“Airbrushed” – it has come to mean “perfect”, so it’s no wonder that hairdressing is embracing this technique in salons. Use it commercially to give your clients the soft, pastel hair of their dreams, or use it creatively to craft incredible patterns for competitions and collections.
Crazy Color brand ambassador, Paul Callaghan, firmly believes that airbrushing is a useful trick to have in your arsenal. “The airbrush can help to soften regrowth, refresh roots and cover greys quickly and easily,” he says. “By using an airbrush to apply colour means it goes on the hair without saturating it and provides a more natural, soft look. By airbrushing the product into the hair, it allows you to have more control on the placement, especially if you want to create a blended appearance.”
So, how does he do it? “Add a few drops of the Crazy Color Pastel Sprays to the airbrush compressor. Then take a section of the hair and place a paper towel underneath to help soak up any residue,” Paul explains. “By softly airbrushing the colour on to the hair it creates a nice blush tone. Feather the colour up to the roots if you want to create a balayage or ombré look. Blow-dry the hair to lock in the colour – the beauty of the new sprays is that they wash out, meaning you can create a quick temporary hair update. This method would also be great for editorial looks as the possibilities are endless for the shapes and lines the airbrush helps create. Once fully blow-dried into the hair it can be styled as normal with tongs or straighteners.”
Skyler McDonald, founder of the recently opened Skyler London colour only salon, used airbrushing in the Expression of Colour Collective show at the L’Oréal Colour Trophy Final this year. “To create the airbrushed technique, I first started by designing the shape myself and getting a printing company to make the stencil,” she explains. “It is important for the hair to be completely straight to create the perfect pattern. I mixed L’Oreal #COLORFULHAIR – one part colour to three parts water – and then airbrushed softly onto the hair using the stencil. It’s important to make sure you wipe clean the stencil both sides each time to keep it clean and to not drip any colour onto previous sections. It’s important to allow the hair to dry fully before combing as the colour will spread.
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