With Ryan Gosling taking on the role of Ken in the new Barbie movie, platinum blonde for men is in the spotlight. Matrix Artist Ambassador Simon Townley says men’s hair colour is a huge potential for easily growing your business. “We have a large number of our clients that are having colour whether it’s grey coverage, highlights, a flash of something bright, or a full head bleach.
“The full head bleach is one of our most popular services in the summer for our male clients, the only things that change are the toners or colours we use. Most recently in 2021, the Euros brought a mass of male clients wanting the ‘Foden’ – short hair with a silver toner – and this year we are already seeing a new ‘Barbie’ trend with men loving the new Ken look.”
Simon’s top tips to get the Ken look
- The first step is a slow bleach process leaving about 1cm root from the scalp. This is to lift the ends to that warmer blonde tone but often this is on the orange side of warm. We tend to leave the first application for the full development time and cover the hair with a cap or simply lay foil over just to keep the heat and moisture in for a cleaner lift.
- Repeat the same process for a second time but this time starting at the roots leaving for 10 minutes and then apply a full application of bleach for a final 20 minutes. This is obviously dependent on hair depth and hair colour. Some may not need as long. Some need an extra ten minutes but just keep checking the hair for any signs of damage or scalp burns. Remember the roots will have only had 30/40 minutes over the two applications.
- Once rinsed make sure you have a clean base to tone over – it’s here where you make the perfect blonde.
- The Ken look varies in different lights, but for a super clean blonde, I love 1:1 mix of Matrix SoColor Sync 10PA Acidic Toner with a Clear just helps neutralise and keeps that blonde beautifully clean.
Speaking of trending looks, take a look at Jim Shaw's top men's hair looks from London Fashion Week.