2020 – 2021 lockdown will be remembered for years to come. Not only we will look back on the thousands, of hysterical funny videos, of entire families lip-syncing and dancing on
TicToK to Justin Bieber songs, watching our favorite celebrity’s cooking videos, self-shot in their own kitchens, to couples cutting and coloring their partner’s hair.

Did you ever think that you would let your other-half color or cut your hair?

The good news is that hair salons have re-opened and like me, many gladly masked and gloved up to venture back to see our favorite professional colorist, and stylist.

When I heard that one of our favorite make-up artists, and cosmetician with Sisley Paris, here in New York City was going to let her husband once again, color her hair, we stepped in!

When it comes to color, we must be careful, chemicals in hair coloring can damage your hair, especially if the color is not applied properly.

Our advice is to go to a professional salon, hair colorist, with professional-grade ingredients and application methods to ensure that your hair does not end up damaged, dry, or possibly even turning into a color you were not going for. Even worse, you could end up severely damaging your hair. If you want to become a platinum blonde without damaging your hair, then your hair colorist is the only one you should trust with your coloring and hair health. A professional colorist also has the knowledge and training to apply chemicals required, in the correct order to achieve the look you want.

At Downtown, we like giving give back to those who are there for us. Hence, our reason for stepping in before another husband completed his honey-do list. We gladly sent Marcia, one of our make-up artists, to the world-famous Fekkai Salon in Soho for color-correction after a long lockdown and home coloring.

Following the process, we asked the colorist Rae Ann Cotto a few questions:

DTM: When did you start working in hair color?

RC: I started doing color 6 years ago. I got my job at Fekkai about a year after high school and spent time learning color theory and techniques before actually taking care of clients.

DTM: What inspired you?

RC: Since I was a child, I’ve been interested in all things beauty. Always wanting my hair done, playing with a red drugstore lipstick, I begged my mother to buy me. But it wasn’t until I was a teenager, with certain insecurities teens experience, that I decided to go to school to learn how to do the things that would teach me not only to appreciate my own beauty but to love it.

DTM: How do you know what color to color Marcia’s hair? It was stunning… really, beautiful great work Rae Ann!

RC: When it came to Marcia’s hair, I started with the basics looking at it, and asking her what she thought about her color, we both came to the same conclusion… it’s red. Too red. Using my knowledge of the color wheel, if I want to tone out red, I needed to use green. Also, knowing she wanted to lighten her roots, I opted for a neutral medium brown with green undertones. After bringing her to a solid more natural brown, I added some highlights around her face so she could feel nice and bright while keeping dimension in her beautiful thick hair!

DTM: With the COVID lockdown, have you experienced more botched DIY hair disasters coming in? a.) Is there ever a time when you cannot fix their hair?

RC: I was very surprised to not have a lot of corrections after returning to work! Even for me at the beginning working in color can be intimidating, and I think some people, really felt that at home. Doing corrections, the most important thing, and definitely the #1 rule for my work, is keeping the integrity of the hair. The only time a correction can’t be done is if it involves an excessive amount of potentially damaging elements like heat or bleach.

5. What is your favorite part of being a hair colorist?

RC: My favorite thing about being a colorist is I get to be the one to help people feel their best! I get to provide care and be apart of people’s self-care journey!

6. Any advice to give to our readers who may want to come in for color but are worried to leave their home during this pandemic?

RC: At Fekkai, we have a mission statement that starts with “Frederic Fekkai the leader in luxury clean hair care”, and that’s exactly what we are! We are clean, we are safe, and we do everything we can to make our clients feel that way too. For anyone that isn’t comfortable yet, you have nothing to fear, but whenever you’re ready, we’re here for you!

DTM: Anything you would like to share about your work?

RC: I am so in love with what I do. I’m passionate about what I do. Whether I wake up on a good day, or a not so good day, my passion and excitement never change. And it’s not just the hair, it’s every aspect of what I do; I love meeting new people, bonding with them, enhancing their beauty, and making them feel pampered, and then taken care of them for as long as they’re in my chair. I’m warm, bubbly, and welcoming, and I love having fun with everything I do. It’s so important to not only show this side through my work, but to have my clients experience the energy, feel it, and spread it too!

Rae Ann Cotto, Fekkai Soho New York City

We think that Rae Ann, has a very long career ahead of her, and we thank her for her excellent answers.

Helping clients take charge of their color.

Kala feels it is key to have a sustainable relationship with the color of your choice and, more importantly, with your colorist. If you choose a more extreme color, you
will require more maintenance to keep it fresh and healthy. A good colorist will ask questions about your lifestyle and make recommendations about how to always look your best.

For example, clients often have concerns about silver or gray hair. To Kala, those natural silver streaks are part of a pattern we are blessed with after a certain age. Today, having silver hair can be a chic fashion statement. Silver, however, is also a commitment, and not just a hot trend. Kala says, “Some people look great with silver hair, and some want to cover it up.” Whatever you decide about your silver locks, it is important to discuss what it takes to maintain your choice and to make sure it fits in with your lifestyle.

Living Color Take Charge of Your Color — Model Sydney Sabean with her new, dimensional hair color. Photographer Jason Goodrich, Stylist Laurean Ossoiro, Dress Designer Celestino Coutour

Whether you choose to go silver, gold, ash, or even wildly dramatic with fashion colors such as purple, red, or green, the key will be managing your color and not allowing it to manage you. Your colorist can give you important information such as the longevity of certain tones and shades, as well as how it will work with the texture of your hair. Certain shades and treatments need to be refreshed every six to eight weeks, whereas others only require three or four visits a year.

The most successful color, says Kala, should be organic and natural.

Your color choice should allow you to adjust slightly as needed but still be consistent throughout the seasons. When you have a color that you love, and it isn’t stressful to maintain, it makes your salon visits a pleasure.

“It is fine to have that longevity with your style and look,” says Kala, “and you can transition from season to season without affecting the integrity of the hair.” He continues, “It is important that the design, choice of color and the habits of good conditioning, repairing, and protection, match the texture and health of the hair.” Since healthier hair holds color better, it will free you from the commitment of coming to the salon more often.

Lastly, Kala stresses that maintaining your color really comes down to the relationship you have with your hair at home. Hair is made of the same components of skin and nails, which means that your hair needs as much love as you give your skin and nails.

“You should have a day to care for your hair,” says Kala.

“For instance, choose a good conditioning treatment to protect it and return it to its natural state and to prepare it for future services.” Keep some kind of record of your lifestyle and how your hair is affected by your environment. The technology of how color treatments are applied has evolved so much and your colorist can advise you on the latest in glazes and toners that are full of protein and collagen, two things hair needs to survive the rigors of modern life. Kala calls them filters. “Your hair will look healthier. Those filters will maintain the health of your hair as well as give your color long life and beauty.” fabiodotisalon.com

ONE OF THE MOST SATISFYING ways to change up your look is to book an appointment with a colorist at your favorite salon. The options are endless—change your color completely, add highlights (or lowlights!), cover gray hair or roots, or embrace your silver locks and give them a boost. But color services can also have a dark side for the health of your hair, your schedule, and your wallet.

Yexael Kala, a master colorist at Fabio Doti Salon in Manhattan’s Financial District, helps his clients choose the best color services from a full menu of techniques such as dimensional or corrective color, baby lights, ombre, balayage, color melting, and so much more. Kala immigrated from Colombia to pursue his dream of becoming a master colorist and began his career at the world-renowned Carsten Aveda Institute of New York. We spoke with him about the best way to have a sustainable and manageable way to maintain a gorgeous head of hair.

“Managing your color properly is about finding balance, and not about having a high-maintenance color that makes you go to the salon once a month, every three weeks, or even every ten days,” says Kala.

“The real concern should be making sure your color matches your lifestyle and your routine.”

THE REFORMERS 2020 DOWNTOWN