Q: How do you get your male clients to try hair color?

Deb Gavin:

"Simply put, most stylists never educate their male clients on their color options," says Deb Gavin, Goldwell's North American Guest Artist and owner of Fresh Hair Studio in Southampton, Pennsylvania. "Men tend to be afraid to ask their stylist about hair color so we just assume they would not be interested. However, there are three leading concerns men have with regards to hair color:"

"The first is, ‘How will my hair look when it grows out?' I share with them that there are many options and we can create a natural out growth by using the right tool, so they won't have a heavy line of demarcation. They also ask, ‘Will it look natural?' I tell them, absolutely, through proper formulation, like taking all or some of the ‘N' out of your formula, you can create a more slate-based color. They also ask, ‘How long will I have to sit in the salon?' With products like Goldwell Men ReShade, the color service can be done at the shampoo bowl in as little as five minutes. With Goldwell's Hybrid Foam Technology it looks more like shampoo then hair color.

"To enhance the male client experience, create an area that caters more toward them. Things like magazines geared toward what they like to read help. Men need to compete and stand out more then ever. The days of a power suit getting you by are gone. It's about having signature hair color and a more youthful look."

Aura Friedman: "There are several ways to introduce men to the wonderful world of hair color," says Aura Friedman, celebrity colorist for Wella Professionals. "Although women enjoy a distinguished look, everybody-male or female- wants to look and feel youthful."

"With men the most important thing is to look natural. There are a few ways to achieve that. One way is to leave the gray temples out and to start the color right behind them. The gray temple looks distinguished and camouflages color re-growth, allowing more time in between color processes. Short men's cuts can be tricky when it comes to coloring due to the fact they need more frequent touch ups. Keeping some well-placed grays in the hair can give a man's hair color longevity.

"Another natural way to blend away grays is painting in darker pieces. The best type of color to use for this process is a new Koleston Perfect color called Pure Naturals. It's great when coloring men's hair because their grays tend to be coarse and pull warm tones. "Another option is to use a demi-permanent color, such as Wella Professionals Color Touch. Color Touch is a non-ammonia, deposit-only color when used with the 1.9 percent (6 volume peroxide). It is best to apply the color starting at the nape, which will make the hairline appear lighter and softer - emulating nature. This works well on men because it avoids any lift in the natural color and the translucency assures gray blending. My goal when coloring male clients is to avoid an unnatural opaque or "shoe-polish" finish. The key to successfully introducing men to color is to be thoughtful with your color placement, considering their ability to maintain the color while keeping it as natural as possible."