Marita Phenix gets the lowdown on the free-form hair colouring technique ‘balayage’ from a master

Though his name might not immediately ring a bell, his work has been steadily growing in popularity for many years. Jack Howard, the internationally acclaimed hair colour guru, hosted a colouring masterclass organised by the National Hairdressers’ Federation at Darlington College in County Durham. Widely credited for bringing "balayage" to the UK, his work has been celebrated by magazines such as Vogue and Elle. Salon staff from across the region were given the cutting edge in the free-form highlighting technique favoured by A list Hollywood stars including Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston, with a hands-on workshop at The Elements Hair and Beauty Salon at Darlington College.

The attraction of balayage is that it can achieve so many different effects from soft, natural highlights to something strong and punky. It’s also a very economical way to colour your hair as you never have a solid demarcation line or regrowth, so if you can’t afford to get it done for another month it won't look atrocious.

Your career has taken you all over the globe. Where has been your favourite?

Each place has suited me at different points. It’s all about my career and how it has grown and I can honestly say I have enjoyed each place I have lived in.

If you were not in the hair industry, what would you be doing?

I think I would be in the textiles business. I recently visited Central St Martins in London and I found their textiles department so interesting.

What inspires you on a day to day basis?

It’s funny, because last year I picked up a conker and just looking at its colours inspired me. So it can be anything. I was recently in China and it was so different from here that it was quite inspirational. Inspiration is all around you; it’s about turning off your phone and being present in yourself, which is quite difficult these days.

Describe your colour masterclass.

This was my first time in County Durham and the North-East. Today was about an introduction to Balayage – freehand hair highlighting – in its classic form, which is root to tip. That is how the French originally designed it. I have been helping students and qualified hairdressers who want to increase their skillset and offer something new. I love to teach - I’ve had a lot of help from many people during my career so it’s wonderful to be able to help other young stylists along their career path. The salon and teaching facilities here at Darlington College are absolutely fantastic and I hope that today will help to inspire young stylists to push themselves further within the industry.

Tell us about the key hair colour trends for this season.

Balayage is probably still the number one service requested in the UK, no doubt about that, so training for that is ongoing. We are seeing an upturn in really icy blondes, which is quite cool; I took Poppy Delevigne and a couple other models into that look, which it really great. I call it ‘statement hair’, because it's not for everyone but it is a nice, strong look. I think we are going to see a big conversation about brunettes next year. Cool, moody brunettes is going to be a big one.

What would you say to a hair-dyeing virgin?

Take it easy - dye your hair if you want to, but don’t be forced into anything. If you have never had your hair coloured before, less is more. Start off slowly and try a few different things.