Ash Blonde Is The Must Have Shade This Autumn
I ventured to the award-winning Gusto Hairdressing on Wigmore Street to try the trend for myself.
By Layla Turner
There’s something about Autumn that makes you want to grab the auburn hair dye out and embrace the dark side, if you are a blonde that is – try to refrain. Whilst it may seem like a good idea now, come Spring you’ll be grabbing for the bleach once again. Instead, opt for the season’s hottest colour (thanks to a certain Game Of Thrones character) – ash blonde. The shade is a mix of natural and cool tones that work together to cancel any warmth, meaning you can look icy all winter long.
I’m naturally blonde haired, although I have dabbled with darker shades a few times and have to resist the temptation to go brunette every few months – blondes will recognise the struggle. I’m very particular about my colour – it has to suit my pale complexion – and I have struggled to find a salon to trust since moving to London. When Gusto hairdressing invited me into the salon to experience their skills for myself, I was particularly nervous. Would they get the color right? Would I be left feeling scalped? I decided, If I was going to go for it, I would really go for it, and with that, I booked in to have my tape extensions removed, an all over bleach, olaplex treatment and an overdue cut. The full works, some might say.
At 11.30am on a Friday morning, I jumped into my uber and made my way down to Gusto Wigmore Street. Having had a few too many spicy margaritas the night before, my anxiety for my drastic hair change was high. Going from my long, honey blonde extensions to natural and icy was a big decision for me, and one that, at this particular moment, whilst trying to remain composed and make small talk with my uber driver whilst nursing the worst headache known to man – I didn’t know if I was prepared for.
I arrived to the salon – a particularly cool and industrial looking venue adjacent to Oxford Street, and was greeted by owner Andre Johnson and the team, otherwise known as London’s best hairdressers. I was offered a glass of champagne, which I politely declined, and opted for a peach iced tea (health), before being guided to one of the salon chairs by cut and colour maestra, Loddy.
I have to say, Loddy was rather intimidating, but in the best kind of way. She listened to what I wanted, but wasn’t afraid to give her own opinions, which is what you want from a professional colour maestra. She told me that my current hair was very yellow (I ran out of purple shampoo last week, don’t judge me), and that that was something we needed to fix. After a small exchange, it seemed the consultation was over, and Loddy got to work on my hair.
We started with a bleach bath (fellow blondes will know the PAIN), and I watched my hair turn into a very light, pale yellow color. We rinsed the bleach off and Loddy showed me samples of toners. We opted for a super light, ashy, pearl blonde – the shade I had always wanted to be, but no other hairdresser had got quite right. Loddy mixed up the toner, adding some Olaplex for this mixture to breathe life into my freshly bleached locks.
Now was time to wash off the toner – the moment of truth. My hair had been transformed to a beautiful, ash colour – I was in love. Loddy hacked into my hair – after having worn extensions for the past several years, my hair was in need of a good chop. Again, Loddy used her better judgement and sneakily chopped off a teeny bit more than we had agreed, but my hair looked so much better for it. Sometimes you just have to trust the professionals.
We finished off the look with a blowdry and some loose waves, before proceeding to take some before and after pictures. The difference was insane – my brassy, broken hair had been transformed into a sleek, silver long bob. My hungover soul was overjoyed – somehow, Gusto Hairdressing had managed to do what no hairdresser had ever done before.
If you are planning a hair transformation, head down to Gusto and entrust the help of one of the talented professionals. Your hair will thank you for it.
