At the launch of the latest collection of Streax Professional, Retro Remix by Rochelle Chhabra, Professional Division Head, Hygienic Research Institute, all eyes are on the gorgeous show-stopper Sonakshi Sinha.
Also in the spotlight are Agnes Chen, Technical Head of Streax Professional and Swedish hairstylist and Hair Expert, Streak Professional, Joakim Roos. We don’t miss the chance to question Roos on all that is trending in the realm of hair colour...
Which is the appropriate hair colour for Indian skin?
I see a lot of honey, caramel, softer copper and brownish tones around me. I see those shades as nice bright complimentary tones for the Indian skin.
Personally, which is your favourite colour?
I think it has to be caramel colours because in the west everything had to be icy grey which wasn’t that good after a while. I mean, you will have enough of grey when you get older! So, to see something caramel, something brown, a rich colour which doesn’t have to be something bright.
Something which is deep and rich and I think that the caramel shade is one such. I also think a combination of shades. Something like soft highlights with a caramel undertone but you have a little bit of a mixture which is not just one colour. From Streax too I like the warm and bronze calming shades which are nice and refreshing.
How often is it healthy for your hair to change your colour?
If it is done with professional products by people who know it well and are serious then yes, no problem to be done to your hair because there are so many good things that we can do to treat the hair to make sure that damage does not occur.
But, if you go to unserious hairdressers who aren’t aware about the education of chemicals then yes, bad things can happen. Clients must be aware about their hairdresser’s potential, strength and qualification. Also, quality comes with a slightly higher price but, if we get damaged hair, the cost to repair it is even more expensive.
Do bold hair colours such as teal, blue, hot pink, etc. damage your hair more than the basic tones like caramel, brown and such?
It’s not about the shades but the process of getting there. In order to get a very bright colour, you have to bleach the hair. If you are doing it all at once and changing your hair colour from black to white then yes, that is going to damage your hair.
But if the hairdresser does it slowly and ensures it is explained to the client that it is going to take time then you do it under good, guarded circumstances which are not that damaging. It’s really about how qualified the hairdresser is.
What misconceptions would you like to clear about hair or any particular hair products?
In any magazine or social media, everything is about if you use a razor in your hair, bleach your hair, or backcomb your hair, it’s going to damage your hair but it doesn’t. Doing it improperly will damage your hair...but driving rashly will damage your car too.
If you treat your hair properly then it won’t get damaged. It’s about how qualified and knowledgeable the hairdresser is and what he knows about the potential and range of the products. I also think that the client needs to be aware and ask questions about their qualifications, their knowledge and where they get their information and their education from.
Any haircare tips for the humid weather of Mumbai?
The best thing would be to stay inside but that’s of course not possible. It’s important to keep moisturising. A big misconception is that if you have a lot of humidity around, it is going to moisturise your hair but it’s actually the opposite—it draws moisture out of your hair.
The more humid it is, the drier your hair can get so you have to moisturise your hair to make sure it gets deep conditioning. The moisture also brings in a lot of pollution to the hair so good cleansing helps in keeping your hair healthy.
On what basis do you judge a person's hair?
It may sound like a dumb answer but it’s how you feel, see and touch it. Also is it glassy, water repellent, poor, or is it absorbent and this often helps in how I can educate myself and my client on what to do with their hair in that condition and also helps me decide what products to use.
If I see the split ends, if I feel the roughness, I make my judgements based on that and then go from there to what is needed, whether it’s moisture or oil or anything else needed to keep the hair nice and healthy.
Is hair the first thing you notice when you look at a person?
Occupational hazard, yes! While greeting a person, I automatically and definitely notice and look at the person’s hair.
