Refined Blondes… with Iridescent Gold
Today, I got the chance to chat with Shane, a colorist from Brooklyn, and go over his experience as a color specialist in New York. We talked about his inspirations, his hair story, a bit about Cutler Salon's color program, and most importantly… the conversation he has with every client that wants to go blonde.
Check out the interview below and feel free to contact Shane for color appointments.
Photo by Shane Michael
Cutler Salon Brooklyn
So tell me who you are and what you do?
Shane: My name is Shane. I’m originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I came out to Brooklyn in 2006 after beauty school and went through the color program at Cutler and started working on building my clientele right after that.
Tell me about the color program at Cutler. How long is that?
Shane: The Color program at cutler is a continuing education program through cutler salons that new stylists go through before they can begin working on the floor. We go over everything from single process color with standard brunettes and redheads and then move into half highlights, full highlights, and double process blonding. The whole program takes 1 1/2- 2 years.
That seems like a long time?
Shane: It does but that’s pretty standard at nicer salons. That just means you have to be dedicated. Learning those color techniques and taking the extra time to shadow more experienced stylists weeds out the people who don’t take their careers seriously. It helps gives an idea of who will remain and pursue an actual career in hair.
Cutler did a video of you doing a double process platinum blonde on a guy. Do you do a lot of that?
Shane: I focus completely on color. And yes, I’ve started doing a lot more double-process blondes after that video. But I mainly do single-process colors and highlights. A lot of people want the platinum blondes and double process bleach and tones but they don’t understand the upkeep and how much you need to maintain that.
Do you go over the upkeep ahead of time or during a consultation?
Shane: It depends on the length and what people want. Keeping the integrity of that hair is my main priority. There is a shelf life to blonde if they are not keeping up with it. Shorter hair is a bit easier because I know they’ll be getting trims more regularly. Regular trims keep it healthy. But It can be really stressful to manage expectations so going over everything involved with maintenance is key.
Absolutely. Going blonde isn’t easy! Being honest about maintenance is important for sure.
Shane: I sometimes get clients that go all over the place jumping from different stylists that fudge the expectations and downplay what’s involved and then they come into me with damaged hair. There’s only so much you can do at that point. You have to have morals. You can’t damage hair trying to promise someone the blondest blonde. You have to trust your hairstylist and be realistic. Jumping around to different hairstylists isn’t advised. You need a stylist who you’ve been with that has a plan and knows your hair.
So what made you want to be a hairstylist?
Shane: For me, it was between doing hair or fashion design. But there’s too much sewing in fashion so I went with hair. Haha. Back in high school, I was doing hair for fun. Going to Sally’s Beauty Supply and doing my own hair and my friends. It’s a great feeling to make someone immediately happy.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Shane: Instagram! It’s so easy now to see what’s trending. I also pick up a lot off fashion. The pandemic influenced low-maintenance styles that can still look good. But I like to look at how runway shows are styling hair and also check out the highlighting or color blocking. I tend to look at those kinds of things just as much.
Is there a type of color you like to do more than others?
Shane: I’m really liking a lot of my glazes to be a bit browning to the blonde. Meaning that it’s still bright but there’s more tone to the hair so there’s not so much brassiness to fight. I see a trend from icy to more sandy blondes. Refined blondes that have iridescent gold that reflects light. Breathing some life back into the blondes!
Purple shampoo will dull the hair so I’m loving the shift away from silver hair to more bright rich and refined blondes. I feel like that’s what I like to do and I also love really smooth seamless grow outs. That’s also in my clientele and why people come to me.
Who’s your ideal client?
Shane: I love people that are on time and keeping up to date. Maintaining integrity to their hair and keeping on a schedule. Someone whose going to come in and listen to their opportunities and open their view to try something different too. And of course, I love clients who are nice.
How can people book with you and where can they find you?
Shane: People can make appointments by calling the Cutler salon in Brooklyn, just as long as you ask for me. They can also reach out via Instagram with questions @shanemichaelhair. I’m good about getting back to people. I do plan on being bi-coastal. That’s a big goal of mine so I may be in LA from time to time as well.
by Irena Murphy