KEY POINTS:
Last month I changed my hair. A lifelong blonde, I decided to go to the dark side after months of deliberation and hesitation. I had kept my brunette craving a secret from my hairdresser, Lucy Vincent-Marr from Stephen Marr, but as soon as I mentioned my desire for a radical new look, she was applying the hair dye. She suggested taking my extreme makeover one step further by cutting a blunt fringe. I was so bored with my hair that I probably would have let her cut it all off, so I agreed.
Two hours later, with a new fringe and my blond locks long gone, I felt like a completely new person.
Most of us get stuck in hair ruts, where we're too scared to deviate from the same style we had 10 years ago. But hair is like clothes: it should be fun and changeable. And here at Viva, we think there's no better excuse to change your look than the change of the season. But what look should you go for this spring/summer?
THE BIG CHOP
All the hair experts we spoke to named model Agyness Deyn's cropped cut as the ultimate look for the warmer months. The cut has been bubbling under the surface for a while now, with starlets Pixie Geldof and Kimberly Stewart going for the chop, but expect it to blow up in a big way this summer. It's a move forward from the Victoria Beckham style "pob" and the bob that Katie Holmes and TV presenter Alexa Chung have been sporting. The bob is still fresh for summer, although this time around expect it to lighten up, with less of a geometric shape and more layering and movement. But it's Deyn's strong and layered boyish cut that is the ultimate summer look. "Short hair is fresh, 60s and 80s inspired, but more in a boys' way - Agyness is a great example of this at the moment," says Vincent-Marr. "Pixie cuts are great if you want to be on the edge of fashion," says Mana Dave, creative director of Newmarket hair salon Blaze. However, he cautions that an urchin cut, like that of 60s icon Jean Seberg, is very much for the fashion-forward. "It's not for the faint of heart; you do feel a bit naked."
ROMANTIC WAVES
If you're not willing to be that fashion forward, long hair is still key. Winter's elegant curls are shaken up for summer for a looser, boho look. The look is textured and lived-in. "The really glam waves of winter will be given more of a distressed look for summer," says Dave. Servilles owner Paul Serville says the hippie-chic look is "messy and tousled with long layers around the face or with a long heavy fringe". He also suggests accessories to reference the look - "thin, bright and shiny ribbon-like bands that are wrapped around the forehead like a bandanna". Steven Kelly of Killer Hair says the look is the complete opposite of the structured Deyn crop, with hair long, layered and not overly styled. Think the beachy bed-hair of Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson. As Dave says, "you don't want to look too try-hard".
MINI TRENDS
* The fringe almost passed its use-by date earlier last year, but Kate Moss managed to inject some fresh new life into the trend when she got her locks chopped in November. Expect the heavy, blunt fringe to evolve into something shorter, with more texture this summer - Moss and model Daisy Lowe have perfected the look.
* It's a given that colour lightens in summer, but if you're wanting something fresh and a little left of field, Vincent-Marr suggests letting your hairdresser play with colour tones. "They have a vintage, lived-in feel. This is reflected in our collection this season where we've referenced a watercolour palette, with amber, dusty rose and peach tones." Although perhaps don't go as far as Lily Allen did with her hot pink hairdo last month.
* Hair extensions can radically change your look, but they're costly and you run the risk of looking like Britney with her raggedy weave. But if you still want to play with extensions, Servilles have introduced Hairdo, clip-on hair extensions that make hair longer and more voluminous. And while clip-on extensions may sound, well, weird, these extensions, from $189, actually look good.
CH-CH-CH-CHANGES
If you're inspired to go for the change for summer, all the experts agreed that a good consultation with a stylist you trust is vital. Finding a good stylist is the hardest part, but shop around until you're happy.
As Dave says, a cut and colour takes usually about two hours, so "the most important thing is to go to someone you like". Once you've found your hair soulmate, talk about what you want for your hair.
Greg Murrell, owner of Auckland's Ryder salon, says the key is to be honest about what you want with your stylist. "They are not mind-readers but are always trying to decipher your words and body language to assess your true motivations." And even though it's slightly cliche, Dave recommends taking in pictures of things you like and dislike. "Hairdressers are creative people, and visual people, so take pictures. Words are intangible, you may think one shade of blond and your hairdresser will be thinking of another."
But a word of warning - never tell your hairdresser to do what they want with your precious locks.
"People may not have a definitive idea of how they want to look, but they definitely know how they don't want to look," says Vincent-Marr.
"This can be really scary territory for a stylist."
But if you are ready for the big change, your stylist will love you. "A good hairdresser will love being part of this transformation," says Kelly. "We live for this!"
