Hair Color How To: Recreate Pantone's Vivid Orchid with PRAVANA

Pantone’s Radiant Orchid has been named the 2014 Color of the Year and from the runway to the salon, everyone’s implementing a dash of the purple hue into all facets of fashion and beauty. A confident color with magical warmth, this charming shade can dress up neutrals in the wardrobe or be a bold, statement making pastel shade for hair. Now with PRAVANA’s ChromaSilk PASTELS and VIVIDS, you can help your client achieve the look that’s caught the attention of celebrities like Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, and Jenna Malone.

Wild Orchid Updo
This magnificent violet tone exhibits both warm and cool dimensions. PRAVANA’s ChromaSilk PASTELS Luscious Lavender and VIVIDS Wild Orchid allow these shades to be achieved. Both color combinations create the perfect balance between violet, fuchsia, purple and pink undertones which will enhance any hair color and flatter every skin tone.

Sherri Jessee’s Radiant Orchid Color Formula: Three Parts PASTELS Luscious Lavender + one Part VIVIDS Wild Orchid

Urban Ombre
Take it a step further with the Urban Ombre technique. PRAVANA Artistic Director, Vadre Grigsby, used VIVIDS Wild Orchid in conjunction with other VIVIDS shades to blend lighter and darker variations of the shade to get the look. Begin by creating a subtle blended dark to light Ombre on your client. From here, go from ordinary to extraordinary easily with PRAVANA’s Urban Ombre technique.

Urban Ombre Color Formula:

• Light Shade on Ends – Equal parts VIVIDS Pink and VIVIDS Magenta with a drop of VIVIDS Wild Orchid
• Darker Shade – Equal parts VIVIDS Magenta and VIVIDS Violet

Step 1: Create the mixture of the lightest color you will be using. This will be the color you will end with at the tips of the hair. Take the ChromaSilk VIVIDS or Pastels color of your choice. Remember you can always further customize by mixing colors together, adding VIVIDS Clear to a mixture or choosing the color as is straight from the tube.

Step 2: Begin in the front and apply the lightest ChromaSilk VIVIDS or PASTELS shade onto the pre-lightened hair. Deciding where you want the colors to blend is by artistic preference, but the lightest shade should be applied through the area you want the blending to begin.

Step 3: Create your darker shade mixture.

Step 4: Start applying the darker shade from the area you want this color to be visible through to the previously applied lighter color. Once you have applied the darker color, use your fingers to work the darker color through the lighter color to create a blended effect. The amount of hair that is created by the blending of the two colors is up to you and will typically depend on the length of the hair you are working with.

*Note - it is important to have a towel on hand and clean your hands between each section to avoid transfer of color from one section to the next.

Step 5: Shampoo VIVIDS Color Protect aftercare collection. Rinse with cool water.

Step 6: Style as desired