Blues Hues: The Voice's Juhi and More

Pastels and primaries remain a fun way for clients to pop a little punk into their lives. Reds, pinks violets and lavenders have their moment from time to time, but right now we’re seeing a lot of blues, ranging from turquoise and aqua to royal and cool midnight blue.

Shown here are some of the celebs spotted rockin’ the blue. Scroll to the bottom for a step-by-step you can use to add color to your clients’ world.

Just recently, frequent color-changer Demi Lovato showed up in Mexico City bluer than usual, while earlier this year British girl-grouper Jade Thirlwell threaded a similar shade into her auburn waves.

Actress Lily Collins, American Idol alum Jordin Sparks and Style Network’s How Do I Look? host Jeannie Mai show how some icy strands can glam up an auburn or deep brunette.

The Voice contestant Juhi, 16, created buzz not just about her powerful vocals but also about her turquoise-on-chocolate. Goldwell North American Artistic Team member Robert Brown, owner of hairobert, says “POCs”—pops of color—and color splashes are especially popular with salon clients when they’re mixed in with more natural shades. “Done with tipping or dip-dyed techniques, it is quite easy and fun to create and even easier to grow out, tempting even the most conservative client to go for it!” Brown says. His how-to:

STEP 1: Retouch/refresh the chocolaty base with Goldwell Topchic 6BM or 5BG.

STEP 2: Decolor—Use Goldwell SilkLift Strong with 20 volume to create light pieces on the top or fringe areas using a weaving or Balayage technique. For the surprise pops of color that spill from underneath, finesse the light ends using a diffusion technique such as back-combing the sections to reduce the strands by 60 percent and painting the ends about halfway or a third down the panels. Two to three rows of zigzagged sections is usually enough to dance out of the cut from underneath. Let the style and density choose how much needs to be worked. Process until the palest yellow possible without damage; turquoise and other blues brown out if the strand is too orange. Shampoo and condition thoroughly to re-acidify the hair.

STEP 3: Add turquoise. Apply Goldwell Elumen—get creative and use two, or even three, shades. Start underneath and work up, sectioning out focal areas. Slice, weave or combine techniques when applying various tones of colors. Variations could include: Tq@all/CLEAR 1:1 for a bright turquoise, Tq@all with just a few drops of Bl@all and Gn@all for a deep, rich ocean blue/green and some YY@all with a few drops of the Tq@all added to make interesting chartreuse as a highlight. Once complete, process for 30 minutes and cleanse with Elumen WASH and TREAT. Apply LOCK to the colorful bits created.

STEP 4: Finishing. Drizzle Goldwell Elixir over a generous amount of Goldwell StyleSign Top Whip mousse, mix with hands, apply to hair and blow-dry. Try a bit of Goldwell StyleSign Roughman or Full Rebel to piece out turquoise from under the chocolate for a winged, ethereal quality.

Want more how-to’s for peacock and blue jay crowns? Click here and here.