Our beauty editor gets in on the festival hair trend
Let’s be real, my job is far from being conventional. I’ve done a handful of out-of-the-ordinary things this year at Beauty Crew, including sitting in an oxygen chamber for hyperbaric oxygen therapy all in the name of reducing inflammation in my body, getting my face needled all over to boost collagen in my skin, and I even put myself through a series of intense laser treatments to reduce the appearance of my stretch marks (more to come on that one!).
The latest thing that I’ve had to do for work - all in the name of research, of course - was to get into the festival spirit of summer and dye my hair pink. In the past, I’ve always experimented with different tones of blonde to brown hair, but I’ve rarely dabbled in a colour as vibrant as a medium rosy tone. As for the reasons why I was keen to try something new? Summer was fast approaching, I wanted to experiment with the mermaid hair trend and I needed to brighten up my locks ahead of a last minute trip to LA in December. I had L’Oréal Professionnel Colorful Hair applied to achieve my new hue and here’s my review of the colouring service and end result.
What it is
The service I went with was L’Oréal Professionnel Colorful Hair, which is an in-salon service that consists of a gel cream formula that is applied all over blonde or lightened hair to temporarily change the colour of your locks. As it is a semi-permanent solution, it also means that it’s a low-commitment colour that can last up to 15 shampoos, depending on the base colour and porosity of your hair.
Available in seven shades that range from vibrant jewel hues to subtle pastel tones (there’s Hypnotic Magenta, Pink Sorbet, Sunset Coral, Electric Purple, Navy Blue, Caribbean Blue and Iced Mint to choose from), this service allows you to pick a colour that is as punchy or soft as you want it to be. Seven shades might not sound like a lot, but these shades can actually be mixed together to create thousands of results. As for what I opted for: I went with a medium pink shade (Pink Sorbet) that was mixed with a blue-based pink (Hypnotic Magenta), and my inspiration was Dannii Minogue, who I had the pleasure of meeting with earlier this year when she was trying out a pink hair colour.
When it comes to colouring your hair a bright colour, there’s a fine line between having fun with it and looking like a Troll Doll. During my consultation with Kylie at Judena Hair, I really wanted to emphasise that I didn’t want my colour to look too dark, rich or punchy; I just wanted a soft wash of pink all over, like cotton candy.
The process
After my 15-minute consultation with Kylie, which consisted of looking at the L’Oréal Professionnel Colorful Hair colour wheel and Pinterest for inspiration and chatting about when I last coloured my hair, I went to my assigned chair and got comfortable with some magazines.
Kylie mixed up the colours for my hair and started applying it over my blonde hair in small sections. My colour was left to process for about 20 minutes, then it was gently rinsed off, shampooed, dried, and styled with a tong.
The final verdict
So you think blondes have more fun?! Well, I can definitely report back and say that those with pink hair have an even better time. The end result was exactly what I wanted and expected, with the pink colour perfectly blended over my blonde hair.
Over the last few days, I’ve received compliments left, right and centre about my new hair colour, with many saying that they’re also feeling inspired to follow suit with a bright hair colour this summer.
Overall, the entire process was really simple - it was as straight-forward as finding a salon that offered the service, booking in for an appointment, sitting in the chair for less than an hour and a half, and coming out with an amazing new look.
It’s been a few washes since my initial appointment and my colour has lasted pretty well; the pink colour has faded slightly with each wash (I’ve only been using a colour-protecting shampoo) but it’s still feeling really soft and looking shiny.
Want to get in on the festival hair trend? Try the Colorful Hair service for yourself by finding your closest L’Oréal Professionnel salon. If you’re located in Melbourne, then head to Fratelle in Camberwell or Wheelers Hill; they’re a L’Oréal Professionnel Colour Trophy 2018 semi-finalist and seriously know their stuff when it comes to changing up your hair colour.
With the weather warming up, follow this guide to get your hair summer ready.
Would you try a hair colour like pink? Let us know in the comments below.
Image credits: Sevak Babakhani
Iantha is BEAUTYcrew's Beauty Editor, and has been part of the team since the site launched in 2016. Besides pinky-nude nail polish and wispy false lashes, she has a healthy obsession with face masks and skin care ingredients. Her previous work can be found in Virgin Australia Voyeur, Women's Health, and SHOP Til You Drop.
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