The Style Glossy: Hair Studio

Hair Color Trends We’re Loving Right Now

By Shelley Levitt for The Style Glossy

If you’ve been contemplating to change your color this year, now’s the time to be bold and do it. With spring just around the corner, it’s time for a gorgeous renewal. To help you get started, we asked celebrity colorists to share the big color trends 2014. We love what they said!

1. It’s the year of the platinum blonde.

“I have dark brunette editors at Vogue and Marie Claire asking for platinum,” says colorist David Todd of the David Frank Salon in Scottsdale, Ariz. The runways were also packed with former dark-haired beauties now showing off that lightest of all blonde shades. Celebrities like Elle Fanning, Miley Cyrus and even Kim Kardashian are all going light blonde, and “it’s happening in every hair salon across America,” says Todd.

2. Monochromatic color is the new power shade.

Todd calls this “power color”: It’s hair color like you mean it — no in-between shades or wishy-washy tones, he says. Whether the color is red, blonde or brunette, it’s solid and strong with no obvious highlights. Blondes are bright and light, brunettes are deep and rich, and reds are vibrant.

3. Pastels are passé.

“The color trend I’m seeing less and less of and I predict will be out in 2014 is pink, blue and other rainbow colors on adult women,” says Todd. “These hair dyes have very large color molecules which wash out very quickly and look like a faded mess after just a couple of shampoos.” Which is OK for 13-year-olds, but at our age? Not so much.

4. Ombré gets an update.

“Modern ombré is about having depth at the roots that fade into lighter tips,” says Todd, “with subtle gradations and a soft haze between shades.” Frank Galasso, a Hollywood colorist who tends to the tresses of Gwyneth Paltrow, Olivia Wilde, Vanessa Williams and Sharon Stone, adds that ombré is a great, low-maintenance way to go lighter.

“Your natural color will still frame your face so you can experience a lighter look without it being too drastic,” says Galasso. “I always recommend highlights about three shades lighter than natural. It gives the hair a shiny glow.”

SEE ALSO: A Beauty Editor’s Hair Resolutions for 2014

Hair Color Makeover: DIY or See a Pro?

If you’re going just a shade or two lighter or darker than your natural color, you can achieve great results with today’s nearly foolproof at-home color products. (For more dramatic makeovers, see a pro — you’ll want to leave the complicated process of going from, say, brunette to platinum to the experts.) Plus, many color lines have websites that are loaded with advice and can also connect you to pros through on-line chats to give you tips on application and choosing the color that’s right for you.

Go into a color tweak with an open mind, Todd suggests. “Start with some feedback about what’s working and what’s not,” he says. “Often we don’t see ourselves objectively and it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. For a minute, forget about your ideas about what color is best for you and get some professional suggestions.” And scrape the notion that you need to keep your hair on the dark side during the winter. “Contrary to popular belief,” says Todd, “winter is a great time to go slightly lighter. The skin gets lighter so a bit less color in the hair works well. Save the low lights for summer when you’ve had a bit of sun.”

SEE ALSO: How to Talk to Your Hairdresser

Maintain Your Hair Color and Shine

Once you’ve achieved your gorgeous hue, you can maintain it with a little bit of TLC. “The foundation for any hair care routine is a good shampoo and conditioner especially formulated for color-treated hair,” says New York celebrity colorist Kyle White, whose roster includes A-listers like Kate Winslet, Charlize Theron, Jessica Alba and Naomi Watts. Products like a color preserve shampoo give your hair a protective outer layer that helps keep the color from fading and also adds moisture and shine.

You’ll also want to be sure to use a product like a heat protection and shine spray whenever you use a hot styling tool. “The same way colored clothing tends to fade when placed in a dryer,” White says, “flat irons and other high-heat styling tools can fade color and dull shine.”

SEE ALSO: Simple Steps for Healthy Skin and Hair

Shelley
Levitt is
the managing editor of The Style Glossy. She is a former West Coast editor of Self and
senior writer at People.