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This month we speak to Kathy Gilbert at:
Torquil Murray Haircutters
255 Riley St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Tel (02) 9212 7516
Although
a career in hairdressing was never a girlhood dream for award-winning
colourist Kathy Gilbert it seemed like the perfect path to freedom when
you’re 16 and hate school.
A self-confessed rebel, Gilbert
threw in the textbooks to take up a hairdressing apprenticeship in
Melbourne in the late 70s and has never looked back. Working in salons
like Antony Whitaker, Muse and the defunct Helmet and Gibara, she’s
attracted a close and loyal following that includes fashion industry
types, make-up artists and even other hair stylists. There’s the odd
celebrity client in there too, but she’s far too discreet to tell us.
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Can you give us an idea of current colour trends?Agyness Deyn's bleach blonde short cropped style has created a huge trend. What makes the big difference with this look though is an expertly done bleach with tones that are complimentary to the individual, as opposed to a poorly done, over or under-processed, unattractive bleach with no depth or shine. I’ve also found that an increasing number of clients are looking for a more natural looking colour which is where techniques such as balliaged highlights and single processed colours come into play. Balliage (very popular overseas) has an overall natural look while simultaneously creating lightness. The final effect is a gradual increase of lightness that begins at the root and travels down to the tip, a perfect example being Gisele Bundchen’s hair."What’s your favourite colouring technique at the moment?When it’s done really well, balliage creates a beautiful, strongly lightened tip that emphasises texture within the haircut, but allows the tone and nature of the base colour to still come through. Sometimes, too much blonde around the face and hairline can wash the natural skin tones out which is why I think balliage is ideal because the lightness is at the tips of the hair, tonally creating a softer and more flattering lightness. Also, in terms of regrowth, regular maintenance isn’t so necessary to keep the colour looking good.What are you doing colour-wise with your hair?'Washing those greys away’ with a Redken non-permanent that enhances my natural colour. I am a natural redhead and that’s the best colour for me. I find a non-permanent colour is an excellent alternative to permanent tints for blending grey hair more naturally. The hair is shinier and healthier and the non-permanent colour doesn’t swell the hair cuticle or create porosity. However, this isn’t possible if the hair needs to be lightened.In your opinion which celebrities get it right when it comes to hair colour?For me, a great hair colour is beautiful, healthy and shiny, enhancing someone’s natural beauty and skin tones and working with the haircut. I think Linda Evangelista is the all time high-end example of beautiful hair colour, no matter what she does. She was the ultimate ‘colour chameleon’ and always looked great. Sarah Jessica Parker, Julianne Moore, Keira Knightley, Angelina Jolie, Katie Holmes and Sienna Miller also look fabulous and, most recently, Agyness Deyn gets my vote for influencing fashionable hair colour.What is the hardest colour effect to achieve?Almost any colour is achievable, but the difficulty is in maintaining it. So, for example, colours that are unnatural-looking like silver, turquoise, blue, even pinks and purples, don’t last for any length of time and tend to fade out very quickly.View Kathys Profile |