We asked an international hair stylist about the hue that’s all over Instagram.

 

There’s a hot new hair colour cropping up in our Insta feeds, and it’s not Pantone’s 2019 Colour of the Year, Living Coral — which is actually divine btw — or the overdone millennial pink.

We’ve got a hunch that the hue for summer will be *drum roll* lilac. It’s fresh, fun and just a little bit grown up.

If you need further proof that this dusty purple shade is where it’s at, consider this — searches for lilac hair inspo on Pinterest have exploded by 1,077 percent.

Plus, from the looks of it, Lady Gaga just went lilac so you know it’s gonna be big.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

fountain of kindness.

A post shared by @ christiancarino on

Is lilac the hue for you? We asked international award-winning hair stylist Anthony Nader — who heads up the RAW Anthony Nader salon in Sydney’s Surry Hills — for his thoughts.

Who suits lilac?

“For those of you with pale porcelain milky skin complexions, this rainbow colour is going to work a treat for your complexion,” Nader told 10 daily.

However, if your skin tone is too warm, you might want to chat with your colourist about other options as “it’s going to make your lilac strands look ruddy.”

In terms of hair colour, lighter is better as a starting off point for going lilac.

If your hair sits within the dark blond to light-medium brown range then you’re good to go.

“Lilac is going to work for you because your natural base is so light and therefore when you have your colour process done it won’t take hours sitting in the salon,” Nader said.

A lighter base also means your mane stays healthier during and after the colouring process.

“The main factor is the health of your hair — strands will still be in tip-top condition as they won’t blow out with all the bleach applications.”

Looking after lilac

“To upkeep your smooth, sweet lilac hair shade, you should also invest in a cosmetic colour shampoo,” Nader told 10 daily.

“That’s going to keep your strands looking incredible and full of colour pigment between salon visits.”

Nader even had some tips for when it comes to doing your makeup with new lilac locks.

“Experiment with soft hues, a stained lip or a stained cheek or go more adventurous with a winged cat eye.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

call me the purple teletubby ok 💜

A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) on

So, can we go lilac at home?

That’d be a no, at least according to Nader.

“I never recommend home colours as they only lead to disasters, and then you have to get a salon to fix up your ‘creativity’ which will most likely cost you more money and time in the long run.”

It’s best to leave going lilac to the professionals.

“This application takes precision and time — especially if applying bleach and peroxide if needed.

Your stylist will be adept at making sure your lilac goes on evenly, so it “looks like a million bucks and not like you got it from a lucky dip.”

Sure, it might take time out of your busy schedule but think of it as some well-deserved ‘me’ time.

Salon styling notes

So, you’re gonna go lilac — what do you ask for when you hit the salon?

“I always suggest taking a few references — and by this I mean no more than five, otherwise you might accidentally put your hairdresser on ‘sleep mode’,” Nader advised.

“References are perfect because that can also determine the intensity of the shade desired and the pro’s and con’s about how it’s going to work with your hair type.”

Once you and the stylist have settled on a shade, then the lilac fun can get underway.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *