Hollywood Hairstylist Tracey Cunnigham: How to Find the Perfect Hair Color

Hollywood hair expert Tracey Cunnigham told Us Weekly her secret to finding the perfect color for her clients and how she keeps their hair healthy — exclusive interview

There’s no question that Margot Robbie, Maria Bakalova, Jennifer Lopez, Khloé Kardashian and Emma Stone all have absolutely gorgeous, perfectly colored and somehow never brassy hair.

And it’s likely because they all have one thing — rather one person — in common: Hollywood’s top hair color expert Tracey Cunnigham, who is serving up her celeb-approved tips and tricks in her new book, True Color: The Essential Hair Color Handbook.

Obviously, expertise like Cunningham’s is the result of years of practice and unmatched talent, but when it comes to deciding whether to take her clients blonde or brown and whip up the perfect tone, she always goes back to one simple question: What color hair did you have as a baby?

“It’s [hair color] is the first thing we do with anti-aging — it’s not botox. Everyone wants hair color to make them look like they did when they were younger,” Cunnigham tells Us Weekly in an exclusive interview.

After combing through baby pictures upon baby pictures, she came to notice that the first color on your head is typically the best for your skin tone — and the one that will make you the happiest.

“A lot of my clients are super blonde — like super blonde. Their friends will say, ‘Why is she so blonde? She should be lighter, add some lowlight to her hair. Do this, do that. She’s blond-orexic,” Cunningham jokes to Stylish.

The colorist, who’s blonde clients include Gwyneth Paltrow, Paris Hilton and Anya Taylor-Joy added: “But all of the sudden, I started seeing baby photos and they’re all little toe heads. They had white hair when they were born! So obviously they miss that hair color and they wanted to go back to it.”

But where there’s blonde color, there’s bleach — and that means stocking up on hydrating hair products is a must.

“When you see someone with platinum hair, their hair is normally damaged because white is not a conditioning treatment and bleach is not a conditioning treatment … The minute I start seeing anything break off, I freak out and we stop,” the MéCHE salon founder in Los Angeles tells Us.

Hollywood Hairstylist Tracey Cunnigham: How to Find the Perfect Hair Color

To keep her client’s hair healthy, she turns to celeb-loved brand Olaplex. “You know that if I’m going to touch your hair with some bleach, you better go home and Olaplex,” she told Stylish, nothing that the No. 3 Hair Perfecter is one of her all-time favorites. “It doesn’t weigh down your hair … it’s the only thing that actually strengthens your hair.”

Order a copy of True Color: The Essential Hair Color Handbook on amazon.com.