Red as a Valentine's Day, the hair colour of the season can get just as racy as you want it! Two innovative hairdressers give us their interpretation of this international trend

IRE engines, letterboxes, strawberries and passion - the colour red appears in many forms and with myriad impact. Imagine the traffic-stopping effect you'd have with the new Captured Reds from L'Oreal Professionnel maji.contrast series! Turn the heat on, tempt the devil and set the streets ablaze with these new reds - your valentine will never forget this look!

"Red is ready to play all the games of personalisation and become a colour for all women who wish to succumb to its modernity," says Renu Bansal, marketing manager, L'Oreal Professionnel.

Hairdressers across the world have chosen red as the colour of the season. Get slices of it, the dipped effect, hidden highlights or a fiery crown; the reds of the season are lava-hot, racy, spicy, sensual and raring to go!

Hot & Cool
"Inspired by the colours of the season,I decided to give Aparna a short hairstyle, which has movement and texture and also gives her the freedom to style it differently for casual and high-fashion events. The asymmetrical fringe makes her look very hip n cool," says Sumit. Internationally, bangs, long or short, are very much 'in'. Because this hairstyle is 'wash and wear', it is very 'user friendly' and needs no maintenance.
"The colour is very unique as a deep black is layered with a bright red to highlight the cut and bring movement. Also the bright red contrasts beautifully with the deep black and accentuates her skin tone," he explains.

Flaming Ice
Aysha is a perfectionist as a hairdresser. She seeks to combine reality with fashion. Her look was designed to communicate romance, elegance and confidence. A very realistic, yet sensual look.

"This winter collection named 'Flaming Ice' sees the revival of reds. I feel red tints can completely transform an average hairstyle. The colour has the power to enhance your complexion and emphasise your eyes, so pick your shade carefully," says Aysha.

You know that a hair colour is perfect if the person's eyes immediately catch your attention. Red tones accentuate facial features brilliantly. Copper tints give a soft natural golden effect with a brilliant shine. And both work best with warm skin tones.

"I think single colour highlights are passé, so opt for cleverly-placed colour, directly beneath the hairline or parting as this works best for impact," suggests Aysha.

The Cut: Debali's hair was gently texturised around the face and sharply layered to give it flick ends. The cut was personalised with a soft fringe cleverly blended with the cut.

The Colour: Using a self innovated technique called colour spinning, flashes of maji.contrast copper and red were splashed through out the head following the head shape. The rest was softly lightened with maji.lift 12.7

"Layering the hair is a good idea when you're wearing reds, as this can give you different effects when you wear your hair up or down, as well as adding a third dimension to your hairstyle," adds Aysha.

The Style: After shampooing and conditioning the hair with volumising products, tecni.art Volume Lift was sprayed to boost the roots. Using a vent brush, the hair was semi-dried from the root upwards.

When hair was almost dry, each section that was to be blow-dried was sprayed with tecni.art Anti frizz spray and styled with a round brush. The look was polished using tecni.art Digit Gloss.

This romantic fortnight, paint the town crimson - to coordinate your hair colour, wardrobe and make-up, also see Salon De Beaute and Fashion Practicals. We've got it all sorted out for you!