Colours of New Zealand

Paint companies in NZ love making and naming gorgeous paint shades after the NZ scenery. You cannot blame them really. However, I’ve noticed, I am in my 9th year here, that another colour company is missing a trick. It is the hair colour companies -we have some awesome hair colours in NZ. I have had a go at naming a few...

My first named and ultimate favourite is...Netball Greige a sort of grey/ dirty blond favoured by netball presenters and the odd netball player themselves. Now moving into netball mums and soccer mums. I have asked my hairdresser for it a few times, she hasn’t obliged.

I’ve pinched the next one from Ugly Ink. Who does great cartoon characters of classic NZers......”mince & cheese”
Not just a fav NZ pie filling but also a fav hair colour. Sort of mince brown and melted cheese highlights or blocks of colour. Looks amazing from the back....

All Blacks Black. Full blown black, imagine the All Blacks kit wet, yep that’s the colour. I had it once myself made my eyes look really green. Lasted a week until
I changed it. Best on straight hair and on women over 45. Palmerston Norths bestselling hair colour....for all ages, but only in Palmy.

Jelly Tip pink. Named after a top selling NZ ice cream on a stick. The jelly tip bit at the end is exactly the same shade of pink you see on hair in NZ malls. It wouldn’t suit me.

Otago Orange. Dried dusty, wild orange often on long thick hair that’s gone a bit matted.

Ohakune Orange - carrot colour, Ohakune is where we grow our carrots. The shade my hair goes after a long summer or an accident with hair bleach.

Sports sock white. A sock that’s been washed a few times in a dark wash. Was once a white, sparkling white, now it’s sort of stained white.

Hamilton Highlights. Lots of shades of blond and peanut butter colour all mingled/ mangled...together. Looks great in a ponytail. In the South Island it’s called Hokitika Highlights

Ski slope white. The pure white of snow, stays white for about a week then morphs into sports sock white.

Flat White Brown. Says what it is on the coffee menu. Brown. Just brown...a bit staid, like the most requested coffee in NZ. Me most of the time as my hairdresser refuses to take me “netball greige”

Wellington Grey, dark stormy grey, most often on curls and on people who “work in the arts”. If it’s on straight hair, it might feature a streak of either All Blacks Black or Sports Sock White.

Dunedin Dirt, a nothing colour, sort of a brown, mottled brown, often worn with a ridiculous sense of entitlement and/or a superiority complex. In the North Island, it would be called Havelock Highlights.

Nelson Blue Rinse named after Richmond in Nelson where most of NZ goes to retire.

In the North Island, Tauranga toffee is popular. Like Nelson, it’s retirement village HQ so I think the mobile hairdressers buy it in bulk.

Christchurch crisp, not really a colour, more of a texture, the dry frizz most people’s hair becomes after a long hot and dry summer on the Canterbury Plains........

........
Therefore often needing some North Shore nourishment in the form of moisturising hair packs as it’s so wet up there. Rains constantly...sub tropical, they call it. Manchester by the sea with no Ozone is more accurate.

Provincial Town brown. Darkish brown sported by many over 35, a colour bought in bulk from the Warehouse, or any provincial NZ supermarket or chemist. Needs a retouch every 4 weeks, often worn well a polo shirt, gum boots and a concerned frown. I should do this colour, I own gum boots and do an awesome "concerned frown: Oh and I now live in provincial NZ.