So you’ve heard of such Colour marvels as the Peach Blonde, Deep Violet Indulgence and the Strawberry Blonde? They’re the brainchild of Hanna, our Colour mixologist who may have also guided you on your Hair journey.
We sat down with her to talk about her speciality, mixing Hair Colours, and if she had any advice to offer us novices.
What’s your role within team My Hairdresser?
I answer your questions on the My Hairdresser info line, like What Colour do I need to use to be like the Hair in the picture? I messed up what should I do? My Hair is Yellow, how do I get rid of it? I’m a new Colourer, how do I get started? I also Colour Hair and develop Colour Mixers.
What excites you most about your job?
Watching people progress from first time Colourer’s to receiving their next email 6 months later and they’re using words like Warmth or reflect and writing to me to double check what they are about to do is correct. Most of the time they’re on the right track. It’s amazing.
Today we’re talking about mixing Colours, something I know you're pretty passionate about.
*Nods head repeatedly* Yes, yes, yes.
What do you wish people knew about mixing Colours?
1. It’s a lot easier than it sounds.
2. It takes your Hair Colour to another level.
There are a couple of rules you should follow when mixing. For example, don’t mix a Cool and Warm Colour together, it’s pointless. I always tell Colourer's if you’re only starting out with mixing, keep one Colour a Natural shade.
And why is that?
It will dictate how Light or Dark your Colour is and is a good base to build your Colour mix off. Then all you need to do is choose the reflect you want to add to your Colour.
So how do you know what Colour portions you need to add to your mix?
If you want one Colour to dominate use it as 3/4 of your mix. If you want each Colour to evenly represent do 1/2 of each. Or if you want to add a slight reflect to your Natural Colour use 3/4 of your Natural shade with 1/4 of your reflect Colour.
What’s the most popular Natural Colour base you recommend?
I would say 7 Medium Blonde. It’s a great starting base because it’s that in between Blonde shade that’s not too Dark and not too Light, meaning it’s perfect for a wide variety of Colourer’s.
What Colours do you like mixing?
It might sound ridiculous but I love mixing 7 with the other Colours in the 7 Range. I love a dirty Blonde hue, so I’ll mix 1/2 x 7 Light Blonde with 1/2 x 7.1 Ash Blonde to tame down the Ash a little. I’m also a huge fan of the Hazelnut Blonde. It works like magic, pumping Golden and Natural Tones back into the Hair and seriously enhancing the Hair Colour. I recommend the Hazelnut Blonde mix (1/2 x 7 Light Blonde with 1/2 x 7.3 Golden Blonde) for our users with over Bleached or Grey/White Hair that seriously needs an overhaul.
Do you have any Vibrant or Intense Colours you like to use?
Of course! I love using 8.44 Intense Copper Blonde and 9.3 Light Golden Blonde wherever possible. We’ve seen a huge surge in Strawberry Blonde and Peach Blondes recently and I absolutely love these shades. They’re far more diverse than using straight Coppers and makes the complexion sing.
Oh and 7.20 Cool Violet. What’s not to love about Violet?
What’s your dream Colour mix for yourself?
In a dream world, 8.44 Intense Copper Blonde and 9.3 Light Golden Blonde to make all my Strawberry Blonde dreams come true. Unfortunately, that won’t suit me so my next choice would be our mixer I helped create - the Deep Violet indulgence. I love love love the balance of the deep Brunette hues and the rich glossy Violet Tones. I’m really proud of that mix.
Do you have any tips you want to leave with our readers?
Just try! There’s no need to go over the top, keep it simple with basic Colour quantities. I know I have mentioned Colours in the Lighter end of our Range, but you can add reflects to our Darker shades too. What I love most about our Range is how much control you have. I want to encourage our Colourer's to embrace that and take control and create something incredible.
Take a look at some of Hanna’s favourite Colours she created.
