Courtesy Maria Menounos
PEOPLE StyleWatch columnist and all-around bombshell Maria Menounos has impeccable style and even more impeccable hair. She shares her secrets to both each month (be sure to pick up our August issue, on stands now) but we want to share one more: Kyle White, celebrity colorist at Oscar Blandi salon in N.Y.C.
In an Instagram post last month, Maria thanked White for her “new do,” gushing “Thanks to my amazing friend & colorist @kylecolor for my new do & staying late for me!”
We’re sure she’s not the only celebrity thanking White, who has been responsible for Robin Wright’s new platinum do and Carla Gugino’s red hair, just to name a few. But you don’t have to have an IMDB page to take advantage of White’s strand smarts. He’s spilling how to maintain his two favorite summer trends, ombré and rainbow streaks, as well as whether they’ll make it to fall.
RELATED: Download PEOPLE StyleWatch’s August issue to get even more great style advice from Menounos — and so much more!
“People who love ombré color will not let this look go,” he says of the surprisingly long-lasting trend. “And personally, if it’s done correctly, I don’t think you really have to.” Though he supports the trendy style, he knows any summer-specific look can seem dated quickly, so to keep it fresh, White makes sure to “weave the lightness into the ends of the hair” instead of having a “solid shade jump in color.”
Another benefit of keeping your ombré in check: Doing the look as highlights can actually work well into the next season because “the depth at the roots will prevent it from robbing all the color from your complexion.”
Also on his list of summer must-tries: “I have loved rainbow colors in hair since the ’80s. When I was in tenth grade I dyed my tail bright purple.” (We’re pretty sure that isn’t coming back, Kyle — sorry!) If you want to give a punky hue a shot, the colorist recommends trying one of the many temporary products out there, including “sprays, chalks, powders and clip-in extensions which are completely temporary and super easy to use.”
He recommends pink for blondes and fair-skinned people, and blue for darker hair and complexions. So where to start? “Try experimenting with this trend by strategically placing bursts of color in the underneath of the hair, or beneath a heavy bang,” he suggests. “This gives a peek a boo effect that you can hide for more conservative events or accentuate when you’re in the mood.”
We’re ready to give one of these trends a shot — and hoping to hear Menounos’s take in her next column! Tell us: Which would you rather wear, ombré or bright color?
-Rosie Lai, reporting by Andrea Lavinthal
