Like Helen Mirren, I dyed my hair pink - here's how to make it flattering in your 40s
This last lockdown took the wind out of my sails. So much so, that when I booked my first hair appointment after salons being closed for three months, I emailed my hair colourist to warn her I was about to embark on a big colour change, as there's no better way to shake things up than a hair makeover.
I initially decided I would go darker. After all, if we go into another lockdown, my roots will be easier to maintain at home if they're not peroxide blonde. But then I interviewed Madonna's hair colourist, Nicola Clarke, who changed my mind.
When I asked her what people were having now that salons have reopened, she excitedly told me that women were braver than they were a year ago and have been trying out colours they wouldn't normally have considered previously. Maybe that's just what I needed; An act of bravery.
Clarke explained that her team of colourists were applying flashes of pastel colours to the underneath section of hair. 'It's is a great way to have fun with your hair colour without the full on commitment of an all-over colour change,' she said.
When it comes to shade, pink, says Clarke, is the most flattering colour on all skin tones and ages, as Helen Mirren proved when she dyed her hair a soft baby pink in her 70's. I was intrigued. Could I go pink at 47 without looking like I was trying to relive my teenage years?
The only way to find out was to take the plunge. To achieve a true pink you need a base of pale blonde or grey, which I already had. My colourist, Cetera Lamb at John Frieda's Alford Street salon agreed that pink would suit my skin tone and it would be easy to go back to blonde if I changed my mind.
The trick to pink appearing flattering against your complexion is to choose a soft shade of pink, rather than fuchsia, which is harder to wear. Especially when you are in your late 40s.
Lamb suggested we start with a few 'shimmers' of pink applied in between my usual pale blonde highlights, using a Balyeage technique whereby she paints on the colour freehand to the mid lengths and ends, just before my highlights have fully developed.
When my hair was finally washed and blow dried and I looked in the mirror, the pink was so subtle that it looked like no more than a peachy glow throughout my hair. I loved it.
My hair isn't as bold as Helen Mirren's or Madonna's was when they went pink, but it suits my lifestyle and has given me a renewed sense of joie de vivre. Besides, despite the fact that my new look is discreet and delicate, I feel secretly rebellious.
If you are thinking about trying pink, I recommend stepping into the trend lightly like I have to see if it suits you and your skin tone rather than diving into an all-over pastel, as you can always build it up each time you visit your colourist. Will I stay pink, who knows? But it's given me a new lease of life and I that's just what I needed.
