Colour NOTES

Gaby Kennedy, stylist at Charlotte Paints Hair Studio, talks intentional tones, foiling techniques, and micro highlights

“YOUR HAIR BUT BETTER”

SUBTLE SUN KISS

IT’S GIVING… RICH

What do you love most about being a colourist?

I feel like a crazy scientist! Personalising formulas to each individual feels like an experiment. I’ve learnt that results are through learning, testing and refining.

What is the most important question you ask in a colour consultation and why?

What do they see? I often have clients in my chair that show a warm inspiration photo and see ash. I want to know we are on the same page.

What colour trends are you glad to see the back of?

Ash blonde. The way the pigments interact with light gives a dull illusion as it absorbs light.

Are there any colour trends you’d like to bring back?

All over colour brunettes. I think there’s a lot to explore with a global colour that gets underappreciated, like choosing intentional tones or hues that makes colour look luxurious.

What are the challenges facing colourists right now?

AI. Perfectly curated images of hair that doesn’t exist. When reality doesn’t match fantasy, the colourist gets blamed.

What colour techniques are you best known for?

My foiling. All my clients have different base colours, hair densities, and hair growth patterns so I strategically adapt where I place my foils. One size doesn’t necessarily fit all with techniques.

What do you think will be the next big colour trend?

Micro highlights and tip outs – shimmers of colour throughout the root area creating a soft, barely there look and bold ends creating the main bulk of lightness. Minimal root, maximum ends.

What colour creation makes you most proud?

I have a client who I create a fuchsia/ burgundy tone for. I could have definitely found a direct dye for that specific colour, but instead I worked out a formula using global colours to achieve a bespoke tone. The end result is always worth it.

What advice would you give to a trainee colourist?

I used to play a game with the stylists where I would guess the colours they used. It forced me to fully understand that colour is logic and a pattern. Because it’s a game, mistakes feel safe. Safe mistakes equal faster learning and confidence.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from being a colourist?

Forcing hair to do something it can’t do is how disasters happen. Being a responsible colourist beats ambition every time!