How to: Deal With Hump Hair

Wed, 13 June 2012 2:00PM

I have hump hair. It’s no longer short, short, and it’s a long way from long. It’s stuck in the middle. In somewhat of a ‘hump’ I am ever so patiently waiting for it to crawl over.

See, I don’t want to revert to the scissors – in the short term at least. I am allowing my hair to grow out as it wishes. The story unfolding has been kinda fun too.

Not unlike a small child learning to totter, daily I nudge it in the right direction with the help of friends Kevin (Murphy – Easy Rider) and Lady Jayne (pins).

But there is only so much those guys can do, so last week I headed in to see Malarie Cox, my colourist at Joey Scandizzo salon, to see what colour -  rather than cutting – options I have.

“It’s about creating interest in the hair again, so when you feel you are lacking on ‘style’ go hard with colour. But, alternatively, when you have a really directional cut like you did originally, you can let that do the talking and pull back on too much pigment,” she says. “It definitely puts a new lease of life on the hair.”

For me, it’s been six months since my last colour. About as acceptable as Kate Middleton in Kylie’s hot pants, I know. The result is no graduation between colour – an epic fail of old gold highlights – and more brass than a Big Band. Malarie assures me that such lapses are common, and there short-term remedies when full on colour fixes are not an option.

Here’s me (with my subtle new colour) posing with colourist Malarie Cox.

Got 30 minutes and about that many dollars? “A visit to the salon fortnightly or monthly for a conditioning treatment is all it takes to add oxygen to your hair” she says. “This breath of life, condition and moisture works wonders towards freshening colour and adding shine to any highlights.” Another budget savvy move is going into salon for monthly toners top shine it up and bring it back to it’s original brilliance without having to get a whole new colour. “This can quite literally add a few weeks to a month of oomph to hair colour,” assures Mal.

For me, Malarie wanted to keep the base colour only a few shades lighter than my original colour so that the health of the curls wasn’t compromised. She then decided to graduate warmer tones through the lengths, concentrating on the tips so there is still a contrast between roots and ends “which gives the illusion of length”.

“At the moment, with winter upon us, I am definitely steering clients away from anything but warm, rich colours,” she tells me. “But a few chunky licks to the hair are a great way to mix this up in colder months. The change in skin tone in winter is also a massive consideration us colourists have to take into account,” she adds. “Everything; lifestyle, budget, jobs, skin, wardrobe, style all come into our minds when discussing a colour with clients as a colour that doesn’t work for you will tilt everything on its axis and may cause stress in the wardrobe or makeup department!”

“There is no reason you shouldn’t stick with growing out your hair if that’s what you want. Too many clients get impatient with growing hair, but it’s important to look at your options, mix it up and get some education from your stylist about what colour you can play with to get you over the hump,” she says. “Besides, who says the growing out process can’t be as fun and experimental as the original cut?”

Care for colour between cuts with these shade savers to savour: 

Sebastian Professional Color Ignite Shampoo and Conditioner from $34.

Schwarzkopf Color Freeze Spray Conditioner, $25.95.

Revlon Professional Colour Sublime Serum, $26.96.

Eleven Australia Miracle Hair Treatment, $24.95.

How do you deal with Hump Hair, Primpettes?

ecb x

Posted by: ecb

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Tags: blonde hair, featured how to, hair colour, highlights, new hair colour, regrowth, short hair