Meet me halfway

Cruella de Vil may be a fictional character but she is hard to forget Her hair Even harder With one part black and the other white the villain set the trend for twotoned hair before celebrities did And with the Disney rolling out comedy crime flick Cruella this summer therersquos enough motivation to give it a go yourself But before you do herersquos what experts have to sayEmma Stone plays Cruella de Vil in the upcoming filmldquoDuring the lockdown people were so tired of having their hair coloured in a single shade that now everyone wants to be outrageous with colourrdquo Sarika Motiani of the Khar salon Smashh maintains If you are up for drawing eyeballs then black and blonde is the way to go but if you are searching for something subtler then she suggests playing around with a combination of brown and red However Motiani cautions against opting for blonde on an entire part ldquoNot many people can pull of blonde in our country It yellows quickly because of humidity and then you have to keep toning it to make it silver which only those with time on their hands can dordquo she statesThe twotoned style may be harder to pull off on curly hair PicsYoutubeA safer option she adds is to only go twotone in the front ldquoAlso Irsquod say this style works best for shoulderlength hair like Stone in the film because itrsquoll stand out more and reflect texture and movementrdquoPooja Singh national creative director ndash hair Lakme Salon says that the two colours you pick should complement your skin tone But most importantly you should be comfortable with the colours you choose and have the confidence to carry themPooja SinghldquoSince most Indians have natural black or brown hair one needs to start by prelightening the natural base colour to the lightest level possible to achieve a twotoned hair colour If your skin tone is fair then opt for ash tones and subdued blonde shades and if you have a darker skin tone deep reds coppers and bronze will look lovelyrdquo she shares Singh also mentions that lighter colours like blondes will fade in a few washes so a colour refresher is required after 20 washes or two monthsBillie Eilishrsquos neon touch is another easy way to incorporate the twotone style according to Motiani PicAFPHigh maintenanceThe product formulation and reaction of the dye on either part will vary So citybased trichologist Dr Neha Marathe says you need to consider the following gtgt Precolour Proceed only if you donrsquot have hair fall or brittle hair ldquoOxidative damage to your hair and scalp is possible when colour and bleach touch the root leading to hair fall and dandruff Always do a sensitivity test check if the colour suits your skinrdquo she advisesSarika Motianigtgt Postcolour Choose colour protecting shampoos and conditioners that contain more protein and vitamins that will nourish your hair ldquoCurly and wavy hair is more prone to drynessrdquo she says