How This Brooklyn Stylist Does Blue (and Purple, and Red) Hair Wendy Rodewald-Sulz
Is blue the new blonde? It seems like everywhere we look, not-found-in-nature hair colors are taking over, whether it’s a woman in a suit and pastel pink locks on the subway or celebrities like Nicole Richie and Kylie Jenner pairing rainbow hues with red carpet dresses. But for Amy Bradbury, colorful hair is less a fleeting trend than a way of life. We recently became acquainted with the NYC-based hair stylist, who has been DIY-ing her own rainbow color for years and has perfected the process of switching up her hue at home. We asked Amy to show us her supplies and to spill her best tips for coloring and caring for your own bright hue.
Shot on location at Kennaland salon, 113 Franklin Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn. 347-335-0666; kennaland.com.
Bleaching hair is the first step toward creating a color that pops, Amy says. “It needs to be pretty light to get to a bright, vibrant color.” She uses Clairol Pro BW2 Powder Lightener, and recommends 40 volume developer for dark hair.
Pre-cut foil sheets from the grocery store are the ideal size and shape for wrapping highlights. Since she prefers a more ombré look, Amy tends to start applying bleach an inch or two away from the roots.
Once hair has been lightened, next comes the fun part. Amy uses Manic Panic dyes because she's found that they're the most vibrant and longest lasting. (She also likes Special Effects dyes.)
Amy dips a comb into the jar and uses it to apply the Manic Panic to her hair. “That way you get it on evenly and you’re not missing spots.” How much to apply? “Drench it.” Once all the color is applied, she lets the hair process for 20 minutes or longer before shampooing and conditioning.
Clorox spray works wonders for cleaning up any errant color splatters on the sink or floor tiles. And wet wipes take Manic Panic right off skin. Colored hair will stain your towels, even after a couple washings, she warns.
Up until recently, Amy had longer hair that had become damaged from repeated lightening. She loves Kérastase products — including Elixir Ultime treatment, Cleansing Oil Shampoo and Versatile Beautifying Oil — for bleach-ravaged strands. To keep hair healthy, “I trim it regularly, even when it’s long. When you keep going over the same pieces with bleach, it gets fried.”
Her current shade is a mixture of two Manic Panic colors: Midnight Blue and Rockabilly Blue, and the longer she wears it, the more multi-dimensional the color will get. “It fades to different tones because of the way hair absorbs the dye,” she explains. She switches up the color every three to four months. What’s next? “Probably a purple, because it’s the easiest to go to from blue.”
We asked Amy if her hair color ends up affecting the rest of her look. “Most of my wardrobe is blacks, whites, simple things.” As far as her makeup, “I try to have fun with it.” She admits that pink hair was the most prone to clashing with her clothes or lipstick.
