The Tamesis
It’s hard to imagine how many times a client has sat in their hair salon and said they wanted hair like Gwyneth Paltrow. Like many recent hair icons, GP took another step in her legendary blonde evolution and embraced her gray locks. But don’t call it a base bump: Celebrity colorist and Highbrow Hippie founder Kadi Lee used a technique called “smudging” (invented by famed Los Angeles colorist Lorri Goddard) to achieve Paltrow’s seamless hair color transition.
Brooklyn-based colorist and educator Emily Claire explains that there are significant differences between the two popular root techniques.
“Bumping is great for people who want to lighten their natural color without using bleach,” says Claire. “Root application utilizes semi-permanent color by applying, dragging, or flicking the base color down about one to three inches from the scalp. It creates depth or shadow and is perfect for low-maintenance color due to its durable appearance.”
To blend Paltrow’s gray into her golden blonde strands seamlessly, Lee says she left the smudge dye color on for half the normal processing time, avoiding the harsh lines that might break through after adding highlight: “It gave a little bit of gray coverage overall, and I was still able to get the highlights really bright and blonde.”
Li said she kicked Marty Supre The star looked bright on her last date, so she’s ready for summer, too. If you’re thinking of emulating this look, you’re in luck: Smudge is suitable for all seasons and nearly every hair color.
“I would recommend it to anyone whose base color needs a little more vibrancy,” she says. “I have clients in their 20s who have very neutral, wheatish hair, and this technique helps to really warm the hair and give it that buttery tone that everyone loves.”
It’s also great for adding a little depth to brunette hair with highlights; combining chocolate-colored hair with highlights creates a chestnut variation—”almost like a tortoiseshell comb,” says Lee. This method is also low-maintenance because of the softer growth, she adds, meaning you can extend the time between appointments.
Claire points out that it’s generally not recommended for dark gray hair because it can cause high-contrast growth. But if silver is just getting started, maybe it’s time to ask yourself if your future might be stained.
