 Grey is on trend, and no we’re not talking Christian (although we won’t deny, he is a bit of dish!) It’s the unlikely colour people are going for and telling the world that being grey isn’t about getting old, but in fact, is a move that’s proving daring and beautiful. It’s also got the Octopus team rather excited in the salon because it’s giving us another great reason to experiment with colour!
Since designers such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Gareth Pugh and Chanel were seen using silver-haired models in their recent catwalk shows, celebs including Jennifer Lawrence, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert and Jade Thirwall from Little Mix, are turning to the colour that is being dubbed “Granny hair” and stepping out in head-turning shades of Grey. So why is the colour that we’ve always been so afraid of, or eager to cover up, now the one to be showing off? Grey is a head turner. It’s not one you expect people to be choosing, and the dynamic it brings to your hair style is creating an exciting buzz we are very quickly falling in love with. It’s edgy, classy, sexy and bold so if there’s ever a time to experiment with the colour, it’s now!There are many different ways to incorporate a grey hue into your hair. Whether you want light, dark, silver blue, ombre, gothic grey (black and silver), purple grey balayage, pink and grey or all out ice queen, the opportunities are endless. Both men and women are embracing grey and the look it can bring to their style. In its own right, grey is a beautiful colour, so it’s no wonder we are now seeing it being used more in salons. You no longer have to be of a certain age to achieve this look so what are you waiting for? Get on board with the grey phenomena today!
0 Comments
 So, you’ve arrived at Octopus Hair for your next appointment and are getting comfortable whilst enjoying a latte and biscoff (yes, we like to spoil you!) when you are about to discuss your next set of foil requirements with your stylist....
But wait! Have you considered Balayage? Balayage is a French hair technique where we sweep colour straight onto the surface of your hair at the root, moving down to the ends for a sun-kissed natural look. There’s no need to use foils which means it is a much softer colour process and gives beautiful results, leaving your hair looking more natural. It also means the re-growth is less noticeable too so you can in fact, stretch out your salon visits a little bit longer, not that we want that to happen - we’ll miss you too much! Where highlights are created with rows of foil for a more obvious colour, Balayage is more flexible because it can be applied sparingly throughout your hair which creates that natural look. The great thing about Balayage is it’s suitable for most hair lengths and can be adapted to all colours. Our experts will tailor the colour to the shading of your skin tone so that your best features are emphasised meaning everyone can benefit from this technique! Balayage looks good all year round too. Whether you have just got back from two weeks in the sun and want to maintain that summer glow, or want to spruce up your colour during the winter months when you’re feeling cold and gloomy; having naturally warm, coloured hair will make you look and feel good whatever the season. What are you waiting for? If you want one of our Balayage buffs to work their magic on you and be the envy of your friends, book an appointment today! If you’re considering a radical hair colour transformation, but are not sure what to do, why not dive in and go mermaid!
With such beautiful colours to choose from, Mermaid hair is the ideal choice if you want to stand out from the crowd and show off your personality. From blending colours to contrasting with bold opposites, the opportunities to create this look are endless. So whether you want a soft and delicate version of mermaid hair, or shades to give Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat a run for its money, we can help! Depending on the initial colour of your hair, we will need to do some bleaching prior to adding in your chosen colours. If you are lucky enough to be blessed with gorgeous platinum blonde locks then you are already halfway there (and probably already a real life mermaid!), but if not, don’t panic; we are colour experts, so we know what we’re doing! For anyone new to bleaching, you are in safe hands. We won’t dry out your hair and we won’t break it either. We will, however, make sure it stays nourished and well conditioned, and we’ll have so much fun creating your look in the process that we may even treat you to a rendition or two of our favourite songs from The Little Mermaid! The best thing about mermaid hair is that it’s fun and vibrant so you really can unleash your inner sparkle and shine with a multitude of colours! From pastels entwined with platinum blonde, lavender and teal, rocky grey and purple, romantic pink and peach to Aquamarine, turquoise and violet, the possibilities to create your mermaid look are endless. Now is the ideal time to make a splash and turn heads with mer-mazing hair, so let the Octopus unleash the mermaid and get sea-inspired today. You’ve decided to do something different to your hair this year, but are still not sure what that is; look no further! The shade set to take 2019 by storm is none other than the colour purple.
With so many different varieties to choose from, we just can’t get enough of it in the salon, and being so versatile, it can compliment all hair colours. Before deciding on what shade to go for though, it’s important to choose one that compliments your skin tone, but don’t worry, that’s where we can help! Perhaps you want to go all out with vibrant, bold purple, or maybe you would prefer something softer such as lilac, lavender or violet; whatever your preference, we can help create a new look for you. Pastels are also proving popular for both our young and old clients because they provide an opportunity to brave a new colour in a more subtle way, but still create enough impact to get heads turning whilst keeping your style on trend. There are so many ways you can add purple to your hair. Block colour, ombre and highlights are just a few possibilities, all of which can be incorporated into your style, regardless of the length of your hair. Long hair allows for more intensity, especially if mixing alongside other colours, and can create a rich look if mixed with dark brown and black hair, but short hair can still create an edgy, yet sexy look especially amongst blonde and cherry reds. Purple is here to stay, so why not take the plunge and give it a go! The possibilities really are endless.  There’s nothing we love more than a cheeky upgrade, but when was the last time you thought about reinvigorating your hair colour?
Well think no more as we introduce to you Tiger Eye hair - the latest Balayage trend already taking salons by storm. Now don’t panic, we’re not about to turn you into Tony the Tiger, although you may feel ‘GR-R-REAT!’ and want to unleash your inner wild side after opting for this trend! No, Tiger Eye hair is on a much more sophisticated level as we will now explain. Taken from the infamous Tiger Eye Rock, a semi-precious quartz stone that aids harmony and balance and helps you to release fear and anxiety, Tiger Eye hair mimics the stone’s colours of blondes, browns and caramels to create beautifully warm tones throughout your hair. What’s more, these colours can be emphasised with different styling methods such as curling or straightening. Using the same hand technique as Balayage, the Tiger Eye colour starts with a deep rich chocolate root colour with soft warm caramels, gold and copper running throughout, keeping the ends of your hair the lightest. It is mostly suitable for anyone with a warm complexion, but the colour tones can be easily adapted for those with a more cooler complexion. To get the full effect of Tiger Eye hair, don’t be afraid to let your stylist loose on painting stripes onto your locks. Much like the stone, you can expect to see thick areas of colour, which will bring with it a beautifully dramatic look. We understand when it comes to colouring, some people aren’t massive fans of stripes so if you would prefer something more subtle, that’s ok too. Remember though, this is another paint-on technique so compared to foils, the thickness of colour will have a very different effect. Why not give it a go today; contact the salon to arrange a consultation with your stylist. Did you know, approximately 2% of the world’s population have naturally red hair?
That’s about 140 million people whose parents were both blessed with the MC1R gene, which means for the rest of us, it’s all about finding the right shade for our skin tone to pull of such a striking look. So, what is it about red hair that creates such a talking point and how important is it to ensure we get the colour right first time? Red hair is eye catching. It’s rich in colour, comes in a variety of shades and can give you a transformation like no other. It’s guaranteed to dramatically alter your look, turn heads and give you quite the confidence boost. Choosing the right shade of red is crucial. Depending on what your current hair colour is will determine the type of red you can expect to achieve, but you also need to consider your skin tone to help balance it out. If you have fair to warm skin, you’ll be wise to choose colours such as strawberry blonde, copper and auburn. Think Lana Del Rey, Isla Fisher, Nicole Kidman and Emma Stone. For sun kissed to darker skin, you can opt for richer tones such as ruby, burgundy or red velvet. Celebs including Lindsey Lohan, Rihanna, Missy Elliot and Cheryl Cole are just some examples of where these colours work well. Adding red to already light/blonde hair isn’t as difficult compared to hair that is darker in colour because it will take a lot easier. That’s not to say it can’t be done if you have brunette or black hair; it just means a bit more work will be needed to ensure the colour will last. A lightening process will usually have to be done first for the colour to then be put on your hair, but that’s something our stylists will be able to assess and discuss with you. The condition of your hair will also need to be factored in too. If yours is dry or damaged, the colour may struggle to hold, so it will be wise to consider some conditioning treatments beforehand, but again, this is something our stylists can assess and advise. It may sound like there is a lot to consider when choosing red hair, but it isn’t as difficult as you may think. We are always happy to talk through ideas with you before you make the final decision so if you are contemplating a brand-new look, get in touch with us and let’s get that transformation started! There’s nothing we love more than trying out a new colouring technique on our clients and the latest one we’re really excited to tell you about is, Foilyage.
Adapted from the technique of Balayage, Foilyage is when colour is painted onto your hair freehand, and then wrapped in foil to intensify the end result. A low maintenance method, the Foilyage effect isn’t time consuming and creates a natural, yet vibrant look especially when adding streaks of colour around the front of your face and at the ends of your hair. Where Balayage tends to be more effective for people with blonde or light hair (although it does work for brunettes too) Foilyage is especially ideal for those with dark hair because the intensity that comes from using foils allows the colour to last longer. This means brunettes can benefit from a natural looking technique because the colour is more pronounced. With the colour lasting longer, touch ups are therefore not required as frequently as you would need if you were getting regular highlights because it isn’t added directly to the root so there will be no obvious regrowth. (Don’t let that stop you from coming into the salon to see us though!) Now is the ideal time to try an on-trend colour technique so why not give us a call and let us transform your hair the natural looking way. We’re so excited about Foilyage so get on board with us and let’s get colouring! If you’re looking to boost your style with something a little bit on the creative side, but are not sure what it is you’re looking for, stop right there, because we have the answer!
Never ones to miss out on playing with colour, our Octopus stylists have been getting their hands into some fantastic new colouring techniques lately which, if you’re anything like us, will send you in to a frenzy of excitement! Colour melting is the latest trend to hit our salon and we are loving it! In fact, if you’re following us on Facebook and Twitter or been checking us out on Instagram, you will have some great examples that Eli has been doing and I think you’ll agree, they look amazing. So what is colour melting? Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it might sound and it doesn’t involve melting anything onto your hair either. (Yes, we had those thoughts too!). Colour melting is a technique where two or three different colours are used on your hair from root to tip to make it look as though it has been perfectly blended so you can’t see where one colour starts and one ends. The great thing about colour melting is it works for all colours. From a stylist’s perspective, it’s a more technical way of adding colour to hair, but for a client, it means you get the opportunity to play with different colours and show them off in a way that looks natural regardless of the shades you are choosing. Whether you want to go for seasonal reds and brown, fancy adding a touch of pink to blonde hair, or want to go all out with vibrant pastels, colour melting is the ideal opportunity for you to get experimenting with colours. What are you waiting for? Boost your style today and let’s get melting! Do you remember the days of colour marbling where you mix paint to oil or shaving foam to create beautiful swirls of entwined colour? If so, then we have something very exciting to share with you.
Hot off the hair colour press and happening right now in our salon is our very own hair marbling technique. Yes, it’s true! We’ve adapted the art of marbling from paper to hair and we are absolutely loving the look. There are a couple of ways to create the marble effect, but the technique itself first involves bleaching your hair so we have a blonde base to work with. Once the bleach has taken, strips of mesh paper are sprayed with shaving foam and then drops of your desired colours are mixed into it before applying it directly onto your hair. The second way of doing it is applying your chosen colours directly to strands of your hair before mixing them together by hand to blend them. Both techniques create a beautiful finish and are guaranteed to turn heads because the finished look is so mesmerising. You can be as adventurous or as subtle as you like with hair marbling. Whether you would prefer to mix it up with a variety of blondes and brown, stick with seasonal autumn reds, copper and pink or go all out unicorn, the choice is yours. If you love experimenting with colour and want to try something bold and new, we highly recommend marbling when you next book in to get your colour done. We have already tried this on a few of our clients and they have already come back and told us how much they love the look. It’s gives you the perfect opportunity to stand out, so what are you waiting for? Why not give it a go today!  Colouring hair white is very much on trend right now which comes to no surprise because it looks so beautifully striking.
However, achieving the look isn’t as straight forward as it may seem, or even a possible option for everyone, because of the work that goes into getting the look. If you are already showcasing naturally white hair, then wear it with pride because it’s highly sought after at the moment, and only a lucky handful can achieve it because it involves so much bleaching. Already light blondes have the advantage because it won’t involve as much stripping of colour compared to those with darker hair but that's not to say it can’t happen; the process will just take a little longer and you’ll have to go through a number of bleaches over so many weeks first. The condition of your hair will need to be considered too. If you already have dry or damaged hair, we wouldn’t want to put it under anymore strain as adding bleach to weakened hair will cause breakage. Instead, you should consider a series of deep conditioning treatments first. That is also true during and after colouring hair white. Even the most nourished hair will require a lot of conditioning maintenance in order to keep it looking healthy and vibrant. Although it’s standard practice for us to offer advice on how to look after colour treated hair, in this instance it’s highly recommended because there is a lot more involved so you need to be prepared with the upkeep. Don’t be put off though. We love white hair, and we know all the tricks to ensure it is done the right way so that we look after your locks whilst colouring it. We would most definitely suggest a consultation prior to starting this process and as soon as we've discussed options with you, we can book you in to start your transformation. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
April 2023
Categories |
RSS Feed
