Lynsey Ashton, who worked to give football star David Beckham his iconic look when he was playing for Manchester United, was in town to launch Toni&Guy’s label.m brand in Calcutta (available at June Tomkyns and Headturners, Short Street, and soon at Satin Rose and A.N. John). Here’s what she had to say about making the most of your mane…

Models at the Toni&Guy show in Tantra. Picture by Pabitra Das

Personalise it

What’s in vogue now is old tomorrow. And it’s the same with hairstyles and colours. What’s more, your hairstyle must be personalised for you, feels Lynsey, part of the British brand’s creative team. “Instead of working with one hair colour, use two or three shades that complement each other and your skin tone.” Softer caramels and copper always suit a soft skin tone better.

Another thing people should look out for is the volume of hair — the correct volume opens up one’s hair beautifully. Daily hair care is equally important. “Pick a shampoo that has less detergent so you don’t strip the colour out. Shampoo every two or three days and not every day because that only stimulates the scalp and makes the oil come to the surface,” says the hair expert.

“A protein spray on towel-dried hair can work wonders because protein evens out the hair and it’s easier to manage. If you use a styling gel, pick one that has the hardness of a gel and the softness of a serum.”

Match it

“Choose a hair colour that will match your eye colour and your skin tone,” says Lynsey. Here is a basic colour code:

Hazel eyes: Don’t have ’em natural? Try coloured lenses and match them with violet hair tones. Intermix shades — for example bright purple and soft violet (don’t think Gwen Stefani of No Doubt. This is much less wild).

Green eyes: You already turn heads so go for a chocolate shade, truffle or softer coppers to complement the gorgeous look.

Brown/dark eyes: Very Indian. Again, go for chocolate shades and blues and blacks and indigos “to bring out the softness”.

Types & trends

Curls are back with a bang. “For the past three years we have been promoting curly hair at the London Fashion Week… and it’s only now that we see it catching up,” says Lynsey (Toni&Guy is the official hair care sponsor of London Fashion Week). Other trendy hairstyling techniques focus on softer beehives, cleaner partings and textured hair.

“As a hairstylist, my job is to make the facial features stand out,” says Anthony Edge, international art director, Toni&Guy, whose team demonstrated six different hairstyles at a workshop in HHI, followed by a fashion show at Tantra on Wednesday night. One thing that’s common across the world is women with very long hair visiting the salon for a haircut and saying, “cut it off just half an inch”. “You think it happens only here in India? It happens everywhere,” he laughs. Which is why educating the client on what kind of style will frame her face best is part of any hairstyling process. A rough guide…

Round/pear shaped face: If you have big cheeks, keep the length long, shortness will emphasise the roundness.

Long face: You can get away with short hair that frames the face. Make the most of a large forehead with a fringe that covers the eyes (inconvenient yes, but very in vogue) and bring out those lips.

Square face: Keep the length above the shoulder and cover the jawline with layers.

If you are determined to get something trendy, you can’t go wrong with a bob. A bob is a classic cut, fashionable right from Cleopatra’s days to Bipasha’s new bob look today.