Abby, owner of Abby’s Hair Salon in The Beaches neighborhood of Toronto, Ontario, has been providing color care and advice for moms and daughters for years. Your mom probably grew up with you trying different hair colours too; “these ‘weekend colors’ have been around since the 70’s really, almost forever” says Abby, who shared with me some of the unexpected and affordable ways your daughter can care for her pastel hair.
Now that the trend has gone mainstream, if she hasn’t already, your teen daughter is probably weighing her own options for muted pastel shades. With options ranging from popular lavender and pale pink, to newer trends inspired by Summer, seafoam blue and minty green, and even sand-art-inspired hair is becoming a popular consideration. Not-Your-Granny’s-Grey is gaining popularity as well, with teens and women at all ages suddenly embracing going silver or charcoal.
Kelly Osbourne, who is credited for being the trendsetter, was contracted to keep her lavender hue as long as she was a host of of the red-carpet style, gossip, and entertainment reporting show, Fashion Police.
But don’t get fooled into believing just because this trend is called “weekend colors” that her hair color will fade back to natural without any special attention, or a small investment in color care product – the process of taking on these muted shades is two-step (in a single appointment), and starts by stripping your hair of all its pigment, going from your natural color to “platinum blonde,” or to a number 11 color shade. Then the tint color is applied, again in steps if necessary for the style and desired results.
Generally, you can expect pastels to need more care than other styles you may have tried before.
Color’s Primary Enemy. Especially with all the weddings and other events she’ll be attending this season, here’s how to help your teen care for her pastel hair, knowing that soon the combination of Summer weather, pollution and chemicals could alter the tone or life of her hairstyle. Be on the lookout for color-stealing culprits at your local beach or sport complex – wind, sun, sand, pollution, and saltwater, or chlorine from a pool.
A Trial Period Before She Commits. Especially before stripping her whole head of hair of all its pigment, if you want her to first test the waters on the trend – suggest she try an ombre application or streaks of color along her part, hairline or framing her face. If you’re stuck for ideas, compromise with “peakaboo highlights,” that can even hide the color from visibly growing out. Your best bet is to find a web photo of the style, that you can both agree to before making any drastic changes, and which will help clearly communicate your wishes to the colorist and stylist.
Getting What You Want: Communication is Key. Talk to the stylist about what type of haircut will show off her new pastel application the best, as well as the events or outfits you have upcoming to pair it with. Use photos to show both the cut and color results you want to achieve, as well as the outfit you plan to wear for any big events.
Making It Last. What makes the most difference in how long the original pastel color will last?
- Who Supplies the Product
- How Often She Shampoos
- How She Cares for Her Hair
Who Supplies the Product – Abby says that as a professional she knows and has seen the difference in quality between salon-exclusive color-care product lines, compared to mass retail drugstore options, compared to discount and also wholesale and discount price retailers… “Be wary of discount retailers,” says Abby as they’re known to frequently sell counterfeit brand packaging or illegally substituted ingredients, or products past their best-before expiry date.
How Often She Shampoos – This almost speaks for itself, as the soap will remove a large amount of the color pigment with each wash and reminding us of the well-earned nickname ‘weekend colors’.
How She Cares for Her Hair – Of course if she’s going from pool, to beach, to sun-bathing, to sweating and/or washing her hair throughout the course of the weekend following her big event, you can expect the tint to fade significantly, right away.
But if she follows these four steps and uses salon-exclusive products, she can transition easily from the novelty of a new hairstyle into regular everyday life during the Summer.
Easy & Affordable Tips to Extend The Life of Your Pastel
- Wear sunscreen for your hair
- Use a Summer leave-in conditioner (with UV protection and additional sand & pollution barriers)
- Coconut oil (natural UV protection) can be applied on fingertips to roots and massaged into scalp
- Wear a hat
To learn more about Abby and her experienced, expert approach to hair colors, styles, and trends that work for both mom and daughter, visit her new website: http://www.AbbysHairSalon.com.
Image: Model Lauren Calaway – www.travelsizesupermodel.net