THE COLOUR CRAZE FOR ALL AGES

I’ve ummed and ahhed over whether pastel hair colours are really you, dear YOU reader. But as time goes on, it’s becoming clear that this trend is by no means the preserve of teens or punk revivalists. Hilary Duff and Helen Mirren prove the point. For colourist Jack Howard, it’s thanks to a new wave of formulations and application methods that the look has adopted real softness and beauty. Armed with L’Oréal Professionnel’s semi-permanent #ColorfulHair palette, which includes shades such as Pink Sorbet and Iced Mint, Jack uses a ‘pastelage’ technique (aka balayage with pastels) with make-up sponges and brushes to scatter colour-pop hues amid lengths, either in peekaboo sections or at the tips (from £30 with Jack at the Paul Edmonds salon in London SW3; from £15 at L’Oréal Professionnel salons, lorealprofessionnel.co.uk). Meanwhile, the eminently grown-up John Frieda salons in London W1 have launched a new Colour Flash service. Go in and they’ll add a ripple of colour beneath the top layer of your hair, providing a sophisticated purr of pastel, rather than a full-on shout (£95, johnfrieda.co.uk). Give it a whirl – because this colour trick is definitely not just for teens.