Trend Watch: Hair Color Flashes
Photo courtesy of Anne Vickman.
Since testing out the now-overplayed feather trend and discovering its dark side, I’ve been hunting for a more environmentally responsible yet equally fun way to jazz up my locks—one that doesn’t involve the equally tired ombre look. Enter color flashes, which cropped up at this year’s fall fashion shows and have been spotted on celebs like Lauren Conrad, Katy Perry, and in Britney’s latest video. So I made plans to hit up Naz Kupelian’s eponymous salon in Lexington for some rock-star hair streaks.
I’m as chicken as it gets when it comes to changing my ‘do — as evidenced by the nightmare I had the night before my appointment, which involved my locks turning a horrendous shade of platinum. Kupelian quickly put my fears at bay by explaining that the tint he uses, which comes in brilliant hues like fuchsia, red, orange, and hot pink, fades after about two weeks — perfect for a dye-phobe like me.
There are two options for color flashes: highlighting the strands you want to dye and adding color over them — or, for those of us who can’t deal with high-maintenance highlights, pre-colored hair extensions. After I explained my dream from the night before, Kupelian recommended I opt for the latter, and we settled on a light and hot pink combo.
Quick, easy, and painless.
The process was simple: Kupelian lifted sections of hair at the crown of my head and placed the color streaks on each side using a hot flat iron, which seals the glue bond at the top of the extension to the hair. In less than an hour, I was the proud owner of some stylin’ streaks. Though the extensions can last up to 12 months, they’re easily removed using an acetone-based product, or, in other words, nail polish remover.
In hindsight, having hair nightmares was totally unnecessary — this type of color transformation is a low-maintenance, commitment-free dream come true.
Priced per consultation; $40 per flash, Naz Kupelian Salon, 311 Woburn St., Lexington, 781-676-7791, nazkupeliansalon.com.
