What's hot in hair?

Colourist Tanya Courtney at Morgan and Morgan in Takapuna shares with us what's hot in hair colour this summer season and why you don't want your highlights to look like a striped skunk...

"This season, it's all about the 'lived-in' look", says Tanya Courtney. 'It's a low-maintenance colour which is always a good thing!'

"All our clients fill out a comprehensive consultation form as we believe consultation is the most important part. The form has pictures as well as words to alleviate confusion. The same words mean very different things to different people. We asked our team of colourists to pick out a caramel, a chocolate, and a coffee - and they all picked different ones! So if even colourists do that, how can they understand what colour their client wants, without finding out exactly?"

"We use colour capes to determine a client's skin tone by draping gold and silver capes over their clothing to suit what suits. If the silver cape looks better, they have pink and blue skin undertones and will suit cooler hair colours. If they look better in the gold cape, then they have yellow tones and suit warmer hair colours."

I turn out to be "pretty neutral."

Next up is my consultation and filling out the form, including picking which celebrity hair photos - not the actual celebs, mind - I like best (Kate Moss, Paris, Giselle) to find out what I want from my hair (condition and shine and to keep my length.)

Tanya recommends doing a global colour in golden copper base and golden highlights scrunched through around my face wherever my hair naturally curls, which gives texture and variation. Rather than the old method of highlighting where a clock face of foils were circled around the crown in a dial, the colourist now picks out certain strands especially around the face.

"The stripy effect - not so much anymore!" she laughs.

"Colour is definitely softer this season. Rich violet tones are also really pretty this season; people are really enjoying them. It's not an 'overly-coloured' look. It's more lived-in and more natural."

Tanya recommends a pre-colour treatment to strengthen up the ends and we leave this on for another flat white length of time.

The result? I love my golden copper hair and it is actually the shiniest it's been in ages. What I really loved was how listened to I was. It's like therapy but with prettier hair as an outcome.

Below: Tanya colours a clients' hair. A colour at Morgan & Morgan is usually in the $135 - 150 region depending on length and highlights are extra.

Below: the Morgan & Morgan Urban Retreat salon interior. Stylists offer clients free flat whites anytime, and glasses of wine after 5pm, as part of their service.

As well as hair, the urban retreat offers spa services and the beautiful make-up range Quoi and New Zealander Karen Murrell's eponymous lipsticks line.

Below: Managing Director Jennifer Morgan, thinking outside the box.

You can find Morgan & Morgan online at www.morganandmorgan.co.nz at 6-10 Como Street Takapuna. Ph 09 486 9772

Story and photos, Megan Robinson 1 December 2009