FOR THE SOUL COLOR

What drew this creative powerhouse to color? “Color is a mathematical game and my brain gets a good scratch with every new color client that sits in my chair. I’m constantly challenged – I get to be a scientist and artist all at the same time!”

Understanding color as a concept takes time and patience. Understanding how to apply it to hair takes creativity and experimentation. At the heart of vivid application is an understanding that to get really creative, you have to understand the theory of color. Once you’ve done that, hair can become your playground.

Lynda told us how to use color theory to mix showstopping color that lasts: “People generally understand what complementary colors are (ones sitting on opposite sides of the color wheel). Tertiary colors, however, are the two colors that sit beside the complementary color. For example, yellow sits across from purple, but either side of that, you have a violet and magenta. If you mix the yellow and shades of violet or vice versa, you can create muted shades like mauves or golds depending on how much you mix of what. And that's how I approach mixing my colors! In order to achieve high vibrancy in your vivids, you have to be purposeful and strategic in how you place different colors together across the color wheel so that every tone that makes up the final color on the hair is defined and rich in its own right."

Lynda continued: "How you prepare your canvas and how your client maintains their hair will help avoid fading. As toner sitting underneath color begins to fade between appointments, use purple shampoo to pick up the slack and maintain that vividness. This will not alter what’s left of the vivid color molecules, but tone the underlying pigment in the hair keeping the vivid colors on top true to tone.”

With the changing of the season just around the corner, we asked Lynda what trends she thinks will take forefront. She told us that she doesn’t usually follow trends because they can curb her creativity. “But I love seeing and executing fall inspired colors,” she began. “I typically enjoy utilizing complimentary and tretiery colors. For example, colors that kind of work around orange on the wheel, so teal and amber. Remember! The beauty of vivids is that you get to play with the tertiary colors beside and opposite orange, which takes you into indigos, greens, and blue-based violets. You can also pair mauves and coppers as well."

Lynda continued: “Muted pastels will come back in style as well. I’m seeing pastel sage greens, moody mauves, and coppers… those kinds of combos! Ultimately, I think we should take the classic colors of Fall and get creative with tertiary shades to kind of rejuvenate the classics.”

In terms of placement: “I think vivids will be integrated with naturals using color blocking and money pieces. Clients are asking about splitting the head (aka half and half hair), so on one side, you can have a deep chocolate and on the other side, a cool vivid color.

“Clients will also lean into the hidden surprise kind of deal, like color block sections by the nape and playful shadow box placement. Using a strikingly different hair color around the nape of the neck adds a splash of excitement when tied up, in a halfdo, or with pigtails. Like a hidden surprise!” Lynda laughed. “Sectioning is less work for the client and they feel like they have something different going on at all times – there’s less stress on the client to be able to maintain their hair at home in between appointments.”

The practicalities of applying color can get pretty complicated and a lot of stylists can feel intimidated by the risk of things going wrong. The stakes are higher for the client and the colorist (nobody wants color transfer or scalp irritation). Who does Lynda trust to provide the high quality she needs? “I see color as a tool, so just as you need sharp, precise scissors for cutting, you need well-formulated and well-tested products. Danger Jones is my go-to because of the versatility of the