>> As seen on prettyinthequeencity.com
July 7, 2011

Rachel Bilson, Drew Barrymore and Jessica Biel are just a few of the celebrities adopting Ombre hair color where hair roots are dark and gradually get lighter and lighter through to the tip.

Christine Zilinski, salon owner and artistic educator for Italian product line Davines, has created the Ombre hair trend for many of her salon clients in addition to teaching the trend to salon stylists and colorists across the country. Here, Zilinski gives us Ombre 101 with recommendations for selecting the best color for your hair.

For selecting the best Ombre look Zililnski recommends working with your hair’s natural undertones. She explains that the look actually includes three tones. Start at the roots with either your base color or one to two shades darker than your natural. The middle tone is two shades lighter through the mid shaft then the ends are more towards a blonde.

For example, someone with a natural dark blonde base might go darker then the natural midshaft, which would be a medium golden blonde, ends would be a light buttery blonde. Darker browns would a deep dark chocolate at the base, then a light milky warm chocolate at the midsection, and a honey blonde on the ends.

When asking your colorist for Ombre hair color you should understand that this is not a foil highlighting technique. It's done with a hair painting method. It's best if you work with the color your hair would be if it was left in the sun.

Some may think the Ombre trend looks like the person was too lazy to get their hair color touched up, but when done by an expert like Zilinski, the trend can look chic and sophisticated. Here is a photo from the Davines Nattura Collection.

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Say Goodbye to Gossip

I recently bumped into Adrienne Rogers, owner of Hush Salon in Philadelphia, who told me about a great new initiative she'd started at her salon: a book club. Her motivation? "We realized how low-brow and gossipy our conversations were with our clientele," she said. "We wanted to have something more substantial to talk about during appointments." This, of course, got me thinking about the prevalence of gossip in salons (we're all guilty I), what kind of negative effect our idle chatter has on business, and how to cut down on gossiping between stylists and with clients.

I contacted Sam Chapman, author of The No-Gossip Zone (Sourcebooks, 2009), a book about eliminating gossip in the workplace. "Gossip and beauty salons are thought to go hand-in-hand," he told me. "However, gossip is just as detrimental in a salon environment as it is in an office environment, especially since many employees tend to gossip about their clients. Not only is this unprofessional, but it can also greatly harm your business. If your clients know that you're going to be discussing their personal lives or sharing personal information with the other clientele, they aren't going to feel relaxed or happy about their visit." This isn't just speculation. In KMS California's Profit or Perish educational program, KMS professionals traveled around the country interviewing clients about their experiences in the salon. Their least favorite aspect? Gossip! The study points out that along with creating an unpleasant environment, consistent gossip can make the client feel like the stylist is preoccupied.

So, how can we limit gossip in the salon? Jean-Pierre Sanchez, owner of Jean-Pierre Salon in Boston, has set a policy that while a client is in the chair, stylists are not allowed to chat with the stylist next to them. "We believe we are in the business of being listeners, not talkers," he says. I was curious about other salon owners' tips on curbing gossip, so I posed the question on the American Salon Facebook fan page. Here is a sampling of the responses (edited for fit and clarity):