Have fun adding a tinge of pretty colour to greying strands, from apricot blonde to strawberry and lavender. Yes, pastel hair on older women can look fantastic.
Ever sat through bleaching sessions? As someone who has smelt like a cleaned bathroom for days post-bleach, I understand the allure of light colours.
While your mind might go to the intensity of Dame Edna Everage’s bouffant, today’s take on pastel hair is more soft, flowing and low key.
Helen Mirren’s pink pastel hair became iconic a decade ago on the red carpet, showcasing how fashionable pastel can be as you age. Why not try it?
What is pastel hair?
Pastel describes gentle colours, also referred to as lolly or candy shades. When dying hair, this is usually pale pink, violet, lavender, apricot, mint, light blue or lemon.
Keep in mind pastel hair colours fade quite quickly, often faster than darker hair dyes. But the good news is, they look lovely as they move through the fading spectrum.
Break up the colour
White and grey hair offers an opportunity to play with pale tones, minus the bleaching process. Even better, blends and highlights are beautiful; you don’t need a solid colour.
This means salt and pepper hair doesn’t need stripping back for a uniform pastel. Let your hair’s natural inclinations shape the pattern and flow of your colour.
Graduated shades
Ever since balayage’s success and ombre’s entrance a few years back, darker or lighter roots are no longer seen as a lax colouring effort, but a fashionable style choice.
A hairdresser who knows how to highlight will help integrate a few shades into your hair in a way that feels organic and creates depth, whether underneath, mid-strand or at the tips.
Blending blonde
Pale pastels work well with cooler shades of blonde. You can try a little honey, vanilla or strawberry blonde streaks, especially around your face, to add body and enrich the colour.
Where the blonde and pastel are placed will depend on which colour you want to dominate your hairstyle. Length and cut are also important considerations when placing colour.
Pink and white
White and pink hair isn’t just for the elderly; all ages have been exploring this pretty mix. The shades work well together, so if hair is white, consider keeping some natural strands.
Fairy floss pink doesn’t need to be a total commitment. A few well-placed slivers of soft pink through your locks – even pastel pink hair underneath – can transform your summer look.
Celebrating silver
Silver hair works well with extremely subtle pastel washes and highlights. Consider a cut that celebrates layering, increasing body, to really capture and reflect the light.
Jane Fonda, for example, has been photographed over the years with varying undertones of subtle lavender and violet through changing shades of white, grey and silver hair.
Pairing pastels
Want to mix it up? Instead of using one pastel, why not try two? The great thing about such pale colours, is the way they blend into an eye-catching finish.
A gentle blue and violet, lavender and blue, violet and pink, soft lemon and apricot blonde, or blue and mint – so many complementing combinations to choose from.
Pastel transition
A pale wash of colour can soften the difference between your hair shades as it loses melanin, a natural process of ageing that results in grey and white strands.
More women turning grey or white are choosing to dye these patches or streaks coming through with pastel colours, instead of covering them with darker dyes.
Remember to condition
To protect the colour, you may need to make adjustments to your haircare routine. Use shampoos and conditioners for coloured hair, and wash in cold water.
Some find washing less frequently helpful. Consider adding a treatment or hair mask into your haircare, one suited to older or coloured hair to combat dryness and frizz.
Fashion and pastel hair
Anyone who has undergone a hair colour change knows a new shade can have an unexpected impact on wardrobe and make-up – down to the tint of your lip gloss.
After a hair transformation, be open to make-up and styling previously vetoed. You’ll be surprised how colours you didn’t think suited you, suddenly look fantastic.
Have you experimented with pastel shades? What colour are you tempted to try this summer? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: Love swimming? Here are five steps to keep your hair healthy
