All Things Colour - Interview with Hair Colour Expert and Educator Carolyn Newman

In this episode Nathan Plumridge talks all things colour with Carolyn Newman who has had a career spanning over 35 years as a hair colour expert and educator. Carolyn has won numerous awards such as the Most Wanted Colourist 2012 and has been covered in major magazines such as Tatler, Vogue and Marie Claire, she has also appeared on TV shows like GMTV, This Morning, Working Lunch and many more. KEY TAKEAWAYS Being a manager taught me how to manage people, which meant that when I moved into education it was easy for me. I’d learned how to get the best out of people and tell them when they were having an off day so I could coach them and guide them and understand that people learn at different rates. I now only do certain types of education: bespoke education, where I go into a salon, work out the needs of the owner and train the whole team; Consultation techniques, where I work with psychiatrists to come up with the best questions to ask clients because I believe that consultation delivery is as important as a fantastic haircut and colour, it’s not an afterthought. Clients are much more demanding now and through consultation you have to be able to address that. Hairdressers need to be really careful of the questions they ask. You ask questions to get the answer you want. But you also need to be ready to give you expertise. I also feel like we need to say “I like your colour, it’s working well, however I think it’s looking a little bit grassy and this is how I’m going to fix it”. You don’t have to dramatically change colours, you can change someone’s look with more simple techniques. Everybody’s style changes about every 15 years, men and women. Hairdressers should look at their clients and if they have the same style they have a 30 that they did at 19, you should ask them some questions. Between 30-45 the first grey hairs start to come through. Not only does your hair go grey, but the texture of your hair will change – especially with the menopause, women’s hair will really change. Men are lucky because they seem to suit it, they seem to go silver quicker. But, I don’t think it’s seen as an age thing any more, young people want grey or silver hair and it’s made going grey more acceptable.   BEST MOMENTS ‘I moved from Tasmania, Australia to the UK to work specifically with British hairdressers, it was all about British hairdressers back then.’ ‘If I want something, I’ll get it and I’ll earn it on merit. I used to practice and practice colouring.’ ‘The client needs to come into the salon with an open mind and needs to trust the hairdresser. Don’t go into a salon and ask for your friend’s colour, you’re not your friend. Be clear with what you like and don’t like but be open to getting the expertise from the hairdresser. You don’t go into the dentist and tell them what to do.’ ‘Good conversation with clients can dramatically increase your sales. Every successful person has a formula.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Carolyn is an international colour expert & educator who delivers education around the world through the Carolyn Newman Academy. She attends to her discerning colour clients with her #CarolynColors services at London’s super cool creative hub, Hunter Collective, Farringdon and Trinder Hair Studios, St Albans. Her extensive experience as an educator and mentor to colourists of all levels, combined with her ability to develop trends and techniques, makes her perfectly placed to be leading the way in technical education. Client friendly techniques, consultation and business education is available to all levels of hairdressers and to salon owners and manufacturers who can choose from a portfolio of standard courses that Carolyn has created, or she can devise bespoke courses based on specific requirements. Through her senior salon management experience, she can also create a consultancy package for your salon to support you and your team on your specific business requirements. Website: https://www.carolynnewman.co.uk/  Instagram: @carolynlnewman ABOUT THE HOST Welcome and thank you for reading this, I’m Nathan Plumridge salon owner and Hair Stylist. I’ve been in the industry for nearly 30 years and have been a salon owner for 23 of them. I have been fortunate enough to work and learn with some of the biggest names in the industry and this has given me the experience and drive to now be here with you sharing my experiences. CONTACT DETAILS Website: https://energyhair.com/  Email: [email protected]  Instagram: @nathan.hairlifeThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media