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THE ART OF FLARE - AND DESIGNER HAIR!Did you know that dyes have been used for years as a means of altering the
colours of everything from food to fabric; altering the appearance of what we
eat, the clothes we wear and very the environments that surround us? This
article takes an in depth look at the part of the body that
is dyed most often - hair! But who could we find to investigate these follicles of knowledge? Yes, you've guessed it,
again we sent our top nomadic reporter Les Ismore to
get to the heart of the hairdressing community and unravel some of its colour mysteries!
Well, he did such a good job with nail art
With Christmas only a dim memory and Easter already on the horizon,
Scarlet Pixel were already hungry for more! Once again I ventured forth to deliver
another article in their series of colour applications and the body. After my incursion into
the world of nail art the next logical step seemed to be the arena of the hair
stylists. This however turned out to be a real can of worms as my initial enquires into colour
and its numerous systems of approach left me in a bit of a quandary! there are a bewildering
array of techniques, styles and teaching methods; so many in fact that I felt it was time to
call on the experts and ask them for a general overview that would allow an interested party,
such as those reading the Scarlet Pixel Website, would be able to get a picture in their minds
on how the whole puzzle fitted together.
It seems I am destined never to escape the south coast of England as I had no sooner stepped foot outside of Nailworx (see 'All about colour' section) when the powers that be, again send me on another hair raising quest, this time into the very epicentre of Bournemouth in Dorset, UK. My destination this time was to the high street outlet of Regis Hair Salon; and after battling my way through the busy afternoon's people and traffic, I arrived almost in time for my appointment with Mrs. Deborah Iles, one of the stores top stylists. My strong journalistic instincts told me that maybe this busy afternoon was not perhaps the best time for an interview but it had seemed clear on the 'phone that getting one of the girls to desert their post at any time would be a hard job.
When I arrived at the shopping centre, Regis sort of found me!
LI: Good afternoon Deborah and thanks for talking with Scarlet Pixel, its good of you to take a little time out for us...
DI: Good afternoon Les, not a problem... we always try to help out where
possible and please call me Debbie, everyone here does (smile).
LI: Well, I guess first up, how long has Regis been in the UK? DI: Regis has been a firm favourite in the UK for nearly thirty years, our Bournemouth branch has been in the shopping centre for about two and a half years. Actually we have another branch in town but it is situated within a department store, as you can see we are growing all the time! (smile).
DI: There are many different levels and options of hair colouring and special LI: What sort of dyes are used? Are they a natural or synthetic?
DI: The dyes used are a synthetic but have well proven track record, it is
a pretty LI: Well that leads me nicely into my next question, I wanted to ask you what the most popular colours were?
LI: Mmmm, well what is the least asked for colour? DI: Well, it's got to be Grey I guess, but of all the available colours in our systems I would say that green would probably be the least asked for, but of course there are still a few people who love that real pea-green look and continue to have those shades! LI: It's no good, I'm just going to have to ask - so in your experience, do blondes have more fun!... ha. DI: Definitely not Les! Of course as you can see by my hair colour I am naturally bias to that question!... (smile). LI: You mentioned a system... can you elaborate on this?
DI: Well, without getting too technical about it, I will just say that at Regis it's not just a
'walk in and dye it' attitude. Our company's policy is to really help our customers decide what
might be the best look for them. The two systems we offer are divided into permanent and
semi-permanent categories.
LI: You said the permanent dyes are usually just grown out - but what kind of longevity can be expected from the semi-permanent dyes? DI: Depending upon the person and the way they treat their hair (washing techniques) the semi-permanent dyes last between 18 to 25 washes. During the preparation treatment we will instruct the person on how best to wash the hair and maintain this colour strength. LI: This is obviously a much more involved process than I had ever imagined - with so many considerations how do you arrive at a result?
LI: How accurate have you found this system to be? DI: Well Les, I have been using this particular system for a number of years and have found its results to be very accurate, we haven't had a complaint yet about a colour not agreeing with a customers expectations! LI: Over your years of experience have you developed a knack of guessing the kind of look a person will ask for based upon their appearance? DI: I guess your asking me if there are stereotypes that can be noted from a particular dress sense or manner... well I think you would expect me to say 'yes' but actually it really is true... people are people. You never can tell; it seems the sort of person who is very quiet can ask for a really outrageous cut and dye and another clearly extroverted person will go for a very ordinary, very conservative look. LI: What is the average ratio of male to female customers, and what is their main reason for having it done? DI: I think on average the ratio would be about
ninety five percent female and five percent male; however, this trend is changing - we are
seeing more guys!
LI: What is the average cost of a complete cut and dye? DI: This very much depends on the individual, like I said, everyone wants something different and here at Regis this is our speciality, we like people to leave feeling they have a look. As for an average, I would say that colouring would be around £35 - £45 and a cut and colour combination would be around £70 - £80. LI: Have any of your customers ever had a personal colour analysis and do you feel hair could be considered a part of a total image e.g.: make-up, body art and clothes?
LI: Is hair a part of the whole image... DI: This is a very big yes, like the old saying goes, 'when your hair looks good, you feel good'!... this is so true for most people, I feel we are really doing our bit to make people feel better about themselves, plus we get to have fun as well, trying out all these new designs! LI: Well thanks again Debbie, it was good of you to give up some of your day to speak with me and of course thanks to Regis for allowing us to interview you, it has been a real insight into the world of the stylists!... thank you.
If you are not near Bournmouth, just click on one of the three links below to find out more about Regis or your nearest Regis Hairstylist. In the UK:
http://www.regiscorp.com/ In the USA:
http://www.regishairstylists.com/salonlocator.cfm In Canada:
http://www.regishairstylists.com/calocations.cfm Scarlet Pixel are extremely grateful to Debbie at 'Regis Hairstylists' for her help in the production of this fascinating article. Very many thanks!! Complete our online questionnaire and order your unique personal colour analysis TODAY - just click on the link below.
© Scarlet Pixel 1999 - 2006 |
and seems to
enjoy meeting people on these little assignments - anything to get out of the
office! What follows is the fourth of our articles investigating the effect of colour on
various parts of the human body - just check out our 'All about colour' section if
you missed
the previous topics.
My salvation came in the shape of Regis a well established high street favourite with a good
track record of pleasing the public for over thirty years.
I could see its bright illuminated sign and headed straight for the light... inside I was greeted
by Deborah who then escorted me to a quieter corner of the busy premises.
The whole layout of the shop interior had a very spacious feel but at the same time you could
see exactly how much thought had gone into its design. Everything from the hairdryers
to the wash
basins has that very polished and professional look that you would expect from a top stylist.
I had the feeling this was going to be a real eye opener for me!
LI: I think a lot of people may have considered having their hair dyed
but are put off by the thought of a very time consuming process, how long does the whole
process take?
DI: The most requested colour is blonde and all colours towards the red end of the
spectrum, general highlights are always popular as well, in fact I would say that blonde
highlights are the number one favourite at the moment.
In the 'Schwarzkopf personality range' a colour may be enhanced or added to a previously dyed
base, but in the 'IGORA fashion shades range' the hair must be in its base condition, this
means fresh and un-dyed. IGORA: is a permanent range of colours and if selected it will mean the
removal of any of previous dyes. The permanent dyes have a very long life and are usually grown
out of the hair. From time to time a person may feel they would like to change their look and opt
for another change, again the old residue of the base dye will have to be removed before another
permanent dye can be used to replace it.
DI: IGORA have provided a simple but effective colour analysis chart to help us make the
right choices, with the use of different colour swatches we can try to evaluate your
particular skin tone, true hair colour and shade of iris (eye colour).
With all of this information we can then reduce the three colour samples taken into a graph
which plot out your particular suggested colour preferences.
Men are definitely getting more adventurous with their haircuts! As for reasons for having
your hair dyed... well, for women I think it can be just a case of making more of what you already
have; highlights and colour can really bring your whole image into focus and some small part
of it might also be it's just a darn good way of de-emphasising those unwanted grey hairs. I
believe on the whole most people just want to personalise their look... so... good for
them!
DI: In the past I have heard some clients mention colour analysis, but to what extent they
integrated it into their lives I am not too sure, personally I find it a fascinating area
and look forward to finding out more about it... maybe you can point me in the right
direction Les?... ha! 
LI: So there you have it, hair colour is not only an art, it has become a science! and it would
seem the best way to approach this new field of exploration is to contact the experts!... for any
enquires please contact your nearest Regis Hairstylists. Regis operates 370 full-service hair and
beauty salons in malls, leading department stores, mass merchants and high street locations in the
U.K. alone. If you want to meet Debbie and her team, address is: Regis Hairstylists, 11/12
Commercial Road, The Avenue Shopping Centre, Bournmouth, Dorset. BH2 5RP
