Hair colour expert Vicki-Anne Hoskin is the recent winner of E4’s The Big Blow Out. As such, she knows a thing or two about colouring hair.
Vicki, who has been hairdressing since 2005 is a specialist in all things colour, from creative vivid colour, lived in balayage, brunettes, blondes or colour corrective work.
She spoke with Express.co.uk about the right way to cover grey hair with dye. Vicki explained the best type of dye to use, as well as a low maintenance option and one huge mistake to avoid.
The stylist explained: “The best way to colour grey hair is by using a permanent colour, these will cover greys up to 100 percent. A semi-permanent colour will only mask the greys for a couple of weeks, so always go for a permanent colour to give more coverage and make sure those pesky greys are gone.”
If you want to refresh the look without opting for a permanent all-over colour, Vicki said highlights can also be an excellent option. They give a fresher look, without the high maintenance.
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She explained: “Highlights are a really nice option they lift the grey hair and can be glossed with either an ash or pearl toner it really revives grey hair and gives a nice bright, fresh finish.
“It’s a great way to gradually go lighter if perhaps you’ve got greys creeping in and eventually want to go grey all over.”
When it comes to dying your hair at home, Vicky generally advises against it. She said: “As a professional colourist, at-home hair colour is a big no for me.
“Always visit a professional. Box dyes and at-home colour kits are a bit like a bag of Revels, you might get a good one but more often than not it’s a coffee one and no one likes them – it’s all about the Malteasers.”
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It’s also very difficult for professionals to correct dye mistakes made at home because they won’t be familiar with the dye used.
Vicki went on: “Using at-home dyes can also cause problems in the salon as your stylist doesn’t know exactly what’s been used on the hair previously so it can affect the end result and the condition of your hair.
“If cost is a concern, speak to your stylist about a low-maintenance colour. In between salon visits, you can maintain your hair with a colour refreshing mask, this will just refresh your colour and keep your hair looking fresh between appointments.”
Vicki, who is based in her salon in Cornwall, goes by @vikiscissorhands where she shares her gorgeous work.
The colour expert also shared the biggest hair dye mistake, which could be disastrous to fix. She said: “I actually quite like a mistake; I think they can be beautiful.
“However, the biggest mistakes we see in the salon are people attempting to do big colour changes at home, always leaving these to professionals and always having a patch test, not having a patch test can cause so many problems.
“At home bleaching can cause so much damage to your hair. When you visit a salon, your stylist is expertly trained on mixing formulas, finding the right tone for your skin tone and knows how to achieve an end result that you’ll be happy with, without compromising the condition of your hair.”
