As we converse through Zoom, colorist to the stars Justin Anderson laughs, “Breakage freaks me out!” His long-term professional relationships with Jennifer Aniston, Margot Robbie, and Gwyneth Paltrow are due to his (justified) dread of unhealthy hair, paired with a flair for achieving the ultimate natural blonde. Before she became a brunette, Hailey Bieber was also a regular. Anderson is, without a doubt, the undisputed king of blondes.
Anderson’s haircare line, due, releases this week on Cult Beauty in the UK following a 20-year (and counting) career in hair coloring. “I’ve spent a lot of time listening to my client’s hair color complaints, and one of the most common ones is what happens to the color after they leave the salon.” He explains, “I took down notes.” “As a result, we’ve developed products that make your hair color look just like it did when you left the salon.”
Color-boosting shampoos and conditioners, root touch-up kits, home glosses, as well as the famed Apple Cider Vinegar collection, are all part of the brand. He explains, “I’m a huge believer in not shampooing your hair all that much.” “We’ve been trained to shampoo our hair whenever we feel it’s unclean or after an exercise, but this dries it out.” The shampoo is a detergent, so washing your hair is like putting your favorite T-shirt in the washing machine every day the color will fade.”
The Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse (one of the brand’s standout products) is a gentle approach to cleaning the hair; it seals the cuticle and adds shine while removing any surface dust – but most importantly, it doesn’t rob the hair of its natural oils and color. “It’s the gentlest way to clean your hair – and it can replace your regular shampoo.” “However, it does take some getting accustomed to,” he says. If Anderson’s lustrous locks are any indication, this is a procedure that works.
A lot of the items in the collection are aimed at blondes, to preserve that fresh-from-the-salon radiance that often fades over time. “I’d go to the salon and make some of my greatest celebrity clients incredibly blonde, and then they’d go film a movie, get their hair styled every day for two weeks, and it wouldn’t look as brilliant,” Anderson says. “I want people to be able to maintain that bright color without having to bleach their hair again.”
Anderson is not only a master at handling all of your at-home hair color needs, but he is also a master at creating great color in the first place. What secrets does he have? He tells me, “I’m all about contrast.” “If you look at a tiny kid on the beach in the summer, you’ll notice that their hair has natural dimension – separate it and you’ll see darker hair underneath.” When you use a lot of highlights in your hair, it loses its dimension and appears flat and boring.”