Ever wondered why your hair colour seems different in every single room of your house? If so, then read on. We asked Joey, our hair colourist to explain in simple terms why that is.

If you look carefully, you’ll notice that your hair colour may look different in every mirror, in your home and in the office rest room, or at different times of day. That’s especially common and striking with highlighted hair. It’s all down to the physics and nature of light, which is fascinating. Here’s a gist of what Joey said:

Everything reflects light. Hair also.

  • Many homes and offices in the Uk use fluorescent lights. These tend to have a yellowish undertone, which when reflected on the hair, results in a brassy kind of look.
  • In warmer, yellowish light settings, your hair will reflect this colour, resulting in a yellower tone; while in warmer, orange-based lights your hair will reflect a warmer, honey to brass colour.
  • Under cold white or blueish lights, your hair will appear to be more ash-blonde.

You may ask, so what’s the real deal then?

Joey checking a client's hair colour in natural light

Joey checking a client’s hair colour in natural light

Well, nature never lies. The best way to see what your highlighted or coloured hair actually looks like is to go outside with a mirror in the natural sunlight.

If you work in an environment where the lighting conditions just don’t get the best out of your hair colour, make sure you let your hairdresser know about it. There are some specialist tricks and techniques they can do to counter these unwanted effects.

For example, we can apply a stronger ash-toner on your highlights to neutralise any warm tones on your blonde highlights. We’d always advise that you go and see your hairdresser to do this, as you need real expertise to select the toner that’s appropriate for you. Your hair colourist would know exactly what ratio, colour, hue and undertones to mix together to combat any brassiness and yellow in your hair.

That’s it, we hope you found this useful. And now, let’s round it up on a beautiful quote by James Henry Lee Hunt:

Colours are the smiles of nature.

Love,

Figaro London

If you have any questions, we are glad to help, feel free to contact us

PS: Make sure to follow us on our social media pages for more helpful advice, inspiration and the occasional bargain offers. Here they are: Figaro London’s Official Facebook pageFigaro London Beauty page – focusing on all things beauty and skincare related, TwitterInstagramGoogle+. Looking forward to seeing you there too.

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