It's Only Natural

by Hair's How

“If the roots are two shades darker then the rest hair, the face will look brighter - clients will find that they do not need so many bright cosmetics!”
“Use two or three shades with one shade difference — and this will create the effect of naturalness!”
- Jean Francois Minosse, Camille Albane Salons; Paris, France

Ecological style has become not only a new tendency but also new culture, almost a religion, so to speak. And the idea of ‘being green´ itself as a fashion image has become a real contribution of the beauty industry, too. But it all began with another unexpected motivation: once it appeared expensive to live in harmony with nature, and this means prestigious. And not everyone could afford such a ‘natural´ life. So apparently, we should be thankful to the highest society and not to the eco-consciousness of today´s times, for the introduction of ecological ideas in fashion and beauty.

The ideas of pure face, strong cut of clothes, and accurate lines in hairstyling were in common practice a long time ago in the noblest, richest European families. As a result, it was that distance between the high society and ‘nouveau riche´ and just that very quality of being simply well-just that very quality of being simply well-groomed that advantageously distinguished the ladies from the lowly working women. ‘Stylishness´ and ‘natural´ beauty are tell-tale signs of living a refined style of life. nowadays, even Hollywood stars contributed to quick popularity of the eco-style: Cameron Diaz with her eco-conscious messages and the pure stylings of Gwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman. Fashion responded in droves! And hairdressers did not get lost: now they must answer the questions brought on by this whole ecological trend.

IS ‘NATURAL´ STYLE AN OXYMORON?

Obviously the hairdresser has to have a concrete plan on how to achieve the ‘natural look´ for his clients that demand it. At an intuitive level, the notion ‘natural look´ can be easily understood, but in professional plan something concrete is required. How much can the master compete with nature? As it seems impossible to answer these questions at one fling let´s begin with principal: what should ecostyle mean to the hairdressers themselves?
The hairdressers with great experience consider that ecological style is a question of following nature.
And some clients are endowed by nature with heavy glossy hair and the others with magnificent wavy or curly hair. Every time a client sits in our chair and says she likes to keep her hair style ‘natural´ we need to start from what is given by nature. This means we will deal with two directions and you´ll need to decide what kind of hair (and person) your client is: The straight, well-mannered glossy type or the naturally ‘wild´ type. Glossy, heavy hair must be shining, sleek and unruly, curly hair is often disobedient and faded. The master knows how to make it look as if it has been left free but really an expert cut accentuates curls and waves to a desirable direction that looks more well-groomed! Certainly there are clients for whom it´s important that there hair is not disturbed, but the hairdresser has got a great number of methods for achieving this ‘natural´ result, desirably, after all even the a wash-and-wear Sassoon Cut can performed in three variants. This ‘natural´ client doesn´t need to know WHY her ‘natural´ waves obey so beautifully when you´ve cut and styled her hair — that´s the master´s secret!

DOESN´T HEALTHY HAIR COME FIRST?

While creating any style, and for ‘natural´ clients in particular, the health of the hair and scalp is the first concern. Art director Jean Francois Minosse of Camille Albane Salons points out, “the hair condition is the basis of any hairstyle and that´s why the hairdresser should again and again pay attention to this point first and foremost. The results of a survey taken at our salon last year showed that only 10% of clients take care of their hair at home the right way. 90% of clients do it the wrong way! And clients can´t see the mistakes themselves. After all, you are the expert! Spend time with your clients to teach them proper hair care and persuade them to listen to your advice on shampooing, conditioning, brushing, products, and blowing. This way their hair´s health and strength can only improve!”

WHAT COLOR IS ‘NATURAL´?

It seems that a desired natural appearance does not suppose any hair coloring at all. But this approach presents a problem: What if your client´s own natural color is not attractive because it´s dull or greying? Clients may say, “it´s not worth coloring — leave it natural.” Then you may say that you can improve on it´s health and make the client appear more wellgroomed, that it IS worth coloring! As a rule, a person´s natural hair color has a dusty and inexpressive shade and this could be corrected by coloring.

But what colorants will the ‘natural´ client agree too? With a sly smile, Art director Frank Florenzo of Salon Beguine says, “try the colorants as old as the world: henna or basma. Finish the coloring with the oxidant oversaturated with peroxide so that the hair will have the effect of straw. That will be natural enough!” All kidding aside, many experts agree that modern dyes do a better job. Florenzo explains, “In order to achieve the natural result there is no need to use natural colorants as they don´t afford desirable, reliable results. You need to direct your attention instead to what the client´s hair needs. If the ends are over-burnt or damaged, then it would be better to add a little color to protect the hair. Usually clients that want a ‘natural look´ like their hair color the way it is. But we can improve it can´t we? Then the only thing that needs correction is to take away the ‘dusty´ dull effect, to add shine which is particularly important for achieving a glossy, healthy head of hair. You could use the colorless, clear Richesse from L´Oreal Professional that adds hair shine and obedience. Experiment with various masks and products that add healthy hair appearance of shinier, healthier more obedient hair.”

SHOULDN´T HAIR LOOK ‘NATURAL´ AGAINST THE SKIN?

Jean Francois Minosse explains that natural hair rarely possesses equal color through its whole length. “As a rule, even after a minor stay under the sun, the hair ends burn down and the roots preserve the natural pigment. That´s why, in natural coloring techniques, it is necessary to make the roots darker while the color of the rest of the hair must differ by one or two shades. At Camille Albane Salons it is accepted to create a ‘natural´ glossy image and that´s why we keep the boundaries of shades close and do not differ greatly.” Minosse further explains this trick of the trade: If the roots are two shades darker then the rest hair, the face will look brighter — clients will find hat they do not need so many bright cosmetics! While choosing the shade of colorant, the master must pay attention to the client´s skin tone. A brighter skin tone will respond well to ‘cool´ shades and if the client´s skin tone is very pale and light with light eyes and eyebrows, then the shades should be ‘warm.´ But in both cases it would be correct to use two or three shades with one shade difference — and this will create the effect of ‘naturalness!´

The ‘natural look´ client can be tricky, however. Any minor departure from naturalness can lead away from the desirable result. How to avoid this? The essence is in details. Obviously, you will avoid abrupt shades and ultra-bright colors (red, blue, crimson etc.). When using the whole color spectrum, you must choose according to the type ‘warm´ or ‘cold.´ And once decided, the color dosage should not go beyond the natural boundary. For example, an aubergine shade can be used to color only the thinnest strands. The main thing to remember is that the bigger the contrast between the initial color and the chosen shade, the thinner strands taken, when coloring. The main task is to avoid any abrupt contrast to the skin.

LONG OR SHORT?

In the question of form and length which the hairdresser should recommend for the eco-style client, our experts were unanimous: The first thing that comes to mind is that long hair just looks ‘natural!´ But still this opinion can cause much dissonance among stylists with one more tendency that more and more confidently finds worshippers — that is geometrical, short, precise cuts. It is possible to have short hair as well as long, but ‘natural´ style still depends on hair quality — on this point stylists agree!

The ‘square´ hairstyle is good as well as other variants of hairstyles with an open neck. The hair should be cut with inner volume, to lighten the hair ends. ‘Sword-play´ and ‘stationing´ are two techniques for lightening and softening a geometrical hairstyle. If the ‘wild´ rough look is desired, use the crude method to create an uneven fringe for an exaggeratedly wild effect. Frank Florenzo relies on his razor for the most natural look because it leaves no traces of its use behind.

IS THERE SUCH THING AS A ‘NATURAL´ SET?

The last step that the hairdresser should make is the set. But why would a ‘natural´ client want a set? Does it agree with the idea of naturalness? Of course, the set in eco-style for smooth hair means ‘minus´ volume. Some experts think that volume is fine - it´s up to the client. A classical set affords to fix the movement and volume for a long-lasting period. There are some great ideas for ‘natural´ sets you can show your client how to do at home: Gather straight or wavy hair in plaits to dry, then spread. Or pile damp hair up on top in a loose bun to dry which will result in smooth, healthy, bouncy but ‘natural´ waves when let loose and finger-fluffed. Usually clients who wish for the ‘natural look´ do not want to spend time with blow-dryers, complicated curler sets, curling irons or straight irons.

These clients live fluently. They eschew dollish, fussy hair, or purposely going against it´s natural inclinations. Eco-girl´s also do not usually wear a thick layer of make-up. It´s not that she refuses the beauty of using cosmetics but instead she uses them for the function of care. She´ll choose creams or lip colors based on their skin protection from UV-radiation or hair products based on their protection from over-heating and over-drying her hair.

When a client sits down in your chair and claims to want the ‘natural look,´ our master stylists agree to look over her whole image first. Are all of her fashion and makeup choices simple, basic in color and compatible with a natural choice? If not, think twice! More goes on behind the chair then you would think, doesn´t it? But then again, that´s only natural in the salon business!