It’s safe to say Tony Hazelden knows hair. He’s been in the business since 1978, when as an apprentice he worked in the style epicenter of the world – Kings Road in Chelsea. It was a time when the anti-establishment movement drove style, music and culture. It also marked the beginning of hair colour used to create a personal ‘this is me’ statement instead of simply covering grey. It was an exciting tine and Tony’s path as a master colourist was set.
Tony moved to Canada in 1982 bringing London style with him. He worked his magic in a number of high end salons before opening his own, ECLIPSE in White Rock, BC. “I get a kick out of pleasing people, transforming hair and creating looks that evolve as my clients do.” He clearly loves what he does, not to mention his clients, “working with women is great, I appreciate their openness, honesty and humour.” Tony and his wife Kim have been together for 33 years and word has it she has AMAZING hair….somehow I’m not surprised!
Cheryl: Thanks for offering your help and guidance Tony! Hair can be so perplexing….long/short/up/down/light/dark/curly/straight…plus today we’re living longer and aging better. We want to look good…healthy vital attractive …Is it possible to have shiny healthy looking hair as we age?
TONY: Yes its easily achievable. The Kevin Murphy line we use at Eclipse is one that will give your hair a chance to shine. A product like ‘Shimmer.Shine’ will transform dull, tired hair by actually coating the hair in ‘shine’. Well cut, well conditioned and coloured hair is the best chance you can give hair – there is no other magic. However of these three things the most important is the cut.
A good haircut is the building block that great colour and condition sit on, without the cut we have nothing. Also, and this won’t make me very popular with manufacturers I would say that over and over again women wash their hair way too frequently. Even though most shampoo is formulated for colour treated hair I would encourage clients to wash hair infrequently. Experiment with dry shampoos..they’re very effective and some even have colour in them which allow a client to hold off on their next colour service.
Cheryl: What is the most common mistake you see women making with their hair?
TONY: In most cases but not in all I would say that a good rule is to stay ‘natural’. For example: clients with naturally dark hair probably shouldn’t highlight their hair using ‘bleach’ shades – it doesn’t enhance their natural skin tones and it stresses the hair. They would look much better with lighter browns and dark warm blondes as a highlight. It’s an undeniable fact. The best hair technician is the sun – watch what the sun does to hair and try to mimic it. Recent hair colouring techniques – ombres and ecaille type techniques all work well and are very popular because they imitate the sun’s action.
Cheryl: What do women 50+ need to keep in mind when having their hair coloured?
TONY: Women 50+ need to keep very little in mind nowadays when they colour their hair-the rules luckily have dropped away. It’s a great time to be 50+. It used to be that if hair was too light, too dark, too red etc then it was considered inappropriate for an ‘older’ person but now all that has changed. I’m biased but I would say that some of the hippest and best looking people out there are 50+. They look great and usually more interesting because they’ve lived longer….it’s a perfect combination.
Tony advises be adventurous and have fun with hair-it grows!
When I began learning about hair colour people were either very very light or jet black! Since then a whole world of shades and tones has been discovered and we’ve become more skilled at applying them. It’s completely ok nowadays for a 50+ woman to ask for the same things as a 20 yr old would. But, and this is important, make sure the person who is doing the job knows what they’re doing.
Cheryl: What is your best piece of advice to women 50+?
TONY: Be more adventurous with your hair because it grows! On a personal note: our culture is preoccupied with bad news – I would avoid it at all costs and exercise as much as possible.
Cheryl: Great!!…have fun (self and hair) … loosen up…..find the positive…..get more exercise. Will do! Thanks Tony!
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