One of Christo’s fall looks.
Color and curls are hot this season. And the bolder the better, says curl expert Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue.
“A long time ago, people used to be conservative about hair,” Christo says of his fall/winter collection of hairstyles. “I like to see three and four colors on one head.”
Rather than one flat color, that may mean strawberry red mixed with warm browns, auburns and cinnamons or honey with shades of brown and blonde.
He prefers warmer colors for brunettes and blondes, such as reds, browns and golds. He also uses a technology that enables women with dark brown hair to get highlights without bleaching the hair to prevent brassiness and eliminate dryness.
When doing any color, Christo uses his Curlisto Deep Therapy Masque before and after to keep the hair soft and shiny.
“We break that cliché that says don’t color hair too much if you have curly hair. If you do your homework and take care of your hair, you can color hair.”
Christo stresses that color works best with combined with a good haircut, Christo says.
He likes to do longer curls with long angles starting below chin length. He also likes long bangs that can be swept to the side.
“Bangs are not a no no as long as the stylist measures the bangs and they’re long enough to move back,” Christo says.
For medium length hair, he also likes longer layers. He puts in an angle of 68 degrees – he says he measures it – to free up the curls.
“When you do that, it looks like one but the curls are lighter,” he says. “They can move.”
He likes the curly shag for shorter hair – longer layers on top and shorter on the nape.
“That cut looks good for professionals – for people who want their hair to look neat,” he says. “We break that cliché that says don’t color hair too much if you have curly hair. If you do homework and take care of your hair, you can color hair.
Christo opened his first salon in 2002 on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Christo’s philosophy is to give people with curly hair the freedom and flexibility to style their hair any way they prefer.
He also launched a line of products designed for curly hair and recently added several products to his Curlisto line that can be used with these styles such as Unruly Paste, two levels of Control Gel and Matte Stay.
Ultimately, color and a good cut should be about providing options for people with curly hair, Christo says.
“Changes are not about getting straight hair,” he says, although he says it’s fine if women want to get a blowout once in a while for a change of pace.
