The 5 Rules of Metallic Hair Color

by ·

According to the trend experts at Matrix, there’s a gorgeous shift to a new look in hair color. More sophisticated than vivid hair color, but with more impact than pastel hair color, metallic hair color is the chic girl’s solution to unconventional hair color. Here are five rules for acing the metallic hair color trend, according to Matrix pros.

Pick your Shade Wisely
With metallic hair color, as with any hair color, the basic rules of shade selection apply. The color should flatter the wearer’s skin tone and eye color. People with cool undertones in their skin will be enhanced by metallic hair colors on the cool side of the spectrum, like silvery and platinum tones. Those with warm undertones should opt for warm metallic hair colors like gold, bronze or copper tones. One exception is people with neutral skin tones. These folks can go either way—cool hair color or warm hair color are equally flattering.

Shine Above All
The star of any metallic hair color design is hair shine. The right formula and the right hair color products go a long way to producing gleaming hair, but they won’t do any good if hair isn’t healthy, lustrous and strong. Using a bond-repair product like Matrix Bond in hair color formulas will retain the integrity of hair—it will repair the structural bonds that are damaged during the coloring process.

Metallic Balayage is Everything
Balayage is the modern way to highlight hair—it’s a technique that involves hand-painting the surface of the hair with lightener or hair color to approximate a natural, sun-kissed effect. According to Matrix Celebrity Stylist and balayage pioneer George Papanikolas, balayage highlights are narrow at the top of the head and gradually widen as they progress down the strand—this V-shape gives them a natural look. Balayaging hair with metallic shades like rose gold or silver creates that same, sunlit look, using a more sophisticated hair color palette. Metallic balayage highlights can be added to a conventional-toned base or incorporated into an all-over metallic hair color effect.

Leave It to a Pro
On the hair color sophistication scale, metallic hair color design is pretty advanced. Shade selection, formulation and color placement can all go terribly wrong if not done by someone with skill and experience. So, advises Papanikolas, it’s best to leave metallic hair color to a hair color professional. “He or she will be able to create a look that’s elegant and sophisticated,” he says, “in shades that are perfect for your hair and your complexion.”

Handle it With Care
It’s smart to maximize any hair color investment by coddling that hair color at home. Matrix Artistic Director Robert Santana recommends using natural origin sulfate- and paraben-free shampoos and conditioners like Biolage R.A.W. Color that are expressly designed for color-treated hair. “These very ‘clean’ formulas with no artificial ingredients leave colored hair feeling soft and velvety, and they won’t strip away the hair color,” he explains.

For more on the metallic hair color trend, visit https://www.matrix.com/blog/everyone-can-wear-metallic-hair-color.

More Lifestyle News:

  1. 5 Natural Ways To Care For Colored Hair – MATRIX Pros Hair color is the fastest-growing salon service, which means women are investing millions of hard-earned dollars into getting the hair color of their dreams. Equally important? Keeping that hair color looking fresh and vibrant for as long as possible. And...
  2. L’Oréal Paris Celebrity Makeup Artist Sir John Encourages People To Go Bold … With Their Makeup The fun in beauty is about experimentation and trying new looks. According to L’Oréal Paris celebrity makeup artist Sir John, bold makeup is one trend having a major beauty moment. While a more natural look will never go out of...
  3. Balayage 2.0 – Color Melt Is The Season’s Hottest New Hair Color Technique Taking balayage and ombré to the next level, Color Melting is the season’s hottest new hair color trend. It’s a seamless blend of transitioning colors employing any palette—from subtly natural to soft pastels to iridescent jewel tones, and celebrities, models,...
  4. 10 Questions to Ask Before You Change Your Hair Color Nowadays the range of hair color options—from buttery blonde hair to luscious “bronde” to lively unicorn hair color shades—makes it so tempting to experiment with your hair color, especially now when a fresh, back-to-school or back-to-work look is in your...
  5. How To Enhance Or Transform Dirty Blonde Hair Color The term dirty blonde hair color has a less-than-pretty connotation. It’s viewed as mousy and bland—neither here nor there, and not especially desirable. But depending on a few factors, this may or not be true. Here’s how to decide if...
  6. The Secret to All Those Celebrity Hair Color Switch-Ups is Bond Rebuilders Every celebrity knows that in order to guarantee an instant surge of publicity and social media attention, all she has to do is change her hair color. So they all do it. Often. Which makes you wonder how they still...
  7. 9 Ways To Rock Rose Gold Hair Color This Summer It’s the freshest, trendiest hue of the season. Noticeable, but not too in-your-face. It’s cool and interesting. It can be adjusted for any skin tone. It can be subtle enough to keep maintenance under control. And when you’re done, you’re...
  8. MATRIX Hair Color Experts Weigh In On The Top Summer Highlight Trends This season there are so many highlighting options—balayage, babylights, color melt and more. So it’s a cinch for every one to find a style and color palette for their hair, ranging from extreme to extremely subtle. The hair color pros...
  9. The Best Hair Masks For Damaged Hair Conditioners are great for keeping hair soft and tangle-free. But according to the professional hair stylists at Matrix, most people don’t realize there is something better than conditioners when hair becomes too dry or damaged to be managed by conditioners. Hair...
  10. The 7 Ways You’re Damaging Your Hair And How To Fix It From MATRIX Is your hair looking a little rough around the edges? Do you need damage control? Not-so-healthy hair definitely takes a toll on one’s self-image. Luckily most causes of breakage and frizz are preventable by changing some bad hair behaviors. Hair...