Jenny Aitken is one of the directors of Hue, Auckland Citys first colour only hair salon!

What is your background?

Kiwi girl, born in Christchurch and moved with my family around the country, did the standard Kiwi OE, and have been in Auckland for the last 12 years. I trained in Christchurch as a beauty therapist, and while I have gone on to do further study and other roles, the beauty industry has remained a huge interest. 

Tell us about the Hue concept?

Hue is aimed at woman (and we are not excluding men it has to be said!) who like to remain beautiful, and for whom hair is an integral part of this. Someone who doesn't want to spend a fortune on hair colour, or hour upon hour in the salon, yet finds home results mixed. We offer salon results, in an hour (more time for foils or organic colour) We use Schwarzkopf professional colour and Organic colour systems, so we are also finding clients who also have a preference for more natural products. After your colour you have a chance to play! We provide salon styling products and equipment for you to style your own hair, or if you need to dash out the door, no problem!

What are the biggest trends for hair colour this winter?

Warm combinations are a must! Coppers are burnt and antique in their appearance, Blondes are creamy and soft in tone, without strong ash tones - think inside of an oyster shell.

Brunettes are warmer and we see a really accent of copper sneaking back into our chocolates to warm them up and give them lustre and shine.

For the more adventurous, bold splashes of signature colour is the way to go. Pick a focal point of your haircut and enhance it with a colour that compliments your toning.

No matter what your colour though, condition is number one to looking great - let it shine!

What is your number one, never fail hair product?

Professional hair care conditioning treatments - an in salon treatment, either immediately after your colour or just as a pick my hair up treat!

For retail product we recommend Schwarzkopf Professional Sealed Ends, and Schwarzkopf Professional Osis Sparkler, beautiful products available at Hue. We also recommend our range of organic shampoos and conditioners (in resin containers, not plastic!) for post care after an organic hair colour to preserve colour and shine (and they smell divine).

What the the biggest mistake people make when it comes to hair?

Compromising on hair health for the colour. You are best to work with, and enhance your natural colouring for healthy glossy hair, and if you want a radical change, a gradual colour change is the way to go, and keep up those moisture treatments!

If a client wants a new look, do you prefer them to arrive with pictures to give you an idea of what they want, or do you prefer to work with the client to come up with a colour that will suit them, rather than try and recreate a celebrity colour?

What ever works for the client! Our colourists are very visual people, so a picture is great, then they will discuss your type of hair, its condition and find the colour look that will work for you - you have to remember those celebrities use hair extensions and an army of stylists behind them, back here in the real world we have to maintain that look ourselves' and at Hue we are here to make that work for you!

Note from the editor: I have a whole stack of vouchers to give away that give you $15.00 off your first treatment at Hue, which is great when you consider that a half head of highlights is only $65.00, and a full head is only $85.00!

All you have to do is email me and tell me what you want to see more of in the beauty section, or ask me a beauty question and I will send you a $15.00 voucher - look forward to hearing from you - kate@fashionz.co.nz