, I signed up for metallic hair. (I’ve had turquoise hair – out-there colour doesn’t scare me!) Metalhead I have a strong red undertone, so my hair was looking pretty brassy and orange. Plus, it was dry and lacked shine. Shelene Shaer, owner of Joburg-based salon Tanaz Hair Body & Nails suggested I go for a silvery shade of lilac. Since purple is on the opposite end of the colour spectrum, it would help neutralise the brassiness in my hair. It worked a treat: the lilac killed about 70% of the orange, which was great.
Grey hair isn’t upon me just yet, but Shelene says this in-salon colour treatment is ideal for women who want to start embracing their natural greyness or ease into it, all while staying on trend.
‘If you’re going to grow out your grey, you need to figure out a plan,’ says Shelene. ‘The best thing to do is to convert your solid tint into
streaks. The same goes for our younger clientele, who are going grey as a fashion statement: this is the quickest and safest way we can get them to silver without causing damage.’
People want more natural options when it comes to hair colour, says Shelene.
‘You can look natural, and still beautiful and on trend, whether you’re in your twenties or in your nineties.’
‘Metallic colours and pastel tones seem to work for everyone,’ says Shelene. ‘Greys and silvers are the most wearable of the metallics as it cools colour down. Someone who’s gone completely grey told me she feels as if she’s been set free. She doesn’t have to go to the salon every six weeks to touch up her roots any longer – she goes because she wants to.’
The shade used on my hair was called 22 Hi-Lilac, an iridescent hue best for neutralising yellow. This Majirel L’Oréal Professionnel range has five colours: 11 Silver Star – Deep Ash, for a pastel-toned grey look or an on-trend ash colour; 12 Crystal Ash – Ash Iridescent, for a fashionable result with a sophisticated iridescent blend; 13 Ash Gold – Ash Golden, for a shimmery champagne blonde; 21 Pink Ash, for a soft, iridescent pink; and 22 Hi-Lilac.
Shelene’s must-have product for winter: oil
‘It helps with dryness and frizz. L’Oréal’s Professionnel Mythic Oil is lightweight and colourless. Warm it up by putting a few drops in your palm and apply to mid-lengths after blow-drying.’ Fill an old eyedropper bottle with hair oil to keep in your handbag. It’s great for when you need a quick application.
Bits and bobs
‘This winter, women want short bobs and soft-looking fringes inspired by the ’70s,’ says Shelene. ‘Just grow out pieces of your fringe until it’s long enough to give you a “curtain fringe”. And it has benefits: if you wash just your fringe, your style will look good, even if the rest of your hair is dirty.’
Making waves
‘Beachy waves are not only for the warmer months,’ says Shelene. ‘Dead-straight hair is over. The difference this time is to not make the waves look overly styled, and to work with the hair’s natural curl, if it has one. If you don’t have a curling wand or heated tool, twist your towel-dried hair into Princess Leia buns on either side of your head, secure with pins, then go to sleep.’ By morning you should have soft waves.
TOP TIP: Use a cream to style waves rather than a product with a hard, sticky texture. It will tame frizz, soften the look and add volume and shine.
I’ve been using these products by L’Oréal Professionnel to look after the style, colour and condition of my hair: