Brassy... That Word Gets A Bad Wrap!

By Carly Crossley

I spent a good amount of time today in the happiest place on earth. Before you assume, "wow! Disneyland!!" let me clarify: the happiest place on earth for grown ups, aka bed. A couple years ago I found my dream bed on craigslist. It's a giant brass beauty, solid, strong and shiny, and it was a steal none the less! As I lie there swathed in my many blankets of varying weights, textures and gloriousness, admiring my all time favorite purchase, I found my mind wandering with word association.

Brass. Brassy. Brassy hair. That word sure gets a bad rap.

By definition, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc in varying proportions creating the range in tones. In plain English: they mix a pinkish/orange with silver to make different shades of yellow. In hair terms it means, get it out! But should it?

In the eyes of children, (and many husbands) hair darker than sand is black and anything lighter than it is yellow. Blonde IS yellow. Within this range, there are obvious variations, but this is where I feel brass is underestimated.

For this first exercise, I'd like to say close your eyes to envision, but then you can't keep reading. Instead, transport yourself to a beach... not a Washington beach... pull yourself away from the grey... You are in Hawaii sitting on the beach in the late afternoon. Think of the sun, the way it warms you from the inside and the out, how it casts a glow on everything it touches. The sand radiates, the green of the trees seems electrified. Your skin, despite your best efforts at defense (or maybe not) echos this warmth. You begin to bronze, your cheeks start to flush. The Mai Tai in your hand is layered in tones of gold, pink, red and orange. The sun begins to sink, bringing the world into a twilight of fireworks lighting up the sky and for just a few moments, you wonder if every thing might burst into flames.

Do you feel warmer now?

Warmth is not a bad thing. We emulate these tones every day with bronzers and blushes. We will wear gold and bronze eye shadows, and coral lipsticks. Golds can brighten our skin and compliment our eyes. Why is everyone so desperate to erase this from their hair?

I know that I personally used to think that the ashier the better. Part of this is a west coast thing. Over here, trend has it that our blondes tend to be cooler. East coasters, in my experience are often looking for the warmer side of blondes. I've had people ask me why that is, and there are many theories, but one that stands out to me starts with genetics then moves on to what the Jones' do.

In a culture dominated by the melting pot and  gene pools that tend to be predominately dark haired, the easier blonde to ACHIEVE is one with warmth. What if the Regina George of your school came back after break with her shiny new highlights: a trend is born. “I want my hair JUST like hers,” becomes the phrase exclaimed to hairstylists all across town and a new normal is born. If your mean girl were to transplant to say the midwest where a large Scandinavian population chose to settle, she would be running to the shop asking for a toner because nobody can do blonde quite like the Swedes. Here on the west side, as the cultural mutts of the country, we tend to be... wait for it... the combo of warm and cool- neutral.

(NYC based Sex and the City cast)

(Sweden's own Elin Nordegren) 

(California girl Marisa Miller- neutral is often harder for the untrained eye to spot, but if you catch yourself going, "that's cool... no that's warm... no, cool.." it's probably neutral.)

Of my clients fighting the brass, “lighter and ashier” is not always the answer. Have you ever seen or had it happen to you where your highlights are toned to super ash and it ends up looking like you have grey streaks in your hair? Sometimes, it's actually your base that needs to be adjusted (this is your natural hair color that is left out between the foils) other times, and brace yourself for this... you may not be suited for ash tones or ultra light highlights. That's right, there is a mystical balance that lies in how many shades your base and highlights should vary from one another.

(Claire danes with cool highlights and a broken base)

The other factor that comes into play when choosing your hair tone is YOUR tone, as in your skin tone. Are you a golden, olive, or cool skin tone? This isn't a question of light or dark. Do corally pinks bring out the glow in your cheeks or make you feel yellow/sallow? Do blueish lavenders soften your skin tone or emphasize the circles under your eyes? Not all darker complexions are warm and not all pale complexions are cool. If purple/greys bring out the blues in your veins or wash you out, you may not want to try for an ashy blonde. But if you love a tan, live for Nars Orgasm blush and and want to bring out those flecks in your eyes, why not embrace the warmth!

(jessica alba trying for a medium cool blonde- see how it changes her skin tone.)

(Here's Jessica maybe only a shade darker but embracing the warmth)

The next time you find yourself doubting the gold, talk to your stylist. Ask about your goal look, whether it is right for YOU not your coworker. Talk about what it takes to get there, talk about hair tone, makeup and clothes colors. As a stylist, it is my job to give you what you ask for, but my passion is helping you to find the best you. 

loves!

Carly