There are many reasons for getting a new haircut and colour – from a breakup to a wedding, a hair disaster or a change of season.
For Mamamia Women’s Network Deputy Editor in Chief Kate Spies, it was when people started to compliment her non-existent balayage.
“I had been horribly lazy and it had been over six months (I know!) since I had last seen a hairdresser. People kept commenting on my balayage and I would have to awkwardly admit that it was actually regrowth and by no means intentional,” she says.
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We got the [G]low-down from Kate and her hairdresser Stella Greenwood, senior colourist at RAW, celebrity hairstylist Anthony Nader’s salon, about how she went from long and blonde to the owner of a fierce ice white lob.
Q&A with Kate
What made you decide to make a big change?
"I’m a big fan of a breakup hair change (I have got a bob and gone bright red post-breakup in the past), but this time I was just sick of looking at my unkempt lank hair in the mirror."
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What sorts of things were you looking at to get inspiration for your big change?
"The Glow, of course! And I get most of my hair inspo from Instagram, either from celeb pages or beauty/style profiles." (Post continues after gallery.)
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Did you take any images to the hairdresser?
"I didn’t take any images, but Stella and I had a discussion about what I was after: I wanted the regrowth fixed up (obviously), but I also wanted to have a couple of shades of blonde in my hair. I hate block colour. We decided on quite an icy/white blonde and also a warmer peach tone. I think the combo works. My poor hair was very dead so the big chop just had to happen."
Who is your hair muse?
I have always always loved Sienna Miller’s hair — I don’t think she’s ever had a bad look.
Q&A with Stella
How long did Kate's transformation take?
"Kate was at the salon for approximately there hours for the colour and haircut."
What is it about this new style that’s exciting for you?
"Her hair looks healthier, thicker and more on-trend. It gives a good style to the hair and at the same time it shows the blunt base line that I absolutely LOVE." (Post continues after gallery.)
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What sort of inspiration did you have in mind while you were doing this client’s hair?
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"Kate walked into the salon with the top half of her hair dark from about five inches of regrowth, and the bottom ends platinum blonde. I sure didn't want to go platinum again, so it inspired me to go for a change. We went for a softer icy blonde with some peachy highlights to shimmer through. It's the thing I love to see with different contrast of warm and cool colours in the hair." (Post continues after gallery.)
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What did the transformation involve?
"This was a big transformation, as you can see, as Kate walked in looking so different compared to when she walked out! I did a 3/4 head of foils and did lots of them. She almost looked like she had a helmet of foils on her head! I used three different shades of blondes to give it that natural soft blonde look."
How many inches of hair did you cut off?
"I chopped off seven inches of Kate's hair to give her that gorgeous sharp, blunt bob look with no layers."
Did you do anything else we need to know about?
"Yes, I used Olaplex. It’s an amazing product for blondes and I use it on all my blonde girls. You mix it with your colour and it works like magic! It's a rebonder so it's rebonding your hair bonds at the same time as the colour is doing the opposite. It gives the client a reassurance of zero breakage which we all love to hear."
Are you thinking of going for the chop? Or have you recently got a fab new hairstyle? Tell us about it below.
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