Colour NOTES

Celebrity Colourist Kris Barnes talks supermodel balayage, Scandi blonde, and the trend that gave him the ick

TRAVELLING

I have never seen so many amazing blondes as I have in New York, which led to me mastering the art of balayage before it was widely used as a technique in London.

RUNWAYS

I always get inspired from scrolling through fashion blogs from the latest runways.

CELEBRITY ARTISTS

Celebrities inspire me massively – I love the creativity of the looks on artists like FKA twigs and Doja Cat.

90s and 00s

90s and 00s music videos have always been inspiring to me.The fashion back then was so fearless and fun – Lil' Kim will always be the Queen Bee of that era.

HAIRDRESSING

The hairdressing community is so inspiring to me.This is one of the most creative industries and I’ve been inspired by each and every person featured in HJ!

What do you love most about being a colourist?

My favourite part of my job as a colourist is being able to use my skills to make my clients feel amazing – hairdressers really do have superpowers.

What is the most important question you ask in a colour consultation and why?

It’s important to ensure that you and your client are both on the same page to understand what they like and don’t like about their hair goals. You can then give advice on how to reach that goal if it’s something that requires a lot of work. I always ask my clients for a selection of pictures of what they’re hoping to achieve.

What colour trends are you pleased to see out of fashion?

The colour trend that really gave me the ick was the half-andhalf trend. If you’re not Cruella than leave that trend alone.

Are there any colour trends you’d like to bring back?

When I first started my career, I was obsessed with the dip dye/colour melt trend. I would love to see that return.

What are the challenges facing colourists right now?

We are currently in a world of heavily edited Instagram pictures, which is a problem as clients can’t always tell the difference between an edited picture and reality.

What do you think will be the next big colour trend?

I find it so hard to predict trends at the moment. They used to be led by fashion and runways but now I feel that trends are heavily influenced by celebrities and influencers. I have a feeling that natural looking Scandi blondes will be a continuing trend though.

I can read people the same way a therapist would. The people in my chair are not only my clients but some of my best friends

What colour technique are you known for?

I’m the guy for anything blonde – highlights, bleaches, lived-in blonde, and definitely supermodel balayage.

What colour creation makes you most proud?

Back when I was working at Trevor Sorbie, I spent eight hours painting fish scales onto bleached hair for my creative test (which definitely impressed Trevor!).

What advice would you give to a trainee colourist?

The training process was the hardest thing I have ever done. There were days where I wanted to throw my tint brush on the floor and walk out, but there were more days that I was living my best life, so my advice is not to give up. The bad days you have will shape you into becoming a better colourist.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from being a colourist?

It’s not about the industry but about the people. I have always been a people person, but now I can read people the same way a therapist would. The people in my chair are not only my clients but some of my best friends.