Colour for Curly and Coily Hair – Headmasters’ Bespoke Techniques
Curly and coily hair is one of the most beautiful hair types to colour – but it also requires a completely different approach to straight or wavy hair. The movement, the pattern, the way light catches each curl – all of it means that traditional colouring methods simply don’t always deliver the results that textured hair requires.
At Headmasters, we’ve developed two specialist techniques – Curl Contouring and Curl Enhance – designed specifically to work with your natural curl pattern, not against it. As a result, the colour feels entirely bespoke. Moreover, it enhances what you already have and makes your curls look more vibrant, more defined and more beautifully you.
Curl Contouring – Sun-Kissed Dimension for Type 3 & 4 Curls
Designed for curly and coily hair, Curl Countouring is a balayage inspired technique. It is one of our most loved services for anyone with Type 3 or 4 curls who wants to add soft, natural dimension without compromising their curl pattern or condition.
Your stylist will assess your hair and they work on in its completely natural, dried state – no blow-drying, no straightening. This is crucial, because it means your colourist can see exactly how your curls form naturally. Therefore, they can place colour in precisely the right places.
Diana Gavrila, L’Oréal Colour Specialist Award winner from the L’Oréal Colour Trophy, explains the technique beautifully:
“When you visit the salon, we start by working with your hair in its natural, dried state. This allows us to see exactly how your curls form naturally. From there, we hand-pick individual curls to lighten – twisting colour through the ends and blending from the roots for a seamless finish.”
Lightener is applied using a balayage board for precision, focusing on the mid-lengths and ends while keeping a soft, natural root. Additionally, some curls are intentionally left untouched to maintain balance and avoid any harsh lines. This is important because the beauty of this technique is in what you don’t do as much as what you do.
Whether you want a subtle, barely-there effect with just a few sections lifted, or something more striking across your whole head, Curl Contouring enhances your curls without over-processing or affecting their natural bounce. As a result, your hair will gain a gorgeous sun-kissed, dimensional finish, which will look incredible whether your hair is worn loose, in a wash-and-go, or in a protective style.
Curl Enhance – Bold Dimension for Coily Hair
Curl Enhance takes things in a slightly different direction – a stunning freehand technique designed to bring out the natural shape and dimension of extremely curly and coily hair, creating a soft ombré effect with beautiful depth.
Rather than using a board or foils, your colourist follows the natural pattern of your haircut entirely freehand – working with the hair’s own movement to place colour exactly where it will have the most impact.
Edd Moss, Headmasters Creative Ambassador, L’Oréal Colour Specialist and L’Oréal Colour Trophy Afro Award winner, describes it perfectly:
“After picking out the hair, apply pre-lightener to your gloved hands and gently scrunch it into the strands, focusing more product on the areas where you want to create the most lift. This technique works beautifully on Type 4 hair, adding dimension and a soft ombré effect.”
Your stylist then tones the colour to achieve your final desired shade – meaning the result can be as subtle or as bold as you like.It’s a genuinely versatile technique. It celebrates the natural texture of coily hair rather than trying to replicate techniques designed for straighter types.
Your Curls, Your Colour
Both techniques are available across our salons, carried out by our specialist stylists who understand the nuances of textured hair inside and out. At Headmasters, we believe every curl type deserves colour that’s been designed for it – and these services are our commitment to exactly that.
For more on why specialist textured hair education is so important to us, take a look at Edd’s Art of Texture training programme at the Headmasters London Academy.
Ready to see what your curls can do? Book an appointment at your nearest Headmasters salon today – and for curl colour inspiration, follow us at @headmastersuk on Instagram.
