It seems that every time I'm flipping through the television stations and I pass HBO, they are perpetually showing the movie The Blind Side Sandra Bullock is sporting blond hair as she portrays Leigh Anne Tuohy, the feisty woman who took the homeless Michael Oher under her wing and into her home. It is jarring every time I see Sandra Bullock as a overly highlighted blonde. She is great looking and though she can carry this blond hair color that helps to define the character she portrays in the film with the help of makeup and great cinema lighting, there is no doubt that she looks most beautiful in her signature brunette hair. By the way, I am sure her natural brown hair color is enhanced with a few highlights and chocolate rinses.
Enhancing your own hair color is the best hair tip I can give to all women. Clients are always bringing me pictures of their favorite celebrities' hair color. Usually it's the same five or ten pictures from various advertisements or magazine layouts. Sometimes they are a great color choice for the client. Other times they are dead wrong. Here are some tips and hair-color options we can learn from celebrity hair colors.
1) Julianne Moore probably has natural red hair that has faded over the years. I would not be surprised if her natural hair color is now a light warm brown. Maintaining her red hair definitely is her best choice. When you are lucky enough to be born with this color, you should do your best to hold on to this most fugitive and rare shade. Her red hair often changes from film to film, from hues of light to dark copper red. I am willing to bet Miss Moore's hair color changes from shampoo to shampoo. This is a universal problem of all people who choose to go red. Red is the most fugitive shade and the most difficult hair color to maintain but well worth it if your complexion is similar to Julianne Moore's. It is the color that works best for you. Be aware that it will require the use of semi-permanent colors or tinted shampoos in between touch-ups to keep your red hair shade consistent and prevent it from looking faded.
2) Scarlett Johansson is one of the most beautiful women on the planet. The first time I met Scarlett, she had crayon red hair. Sofia Coppola sent her to me to make her as close as I could manage to a blond shade for the movie Lost in Translation. Her bright red hair was left over from a previous film. She looked beautiful even with this totally unnatural color. As she started her road back to blond, she unleashed her true beauty. Scarlett was born blond that turned darker with adolescence. She simultaneously became a glamorous platinum blonde as she emerged as an enormous star. More recently she has adjusted her hair color to a more natural caramel blond with lighter tips. This is a much more age-appropriate hair color for her. This darker golden caramel color provides contrast to her complexion and is less erosive to her hair texture and quality. This coloring is achieved with a single-process permanent color and highlights on the tips of her hair. If you chose only to highlight your hair to achieve this look, keep your streaks of color as warm as possible. You can add paler tones to the tips of your hair. Most people born with blond hair find their hair becomes darker and duller with age. Making it a shade or two lighter and brighter like Scarlett will help you to look prettier and more vibrant.
3) Gwyneth Paltrow is a natural blonde whose color is enhanced to become a luminous pale blond. She started her road to becoming a blond goddess with a few natural looking highlights. She has now become an all over, "no doubt about it" blonde. This looks great on her because of her always simple and chic hairstyle. Pale blond hair does not need to be embellished. It is best worn simple and mid-length or in a definite short style. Overly styled pale blond hair can easily be aging and look old school.
4) Demi Moore's brunette hair color dispels the rule that women with darker hair should go lighter with age. Granted she looks perpetually young and can easily wear her natural brown hair without it looking too harsh. Woman with natural brunette hair who are not lucky enough to age as gracefully as Demi Moore can explore options other than going lighter. They can keep their hair sparkling with glosses or all-over hair color. Brown hair can easily become dull and drab as the aging process begins. All grey hair should be covered. Brown hair showcases grey hair and will drain the color from your complexion. You can maintain your natural dark hair if you are past the forty-year-old mark. Be aware that your complexion has lost color at this point and that you must be careful not to make your hair darker than its natural hue. This will be too austere and aging for most people.
Celebrities can provide great color options for all of us mere mortals who live out of the limelight. If you have a similar complexion and texture to a celebrity whose hair you admire, take from them what works for you. Remember they had the best beauty experts help them to achieve their look. They did all the work. You can easily glean the best beauty tips from the best of the best. All you have to do is learn from those who have the look you desire.