Calico, Calico, Calico - Learn How To Achieve This Trend-Setting Look

Calico hair is a multi-coloured hair dye technique designed to mimic the natural patchwork of colours found in calico cats. They’re known for their gorgeous mix of white, orange, black, and sometimes brown patches, so the idea is to create that same beautiful, unique blend in the hair.

The trend has been popping up all our social media timelines and this hair trend is not one to blend into the background - the tri-coloured tones beautifully contrast one another to create a strikingly bold look, whilst elevating depth and dimension. 

It’s always intriguing to look at how trends evolve over time, with many trends being revitalised in later years. Once popular in the early 2000s with the likes of Christina Aguilera and Kelly Clarkson, the younger generations becoming more experimental with their colour – and calico is at the top of their list! 

Whilst calico hair is often regarded a more daring choice, it can be customised to the individual’s personal preference by toning down the colour or changing the colour for a more subtle blended look.

Safy B, Owner of Safy B’s Salon said: “When it comes to creating calico hair, it’s all about keeping it soft, patchy in the prettiest way, and customised to each person. I’d start with a good consultation with the client to pick out a dreamy palette, usually soft blondes, vibrant coppers, dark browns, whatever suits their skin tone and vibe best.”

The beauty of this colour trend is its immense versatility, suiting an array of different skin tones, hair types and face shapes. Calico hair is perfect for those with warmer skin tones and the warmer colours harmonise beautifully with this skin tone. However, the calico colour trend also works well for those with a cooler skin tone – helping their features to pop and brighten their appearance. 

When it comes to sectioning the hair to achieve that perfect calico pattern, Safy explained: “I would take into account if my client wanted something bolder, more like the 90s blocky highlight style that’s making a comeback with this look. I’d start being mapping out the panels to create a block colour pattern, then rinse each panel separately with lukewarm water to avoid the colour bleeding.”

SAFY’S FORMULA

Starting base: Faded pastel orange all over. 2 inches of natural base 6NA roots.

Sectioning: Mapped out the panels to create the block colour pattern.

Lightening: For orange panels: pre-lightened roots with Topchic 11SV + 30vol. For blonde panels: pre-lightened with Oxycur + 10vol. 10 minutes before rinsing, took the blonde panel sections and cleansed ends with Oxycur + 5% to lift out the faded orange.

Then rinse & re-section.

Colour application: Orange: Goldwell Elumen Play Orange. Blonde: Goldwell Topchic 10V + 5% with 3 drops of Cool Violet Pure Pigments. Black: Goldwell Colorance 2N.

Allow time to process.  

Rinse each panel separately with lukewarm water to avoid colour bleed, then style as desired.