Explaining her fascination with this natural phenomenon, Katie says: “The Northern Lights phenomenon is never the same twice; sometimes it’s predominantly green toned, others more pink or blue. It’s just incredible and offers the perfect inspiration for creative colour.”
Here are Katie’s top tips for creating vivid, multi-tonal hair looks inspired by the Northern Lights:
1 One of my favourite methods for creating a Northern Lights-inspired look is to start with a dark root using Pulp Riot Nightfall, before blending it into a multitude of green and blue tones.
2 For this technique, I used pops of lighter shades around the face, always taking into account the client’s skin tone.
3 Another great method for creating this effect is the prism technique. For this, I like to work with grey roots or grey ends, creating a stunning contrast between the grey and the bright colours.
4 For my prism, I always use an oval or diamond section from the top and over-direct everything forward to get a clear prism blend.
5 With either technique, I apply my root colour first and give it around 5-10 minutes to develop, before starting the mid-lengths and ends.
6 Always keep a towel handy and even some foil just so there’s no colour transfer onto the lifted hair waiting to be coloured.
7 Keep tint brushes and sections nice and clean when you’re working, especially if you’re switching from yellow or purple to green.
8 Use a little buffer colour to blend one colour with the next. I usually go from ends upwards when I’m blending to keep things clean.
