How to reignite your red colour services

Kate Bosworth and Sophie Turner, have both been on a red venture in recent times and have done wonders for bringing both natural and dyed redheads into a new era. "Red hair used to  be viewed as a bold colour choice and only worn by those who wanted to be seen and heard," explains Kirsten Maine, director of Live True London. "This has shifted as people are realising that red hair brightens up facial features, offers a multi-dimensional look and with the right shade it can flatter most skin tones."

There has been a 100% increase in the search term 'ginger balayage' while 'red balayage' is also proving popular with 9,900 searches on average each month, according to Google Trends 2019. In response, there has been a spike in the number of colour houses bringing out red-centric launches and services.

Return of the red

The new influx of red colour shades are broad, ranging from the brightest pillar-box red to a more muted rouge. "Red can absolutely be a soft and subtle colour choice in the same way that blondes can be bold or bright, delicate or punchy,” Robert Eaton, Wella Professionals UK and Ireland technical director points out. Red hair is proving to be a hit on Instagram too. There were 14.6 million posts with #redhair at last count. “Bright shades and cinnamon tones have been popular on social media and there’s nothing more stunning than a redhead with glossy locks,” confirms Neil Barton, Goldwell UK guest artist.

What to ask yourself

Are you catering to your existing red clientele? Could you be doing more to tempt clients to ‘go red’ and could you attract redhead clients from other salons? “Sometimes it can feel like red shades are neglected from a marketing point of view, as advertising doesn’t always feature flame-haired beauties,” points out Heffy Wheeler, OSMO brand ambassador. Look at the services you are promoting in salon and on social media – what colour hair do the model images you use in marketing have and is your retail offering red-friendly?

The consultation

Instagram – whether you think it’s supporting the colour industry or creating unrealistic expectations – is often the first port of call for people who are thinking about a colour change. “Clients will come in with ideas based on social media and they often want results that aren’t realistic for the hair or the appointment’s time frame,” explains Tracey Devines Smite, A.S.P global ambassador. This means a face-to-face colour consultation is crucial for red clients.

The personal touch

There are so many shade variations so understanding your client’s personality and style is crucial. “We always advise our newly red clients to think about changing their make-up and wardrobe as some colours may not work with their new hair,” explains Mark Leeson, Revlon Professional global artistic ambassador. This year Revlon has heralded a ‘Redvolution’ with new red and copper shades by Revlonissimo Color Sublime which makes it simple to cherry pick the right colour for your client and style.

Skincare analysis

It’s crucial to get the right red for a client’s skin tone. Carolyn Newman, founder of Carolyn Newman Academy has a great tip to identify the right tones for clients: “To check whether cool shades or warm shades work best on your client place a hot pink and a bright orange scarf under their chin. Whichever tone makes their eyes sparkle and their skin look healthy is the correct one.” If the pink looks best, opt for cool tones, whereas if the orange makes their features pop, use warmer tones. Gemma Hensman, director at Hensmans and a Schwarzopf Professional ambassador places trial pieces in her client’s hair. “Test pieces allow me to see what pre-pigmentation may be needed – if any at all.” Word of warning – if your client’s skin has very red undertones, you might want to avoid taking their hair red.

 

 

Kate Bosworth and Sophie Turner, have both been on a red venture in recent times and have done wonders for bringing both natural and dyed redheads into a new era. "Red hair used to  be viewed as a bold colour choice and only worn by those who wanted to be seen and heard," explains Kirsten Maine, director of Live True London. "This has shifted as people are realising that red hair brightens up facial features, offers a multi-dimensional look and with the right shade it can flatter most skin tones."

There has been a 100% increase in the search term 'ginger balayage' while 'red balayage' is also proving popular with 9,900 searches on average each month, according to Google Trends 2019. In response, there has been a spike in the number of colour houses bringing out red-centric launches and services.

Return of the red

The new influx of red colour shades are broad, ranging from the brightest pillar-box red to a more muted rouge. "Red can absolutely be a soft and subtle colour choice in the same way that blondes can be bold or bright, delicate or punchy,” Robert Eaton, Wella Professionals UK and Ireland technical director points out. Red hair is proving to be a hit on Instagram too. There were 14.6 million posts with #redhair at last count. “Bright shades and cinnamon tones have been popular on social media and there’s nothing more stunning than a redhead with glossy locks,” confirms Neil Barton, Goldwell UK guest artist.

What to ask yourself

Are you catering to your existing red clientele? Could you be doing more to tempt clients to ‘go red’ and could you attract redhead clients from other salons? “Sometimes it can feel like red shades are neglected from a marketing point of view, as advertising doesn’t always feature flame-haired beauties,” points out Heffy Wheeler, OSMO brand ambassador. Look at the services you are promoting in salon and on social media – what colour hair do the model images you use in marketing have and is your retail offering red-friendly?

The consultation

Instagram – whether you think it’s supporting the colour industry or creating unrealistic expectations – is often the first port of call for people who are thinking about a colour change. “Clients will come in with ideas based on social media and they often want results that aren’t realistic for the hair or the appointment’s time frame,” explains Tracey Devines Smite, A.S.P global ambassador. This means a face-to-face colour consultation is crucial for red clients.

The personal touch

There are so many shade variations so understanding your client’s personality and style is crucial. “We always advise our newly red clients to think about changing their make-up and wardrobe as some colours may not work with their new hair,” explains Mark Leeson, Revlon Professional global artistic ambassador. This year Revlon has heralded a ‘Redvolution’ with new red and copper shades by Revlonissimo Color Sublime which makes it simple to cherry pick the right colour for your client and style.

Skincare analysis

It’s crucial to get the right red for a client’s skin tone. Carolyn Newman, founder of Carolyn Newman Academy has a great tip to identify the right tones for clients: “To check whether cool shades or warm shades work best on your client place a hot pink and a bright orange scarf under their chin. Whichever tone makes their eyes sparkle and their skin look healthy is the correct one.” If the pink looks best, opt for cool tones, whereas if the orange makes their features pop, use warmer tones. Gemma Hensman, director at Hensmans and a Schwarzopf Professional ambassador places trial pieces in her client’s hair. “Test pieces allow me to see what pre-pigmentation may be needed – if any at all.” Word of warning – if your client’s skin has very red undertones, you might want to avoid taking their hair red.