Colouring curly hair

The mention of the word 'Autumn' often brings to mind visions of auburn tresses and gleaming chocolate brown locks but, for girls with curly hair, the seasons of the year transcend trends

By heeding the wisdom of the 'Colour Doctor' Shari Harbinger - colour director for New York City's DevaConcepts and Devachan Salons and Departure Lounges (which specialise in curls) - all curly girls can get the looks that flatter them best as autumn approaches.

Prepping the tresses

Curly girls should begin their highlighting and hair-colouring adventures by first having the right cut, Harbinger advises. This should involve very little cutting and more 'nipping the ends like you would nip beautiful flowers,' she says. By sculpting top layers when the hair is dry, length isn't compromised and the triangle effect - which can be the bane of a curly girl's existence - is removed.

While many curly girls might prefer to show up at the salon with their hair in a less-than-stellar state and wait for the colourist to work his or her magic, that's actually one of the worst things a curly girl can do. 'Wear your hair as you would on a daily basis,' Harbinger says.

Gals, this means no ball caps, ponytails or extra styling products so the hair designer can get a clear idea of where the curls fall. 'You're presenting the canvas that we're going to paint,' she explains.

A technique patented as Pintura was developed at the Devachan Salon and 'captures the movement of the curls without the use of foil.' Harbinger describes foils as the worst option for highlighting curly hair as the colour gets loose and looks like one big blotch on the head. The Pintura method allows the colourist to choose selective curls and paint them in their natural form to create rippling highlights.

Illuminating curls

It can be tempting for curly girls to let seasonal trends sway their hair colour choices but, Harbinger attests, 'Hair is not a trend. It's a lifestyle.' Many women may lean toward all shades of red for the autumn months. But this colour doctor warns, `Someone may say they want to be a redhead, and they're not meant to be.'

While editorial colourists may promote the idea that makeup can be made to match hair colour, Harbinger's first concern is if each individual will be able to maintain their overall look after they leave the salon.

In general, Harbinger believes in providing curly girls with gradations of colour in different variations. She shares that very light summer blondes often need to be warmed up in the fall and brunettes would look smashing with caramel suggestions.

Though Harbinger admits she'll go for a trend if she thinks the curly head can pull it off, but that skin tone and seasons really need to be considered when selecting a hair colour. 'Women always want a deeper, richer hair colour in the fall. They're feeling washed away. Someone may say they want to be a redhead, and they're not meant to be. I'm all for [their colour choice] as long as it suits them. Less is always more for a girl with curly hair, that's for sure,' she explains.

Prolonging colour

Girls with curly hair should know that shampooing daily isn't good for their spirals. The harsh lathering and dehydrating detergents found in most shampoos are trumped by botanically infused moisturisers and cleansers that `slow down the hair colour's fading and provide extra moisture.?

And coloured, curly hair, especially, needs extra hydration, something that can be stripped away - along with layers of colour - by using regular shampoo. 'Dehydrated hair makes the colour look flat and washed away,' Harbinger explains. 'By virtue of moisturising and hydrating, the colour reads more reflective.'

If you're not sure what colour and cut suits you, try on new hairstyles at our virtual makeover-O-Matic.