My Interview with Celebrity Colorist Jason Backe

I got the opportunity to sit down for an exclusive interview and Clairol Perfect 10 haircolor makeover with hair colorist Jason Backe, Clairol’s color director who’s colored the hair of celebs like Anne Hathaway, Renee Zellweger and Kim Raver!

Check out this short video about my coloring and chat with Jason and read the rest of the interview below:

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17384854adn3tHTM

Why did you choose to specialize in hair color, rather than cutting or styling?

For the first six years of my career, I actually did both. I worked for Aveda in New York as a haircutting educator, but after Ted and I started the Ted Gibson salon, I was in charge of all the haircolor we did because Ted doesn’t do color at all. It actually worked out for the best, because I found out that I loved working with color and that it’s such a big influence on how women feel about themselves.

What advice can you offer on selecting a haircolor shade that will work well with your skin tone?

Selecting a haircolor shade can be the most scary thing, especially if we’re talking about at-home color specifically because a woman can step into the haircolor aisle and be completely overwhelmed. There’s a lot of tools that I don’t know if women know about to help them:

• 1-800-CLAIROL, which has someone there night and day to help answer any questions;
• Clairol.com, which has great tips for shade selection, application tips and tricks, and product recommendations;
• On the packaging itself, they have really true-to-life images showing that if this is what your hair color looks like now, this is what it’ll look like after you color.

The trend we’re seeing right now is more of a neutral blonde than golden blonde. Neutral blondes tend to look great on light-eyed, light-complected girls. If your skin has a tendency to show some pinkiness to it, a cooler blonde will work well.

Do you have any tips for maintaining colored hair and keeping it vibrant?

Don’t shampoo everyday, and when you rinse your hair, use cool water. Cool water smooths down the cuticle to help haircolor stay inside of the hair shaft, where hot water lets the color out. There are also some color preserving shampoos and conditioners you can use like the Pantene Expressions or Ted Gibson Clarity line.

Any advice on coloring and working with gray hair?

Use the maximum recommended processing time – on Perfect 10 for example, the processing time is ten minutes, but you can go up to fifteen minutes on grays. Also, make sure to apply color to the grayest parts of your hair first so the color stays on those areas longer. If your hair is 75% or more gray, try Clairol Nice n’ Easy Gray Solutions.

Are highlights out of style?

Big, streaky highlights are out of style – but so is monochrome hair. We’re seeing subtler variations in hair color that focus on dimension and depth. If you’re interested in highlighting your hair at home, try separating the top 1/4″ of your hair from the top of your head and highlighting the layer underneath with the Clairol Hairpainting kit for a more natural look. If you’re apprehensive, just highlight a couple of pieces rather than your whole head—less is more!

What about Perfect 10 sets it apart from other at-home haircolor?

The traditional haircolor formula uses ammonia and peroxide to color hair, which actually eats the melanin in your hair that gives it its color. While doing so, it also destroys the proteins that make your hair strong and smooth. Clairol developed a whole new way of coloring hair with Perfect 10, which uses aminoglycine to target the melanin in your hair and cause 46% less damage than traditional color.

Should women consider their age or hair length when selecting a haircolor shade?

We’re actually moving away from those guidelines and focusing on what looks good on the individual. A great example is the ladies of Desperate Housewives; you can have long, red hair like Marcia Cross or blonde bombshell hair like Nicolette Sheridan at any age.