HAIRDRESSERS across the region have added extra colour to their careers after a master class with celebrity stylist Jack Howard.
Salon staff from across the North East were given the cutting edge in the art of Balayage, a free-form highlighting technique favoured by A list Hollywood starts including Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Anniston, with a hands on workshop at The Elements Hair and Beauty Salon at Darlington College.
International colour guru Jack, who is who is widely acknowledged for bringing Balayage to the UK, demonstrated his creative colouring techniques to over 30 salon owners and stylists from Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Durham, Darlington and Bishop Auckland at the event hosted by the National Hairdressers' Federation.
Darlington College programme leader for hairdressing apprentices Carol Cooke said: “It’s absolutely fabulous to have someone of Jack’s reputation and standing within the industry come to our college to teach his own personal advanced colouring techniques.
“He is such an inspiration not only to the stylists that have come here today but also to our own hairdressing apprentices, four of whom we have invited to take part in the workshop, and also to our hair and beauty staff here in the college.”
The event, which was organised by regional co-ordinator of the National Hairdressers' Federation Sylvia Dennison, saw stylists given the opportunity to experiment with the new colour technique during group and one to one sessions with L’Oreal senior portfolio artist Jack, who has styled celebrities including Poppy Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse, Donna Air and Gillian Anderson.
Darlington College student Danielle Jones, 19, of Darlington, who is an apprentice at the Trish Brown Salon, Cockerton, Darlington, said: “ It is an incredible opportunity for me to be taught by someone like Jack who has achieved so much and travelled all over the world - right here on my own doorstep.
“He’s a great teacher and I’ve learned so much already and I’d love to come to more workshops here at the college in the future.”
Jack, whose career has taken him from London to Washington DC, New York to LA and San Francisco to Paris as a top hair colourists added: “I love to teach - I’ve had a lot of help from many people during my career so it’s wonderful to be able to help other young stylists along their career path.
“I started out in a college just like this one, many many years ago, but it was a lot different to how things are now.
“The salon and teaching facilities here at Darlington College are absolutely fantastic and I hope that today will help to inspire young stylists to push themselves further within the industry.”