minardi

Cosmetology students at the Parisian Beauty Academy in Hackensack, New Jersey, received quite the send-off when a very special guest turned up at their graduation ceremony. Beth Minardi, world-renowned color educator, salon owner and head of Minardi Luxury Color Care, delivered the commencement address before the 225 students.

The legendary colorist, salon owner and educator was recently honored as an "Icon" at the Professional Beauty Association and National Cosmetology Association's Legends and Icons gala for her contributions to the salon industry. Also the spokesperson for Joico's Vero K-PAK® Color, owner of Minardi Salon in NYC and founder of her own luxury hair care line, Minardi continues to thrive and excel in the world of color.

Dear Beth:

My client is 100% white and she has been coloring her hair with various shards of red and red/brown for years. Recently, I made her regrowth too red and I am having trouble toning it down. It is currently a Level 7 red... it's pretty, but not what we want. The ends are Level 8 warm brown. I have decided that I want to make her an all-over brown shade and start fresh. How would you proceed?

- Do Over

If you think of hair color as an art form, it can become a very Zen experience," she says. "When you immerse in the process and forget everything else, it gives you a reason to get up every morning, go into the salon and create." Minardi believes that in order to become an artist, you've got to ask yourself some very specific introspective questions. How much do I like what I'm doing? Am I just going through the motions, thinking about the ticket at the end of the service? Or am I thinking of hair coloring in a broader sense, as a means of self-expression?