It’s almost hard to recognize Sharon Osbourne without her red hair. Though she naturally has white hair, the TV personality has dyed it a deep, vibrant red on a weekly basis for the past 18 years.
Eager to embrace her roots and opt for a more low-maintenance color, Osbourne turned to Jack Martin, a colorist well-versed in dramatic transformations that her daughter Kelly found on Instagram. American Salon caught up with Martin to get the low-down on her new platinum ‘do.
Bring us back to the beginning. How did Sharon decide she wanted to ditch the red and go platinum?
Sharon has been wanting to do this for a long time—she was sick of dying her hair so frequently—but every time she attempted it, she ended up with disastrous results. That's why you may have seen her go from longer haircut to pixie-like cuts in the past few years. Kelly, her daughter, found me on Instagram about six months ago and showed her mom. Sharon started considering it again, but she was still hesitant after her past experiences. After they saw Jane Fonda's hair, they immediately contacted me and booked.
Given her past experiences, were you nervous to approach the process?
I treat everyone who sits in my chair the same—they're all celebrities (whether they actually are or not). The minute she sat down, I told her that I can't guarantee anything and it's all up to her hair and how strong it is. I trust my products and I trust my knowledge, but it's all up to the hair. Of course I was nervous, just like I am with any other big challenge. Being nervous is a good thing because you care more when you're nervous.
This transformation had to take quite a while. How long exactly did it take?
She arrived to my salon at 10 AM and we finished around 6 PM, so just about 8 hours. I spent four of those hours foiling her hair, and I kept the bleach on her hair for 4.5 hours (with 20-volume developer). I take very thin sections so that the bleach doesn't have to work on its maximum power. When you put bleach on a thicker section it has to work harder, but when you apply it on thinner sections it's a slow and steady process. On top of adding Olaplex to the color, I monitor the foils closely and check the hair every 10 minutes to make sure it's in good condition.
Now that Sharon doesn't have to dye her hair every week, what will maintenance be like moving forward?
I told Sharon to get in the routine of cold-water washes with purple shampoo to maintain her hair's color and get it back in its best condition. In theory, her hair is fine and healthy but it needs rest. I also told her to avoid hot tools for a while until it bounces back to its original, natural strength. When it grows out, it will be identical to her natural shade. She won't even see a line of demarcation!