Colorist’s Journal

The Hollywood writers’ strike and the cancellation of some red-carpet events have given celebrity hair colorist Marco Pelusi, owner of Marco Pelusi Hair Studio in West Hollywood, had time to think about seasonal color for clients besides his A-listers. Here, he shares his musings.

Marco Pelusi is thinking about winter hair color.

During the winter, most of my clients like to wear a darker color in their hair. Even my blonde clients may wish to deepen their color. It’s just more of a natural appearance to have brighter color when it’s really sunny outside during the warmer months and a richer, deeper tone when it gets colder.

Often a reddish tone is a lovely choice to add into his/her color during winter– for both blondes or light brunettes – if their skin tone can carry it.

A problem can arise quickly, however, when you add red or darker colors: they sometimes fade more quickly than the usual blonde or brunette color. As a general rule, reds are first to fade, because they are the largest dye molecules. Whether your client is a redhead, blonde or brunette, if he/she is going even a bit darker/redder, you should always be mindful of what you could do to prevent his/her hair from premature color fade. This may include leaving the color on a bit longer on certain areas, or mixing up separate formulas for the roots vs. the rest of the hair.

Be sure to not simply pull through the same root color, but rather use a fresh color formula for the ends. Really put yourself to the test so you’ll be able to maintain your client’s color longer.

Then you need to evaluate which hair care products your client is using at home. You need to make sure that the products are specifically formulated to repair and moisturize, as well as to prevent hair from premature color fade so that the deeper color lasts. Finally, as a general rule, it’s possible that your client won’t need to shampoo as often, perhaps every other day, which will help retain his/her hair color for a longer period of time.

Along the same lines, when your clients are going darker and/or redder during these winter months, many want have eyebrows or eyelashes lighter than their new hair color. It is definitely possible to tint either or both, and it’s a procedure I recommend for a total look of beauty. (Editor’s note: eyebrow and eyelash tinting are forbidden in some areas; check with your State Board to see if the services are permissible.)

When you add red to his/her hair, it’s possible a hint of red may also look good in his/her eyebrows. It’s also possible that a beautiful brown or black lash tinting will brighten and enhance the new hair color by bringing out the client’s eye color.