Dear Lisa,
I love watching the morning shows and I want to get some advice. I just love Kelly Ripa and her hairstyle.
I would love to have her cut and color. She always looks really good.
I have fine, shoulder length hair and I color it a light blonde as I have some grey. Her color is exactly what I want and I was wondering how would one get this look and how would I know if it would suit me?
Thanks,
Janette Leman
Seal Beach
Hi Janette,
I agree, Kelly Ripa really does have a great look. While it hasn’t really changed much over the years, she does vary the length from time to time.
First, Ripa has a heart-to-square shaped face and this has a lot to do with why it looks so good on her.
So have a consultation with your stylist. Stylists are trained to know what features suit what type of haircut.
Your stylist will also know your hair type and whether it work with this look.
The parting that Ripa wears is from the middle of the eyebrow to the center of the back of the head and this creates height and adds length.
The soft layers start to come down at her jaw line, creating softness and movement and looks great smooth or with body in it.
If you have enough length in your hair, this should work for you.
Regarding her color, it’s blonde on blonde, with highlights that are medium blonde to light blonde.
The slices are fine enough so she does not get that stripy effect and her blonde is a very creamy pale tone.
This has a base color but is broken up to create texture and fine slices are used to create a soft looking color with some dimension.
She has a great look. It is simple and this type of haircut is really easy to maintain.
Thanks Janette and go for it you will enjoy your new look.
Highlighting brown hair
Hi Lisa,
My hair is long and I have 50 percent or so grey hair. About a year ago, my stylist bleached my hair to remove a hair color I had put in, which was a dark red, and I now have chocolate brown hair.
My natural hair color is a medium brown. What I would like to know is, could I highlight my hair to a light blonde or a light honey blond?
Also, is it best to cut my medium length hair before or after the highlights?
Thanks for your advice.
Sandra Bernsard
Seal Beach
Hi Sandra,
Given the level of grey in your hair’s natural color, you definitely need to consult with your stylist about the method of highlights that can be used.
Here’s the thing you need to be aware of: the higher level of grey can result in brassiness in the hair if the highlights are too light.
Also, the highlighted hair can appear flat as a result of the color being applied to un-pigmented hair.
Because of this, your stylist may need to use multiple colors in your highlighting to give you a natural-looking result.
When highlighting darker hair it is important not too go too light in your highlight. You also want to ensure that the condition of your hair is a priority.
As for whether or not to cut the hair before you color or highlight your hair, that depends largely on how much of a change in the length you have in mind.
If you are planning on only taking an inch or so off, your stylist may decide to do this after the color is added.
However, if you are planning a significant change in length it would be best to do this before you cut your hair.
This will it make it easier for your stylist to see and place the highlight with your new haircut and the hair is fresh to give you the best result.
Hope this helps
Thanks,
Lisa
Got a question for Lisa?
Lisa Brown Northrup is a freelance hairstylist based between Seal Beach and Sunset Beach.
She currently heads up her own company, Brown Sugar, which specializes in all aspects of hair color and cutting for weddings and just about all other hair and beauty needs.
Northrup is an award-winning stylist in her hometown of Dublin, Ireland.
She has won such awards as the L’Oreal Color trophy and Hairdresser of the Year twice.
She has had many articles published in Europe and she looks forward to answering your questions regarding hair and beauty. E-mail her at brownsugarsealbeach@live.com.