THE 3 BIGGEST BLONDE MISTAKES THAT COLOURISTS MAKE

THE 3 BIGGEST BLONDE MISTAKES THAT COLOURISTS MAKE

THE 3 BIGGEST BLONDE MISTAKES THAT COLOURISTS MAKE

Tia Lambourn – founder of Bay Studios in Derby and both Tia Lambourn Education and The Blonding Bible online platform AND a Redken Advocate – knows what NOT to do when blonding a client! These are the mistakes to avoid

Tia Lambourn

MISTAKE 1 – Rinsing too early

The bleach is on and you’re panicking: ‘I’m using a blue bleach, and it looks like it’s ready to come off’. What ends up happening is that the hair’s quite yellow underneath. What I usually recommend in my education and Blonding Bible classes is to take out a tiny strand of hair from the foil and do an elasticity test, instead of just judging it visually. You can then feel if it’s ready to come off. If it has started to feel a bit stringy, then that can also save you from breakage. That has saved me in the past, when I’ve thought: ‘this needs another 20 minutes’.

I’ve been in the middle of a colour correction where the hair looks orange, and I’ve pulled on it, I’ve felt that it’s got a little bit of give, and I know I need to take it off now.

MISTAKE 2 – Ignoring the clear

When it comes to glossing, not everyone utilises the clear. The most used ‘colour’ in my salon is the clear! Sometimes the hair lifts so perfectly that what you’re going to end up doing is almost making it look slightly muddy, or a bit heavy, or when there’s a lot of pigment in the hair, it makes it appear darker. So, if you do have a client who wants to be mega blonde, and you’ve managed to lift them to a really nice level 11, you want to gloss with your chosen shade and the same amount of clear – go half and half. In some scenarios, I’ll even do three-quarters clear, one-quarter of the chosen shade.

MISTAKE 3 – Using ash toners for a bright finish

Ash was a big trend, everyone wanted to be an icy blonde or platinum, but for really bright blondes, I’m always reaching for the warmer shades. A lot of the time you have a client who wants to be mega blonde, but they want to be ashy, so colourists will mix up an ash toner. But if you think of a white cloud compared to a grey cloud, the grey cloud has more ash in it… and it looks darker. With a blonde tone that’s more ashy, it’s going to appear slightly more dull. It’s not actually dull, it’s just got a heavy amount of pigment in there, so it’s going to appear that way because it’s not going to reflect the light so much. You can do a mix of warm and ash so that it is not golden, but it’s not super ashy. It’s more of a creamy milky blonde, then you get the best of both worlds.

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‘ASK ME ANYTHING’, WITH MOST WANTED LEGEND JODY TAYLOR

‘ASK ME ANYTHING’, WITH MOST WANTED LEGEND JODY TAYLOR

'ASK ME ANYTHING', WITH MOST WANTED LEGEND JODY TAYLOR

Jody Taylor won the Men’s Hair Specialist award three times. Here, he shares advice and guidance on taking home a 2024 trophy.

Team Phillipart

Sitting on the fence about entering Most Wanted? We probed three-times Men’s Hair Specialist winner, Jody Taylor, for answers to common questions about the competition. Here’s what he gave us. 

You were already a successful artist before winning your first Most Wanted award, why did you enter? 

Because it’s a chance for me to reflect on my own work. To put everything into a presentation and have something I can look back on. It’s also a chance for other people to see my work, who weren’t aware of it beforehand. 

Did you have a game plan for preparing your entries?  

Um, no, I didn’t. The most important part is to just start! I’m a great believer that action creates motivation, so put some time aside, review your work over the last year, what you’ve achieved, and if relevant, pull together the images you’ve created. Then think about your case study and take it from there. My entries took me a while – I went over and over them until I was happy. Then I started cutting them down and got my friends, colleagues and family to look. The only way to do it, is to physically do it – don’t procrastinate over it. It’s just giving yourself time, having a look at it and giving it a go. 

How did you find the time to get everything done? 

There’s not enough time in life to do everything, you just have to prioritise what’s important to you. Entering Most Wanted was something I wanted to put time aside for.

Did you find it difficult putting together the written parts of your entries? 

My English – spelling, literature, everything – is the worst in the world, so I’d write it in my own words, then ask a friend, or family member – my Mum – to proofread it, and help me with it. What I wanted was for the words to be my own. We’re hairdressers, we’re not necessarily academics; as long as your words read like you, that’s what’s important. 

How did you decide what to include or exclude? 

It was quite easy for me. There were moments over the particular year – projects I’d done – that I was super proud of. Ultimately, you’ve got to think of the things that give you stand out from the crowd in your specific field. 

You won three times; did you change your approach each year? 

No. My approach was very similar each time, in that I created a magazine with my work. I wanted to have something I could keep with me as memorabilia, too, so a lot of thought went into the design, the format and the images I selected. I kept it the same every year because I wanted to create these books, almost so I can look back at them in 20 years’ time and think, wow that’s cool!  

Looking back, is there anything you’d change about your entries? 

No, I wouldn’t change anything because I know I put every effort into them, and I think that’s the most important thing. It seemed to work for me! 

Did winning have an impact on you and/or your career? 

Definitely! I’ve got a lovely shiny trophy – or three of them – up on my shelf, which makes me feel very proud. But honestly, it’s not about winning, it’s about entering. Entering is the most important part because you are putting yourself out there and you’re trying to improve. If you don’t win, you’re going to look back and try to improve the next year. Actually, just being proud of your work and allowing other people to see it, I think is the main thing. Making the effort – that is winning for me.  

Any final words about entering? 

100 percent you should enter! Don’t dwell on it, just do it and don’t worry about the outcome. Focus on the doing it! 

It’s free to enter the Most Wanted. Entries must be submitted no later than 9pm on Monday 13 May. Click here for a full list of categories and how to enter. 

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WANT TO WORK WITH INFLUENCERS? THIS IS HOW YOU GET THE BEST OUT OF THEM

WANT TO WORK WITH INFLUENCERS? THIS IS HOW YOU GET THE BEST OUT OF THEM

Want to work with influencers? THIS is how you get the best out of them

Here’s the skinny on influencer etiquette so you don’t get burned, from Thomas Walters of influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy.

Team Phillipart

George Pagan, Unsplash

Think local

You need to identify your objectives for an influencer marketing campaign. This will dictate the types of partnerships you should prioritise and how to execute them. Assuming it’s a campaign designed to grow awareness and drive consideration for SMEs working to a budget, you should explore collaborations with micro-influencers in a targeted, local campaign. This is cost-effective, generating on average $5.78 (£4.55) in earned media value (EMV) for every dollar (79p) spent. It can help to boost your content output, grow your audience, and increase credibility.

Focus on TikTok and Instagram

You’ll get best value for money on TikTok and Instagram, which are still the best-performing platforms when it comes to influencer partnerships because of the reach they can generate and the number of influencers available, especially in the beauty and personal care sectors. Knowing your core target audience will determine which platform is best suited for your influencer marketing campaign. For example, TikTok typically skews towards a younger demographic. Knowing the type of content you want to create – whether it’s long form or short form, or video or still imagery – is crucial. TikTok tends to generate better performance for short-form video content while Instagram is a more effective channel for still imagery.

Who are you targeting?

You need to identify your key target audience. Focus on demographic characteristics such as age, gender and location, which are key indicators of an individual’s interests and potential purchase motivations. This will help to whittle down the list of prospective influencer partners. You should also explore subcultures with an affinity to your brand and target audience. For example, participating with influencers active in the Hairtok conversation on TikTok in which consumers share hair related content.

Go micro

These subcultures are where you’re most likely to find ‘micro-influencers’, with smaller but often more loyal and more engaged audiences. It means that they often generate higher engagement rates, which means more impactful collaborations and better return-on- investment if you’re working to a budget.

To pay or to gift?

To further keep costs down, you might want to explore gifting instead of paid collaborations, offering free services and/or products in exchange for visibility on the influencer’s channel. This method may not work for influencers with large followings since their barrier to promotion can be much higher, but this approach can be highly effective for local micro- influencers who are effective in spreading positive word-of-mouth.

Take over a trend!

Consider ‘trend hijacking’ as an approach to influencer collaborations. TikTok has changed audience behaviours and the speed at which content is consumed, popularised and then dissipates. Businesses able to spot trends and react quickly to them can gain significant reach on a budget, using influencers to join the conversation more organically. Small businesses have the benefit of being agile, so can use this strategy to effect.

Trust is key

Effective influencer marketing relies on trust, which means authentic partnerships are crucial. This is built by creating genuine relationships with the influencer and the business and its services. You can do this through gifting so the influencer actually knows your offering well and genuinely endorses it as a user themselves. Longer-term partnerships, which are far more convincing than one-off collaborations, help too. Consider committing to more than one sponsored post with an influencer or within a niche community.

Team Phillipart

Thomas Walters

 Love their content?

It could be a match Choosing the right influencer can be a challenge. It’s important that the look and feel of their content is aligned to your aesthetic, especially if you plan to amplify the content beyond their audience. Ensuring alignment leads to improved performance and engagement. You’ll need to do your due diligence and thoroughly assess an influencer’s track record to ensure they align with your values and to ensure there aren’t any contentious historic posts.

Track it all – and track the right stuff

Careful monitoring of performance to gauge effectiveness can be hard. You’ll need to work with the influencer closely to secure their first party data insights. Be wary of assessing performance against the right metrics. Beyond vanity metrics, such as engagements, you should also consider comments, saves and shares. They show deeper consumer intent.

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THE IT LIST RETURNS WITH SIX TROPHIES WAITING TO BE CLAIMED

THE IT LIST RETURNS WITH SIX TROPHIES WAITING TO BE CLAIMED

IT’S BACK! THE ULTIMATE PLATFORM FOR FRESH YOUNG TALENTS

Calling all hair professionals aged 30 and under: the It List is on the hunt for six future faces of British and Irish hairdressing.

Miles Twist

Miles Twist – It List 2023 The One to Watch winner

There’s nothing like Creative HEAD’s It List Awards for young hair pros to showcase their talent and build their profiles. Now in its 14ᵗʰ year, the competition returns in 2024 with a mission to find the best young business-builders, creative forces, hard grafters, and game-changers – the names setting the barbering, session and salon spheres on fire!

Exclusively sponsored by industry legends ghd, and open to the owners and employees of salons, barber shops and other workspaces, as well as self-employed and freelance hair professionals based in the UK and Ireland – all aged 30 or under – there are six It List categories to choose from, collectively representing skill, vision, dedication and bucketloads of ambition.

It List Grand Final 2023

It List 2023 Grand Final

Entries will be judged by leading names from the worlds of hair, fashion, business, and media. Last year’s panels included digital creator Maddie Bruce; salon owner Errol Douglas MBE; talent agents from Art + Commerce and Streeters; and session stars Aaron Carlo and Leigh Keates. Finalists will be invited to attend the Most Wanted and It List Grand Final taking place in London on Monday 2 September. This hot-ticket event – hosted in the past by comedy giants like Russell Kane, Suzi Ruffell and Jack Whitehall – will bring together an all-star guest list to celebrate in style the stars of 2024.

Awaiting this year’s winners? A coveted It List trophy, a generous gift from ghd and an opportunity like no other to boost profile. Previous winners have gone on be signed by talent agents, work on Fashion Week teams in London, New York, Paris and Milan, present at industry events and even launch their own brands. It’s true: a place on the It List can be career-changing.

It’s free to enter the It List 2024. Entries must be submitted no later than 9pm on Monday 13 May.

For a full list of categories and entry instructions, click here.

It List Grand Final 2023

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OPEN FOR ENTRIES – CREATIVE HEAD’S MOST WANTED AWARDS 2024

OPEN FOR ENTRIES – CREATIVE HEAD’S MOST WANTED AWARDS 2024

RESPECT, REWARD AND RECOGNITION – ALL WRAPPED UP IN 16 MOST WANTED TROPHIES

Most Wanted 2024 has launched and the search is on to uncover Britain and Ireland’s most inspiring hairdressing talents.

Nash White

Nashwhite – Most Wanted 2023 Business Thinker winner

Creative HEAD’s Most Wanted Awards recognise the most outstanding, progressive and game-changing talents in British and Irish hairdressing. With 16 sought-after trophies available to the owners and employees of salons, barber shops and other workspaces, as well as self-employed and freelance hair professionals, the competition celebrates a multitude of disciplines, from creative skill to commercial acumen, education, the client experience and a commitment to sustainability. Most Wanted also shines a spotlight on the hairdressing business owners breathing life into the high street, the session artists setting global trends, and the individuals whose skills and smiles transform thousands of lives every single day. 

Now in its 24ᵗʰ year, Most Wanted is widely acknowledged as the industry’s most inclusive and respected competition – in 2023 it enjoyed a record-breaking number of entries. This year, all 16 categories will once again be judged by dozens of names working across hair, fashion, business, and the media – influential names like ELLE UK’s George Driver; broadcaster, journalist and entrepreneur Ateh Jewel; leading salon owner Andrew Collinge; and iconic session stylist Sam McKnight MBE. The awards will culminate in a breathtaking Grand Final, held at an awe-inspiring London venue (Tate Modern, Printworks and the National History Museum have all welcomed our star-studded guests in the past).

Most Wanted 2023 Grand Final

Most Wanted 2023 Grand Final

Naomi Brooks at Most Wanted Grand Final 2023

Naomi Brooks – Most Wanted 2023 Award for Innovation winner 

Says Creative HEAD editorial director, Amanda Nottage: “Hairdressing is a brilliantly diverse industry with a breadth of talent, innovation and originality that leaves you breathless – and that’s what Most Wanted is here to salute and celebrate. We look forward to honouring our entrants’ contributions in style.”

Win a Most Wanted trophy, and the recognition can be life-changing. Previous winners have gone on to represent global brands, lead Fashion Week teams across the world, launch their own workspaces and product ranges, get slots on prime-time TV and collaborate with the world’s most famous designers and publications.

Most Wanted 2024 is free to enter, and entries must be submitted no later than 9pm on Monday 13 May.

For a full list of categories and entry instructions, click here.

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