OK, this may come as a shock to some of you, but I’m Not A Natural Blonde. (I know, shocker right?) And one of the disadvantages of being a non-natural blonde is that you have to get your hair coloured, ideally fairly often, otherwise you end up looking like Courtney Love (this has actually happened).
But as anyone who has their hair highlighted knows, it takes FOREVER. Like four hours out of your life forever. Which is the last thing you want to do on a Saturday when you’ve been working all week.
So when Karine Jackson invited me to her salon in Covent Garden for a half head of highlights I was fully expecting to give up an entire evening. I was pleasantly surprised.
First off, this salon knows how to treat a working mum. I was offered snacks, drinks ranging from cranberry juice to champagne, lots of magazines and a very comfy chair.
Aussie-born Karine (left), a former London Hairdresser of the Year, is very funny and entertaining and instantly puts you at ease. She’s probably one of the most down-to-earth high-profile hairdressers I’ve ever met – she doesn’t do fawning over celebs, which is refreshing.
The best thing is she uses Organic Colour Systems dye, which is as close to 100% organic as it can possibly be, and because there’s no ammonia in it, it doesn’t smell, or sting. At all. Karine deftly applied the colour, put me under the spinny heater thingy for 25 mins (the colour needs heat to activate it), and then I was done, leaving time for a great cut and blow dry.
I was in and out of the salon in two hours. I’m not kidding. I left the salon with smooth, glossy tresses, looking like a natural blonde. (You won’t tell anyone the truth, right?)
*Karine Jackson Hair and Beauty, 24 Litchfield Street, London WC2H 9NJ.