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Copper Couture: Colorists' Tips on Perfecting the Shade
Copper, the on-trend shade of red this season, is bolder than strawberry blonde, but appears natural in spite of its vibrancy.
Elizabeth Jakaitis・Assistant Editor
Shannon Smith (@shan.k.smith), a stylist at Mosaic Salon and Boutique in Las Vegas, created a sunset copper using L’Oréal Professionnel color. She applied Majirel ¾ oz 6.60 and ¼ oz 7.40 with 25-volume developer on the client’s level-4 new growth. Then she used Dia Richesse 7.40 with 9-volume developer as a gloss.
2 min to read
Copper, the on-trend shade of red this season, is bolder than strawberry blonde, but appears natural in spite of its vibrancy. Creating the perfect shade is key to the copper trend, according to Rossa Jurenas, North American color director for Schwarzkopf Professional. She recommends adding a hint of bronze undertone to deepen the color.
“Copper hair for fall is a trend that I’ve seen again and again every year,” says Jillian LeDonne, colorist at Eva Scrivo in New York. “As end-of-summer tans fade, this fiery shade adds an instant warmth and glow to nearly every skin tone being so customizable.”
Before and after: Jillian LeDonne (@jillianledonne) created a vibrant copper hue that looks perfectly natural.
Before and after: Jillian LeDonne (@jillianledonne) created a vibrant copper hue that looks perfectly natural.
Building dimension can be as important as shade when creating natural-looking copper. Babylights or lowlights will create a multi-dimensional illusion in the hair, as well as giving the appearance of movement and fullness.
Shannon Smith, a stylist at Mosaic Salon and Boutique in Las Vegas, likes to keep the base a shade or two darker than the midlengths and ends to create depth. “I feather the base color down to get a seamless blend, and then gloss from base to ends,” she says.
As with any color, coppers need to be adjusted to suit clients’ skintones. “Copper with a hint of plum will give a cooler base for those with a cooler skin tone,” Jurenas says. “Adding more gold tones will complement the perfect peaches-and-cream, warmer skin tone.”
To be sure that the final tone selection best suits the client, Smith recommends adjusting eyebrow color with a tint, and encourages clients to adjust their makeup tones to complete their new look.
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