What do Khloe Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry all have in common? Two words: Tracey Cunningham.
The famed hair colorist, who recently released an in-depth book about hair color, True Color, is spilling the tea on her best beauty tips and tricks. After all, she's the mastermind behind some of the most iconic celebrity looks.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star's bronde style? Tracey. Lily Aldridge's popular ombré? All Tracey. J.Lo's famous highlights? You get the picture.
Speaking to E! News, the industry veteran opened up about whether or not she's talked an A-lister out of a dramatic transformation, how she tackles those moments when her clients aren't happy with their hair color and more insider intel.
Case in point? Believe it or not, but Khloe's bronde hair color only lasted a few days before she asked Tracey to dye it back to blonde.
"That happens quite a lot," the colorist tells E! News, adding, "I already know how to deal with it. You just change it. Because hair color is super emotional and if they're not happy with their hair color, it's not good. You have to make your client happy."
These days, however, Khloe has returned to her brunette roots.
But this time, Tracey did something a little more familiar for the E! star. More specifically, the colorist points out the Good American founder is back to the same shade she had as a kid, which is also shown in her book.
"It's so funny that we're loving her hair color right now," Tracey raves. "I texted her this photo [of her as a child] and I said, 'Look, you are that color right now.' So she is her true color and it looks so good on her. I'm obsessed."
Another hair color Tracey can't get enough of? Margot Robbie's new 'do.
The Birds of Prey actress not only debuted bangs at the 2021 Oscars, but she showed off darker blonde locks. According to the True Color author, Margot's hair "was even better in person."
Interestingly, Tracey explains that her Hollywood clients rarely opt for dramatic makeovers because they "really have to look like themselves" for their roles.
"I'll say to them, 'What are you playing?'" she describes, noting they'll typically respond, "'Well, I'm playing a police officer. I'm playing an FBI agent. I'm playing a doctor.'"
"You know, most stories are real people. Actresses usually have more normal colors," she explains. "It just depends what movie they're doing. I just did a big color change on Aubrey Plaza because she's leaving to go do a movie and the role required her to change her hair color."
However, it's a different ballgame for musicians. According to Tracey, "they take bigger chances" and "can do whatever they want."
But even though singers are risk-takers in the beauty department, the hair colorist reveals the piece of advice she gives her clients when they want to constantly switch up their looks.
"I talk to them and I say to them, 'OK, if you promise me you'll Olaplex, we can go lighter," she shares. "But if you don't Olaplex, it is not gonna work out.'"
She continues, "Because if you platinum somebody's hair, make their hair green, pink, whatever, imagine they're on a stage. They're in hair and makeup every single day when they're on tour. They're using a lot of heat...heat breaks bonds, brushing your hair breaks bonds. So it has to be a whole group effort."
"I like to say, 'Bleach is not a conditioning treatment,'" she asserts, sharing a clever metaphor, "I like to say, 'If you bought a cashmere sweater and you love this sweater so much, would you just throw it in the wash? No, you have to take care of it. You have to follow instructions.'"
Luckily for fans of Tracey's work, she dives deep into the dos and don'ts of hair care and how to find your true color in her new book. Moreover, the hair expert offers a plethora of pictures from her A-list clients in order to capture the beauty of blondes, brunettes, redheads and silver sirens.
Receiving those images was no small feat either.
"I've been asking for photos for the past three years to collect them for the book," she reveals. "It brings me to tears thinking about all of the clients that helped me make this book...I've never planned my life, it just sort of happened with hard work and word of mouth. I feel very blessed to be in this position. It's pretty amazing."
Find out more of Tracey's beauty secrets from her new book, True Color, which is available for purchase on Amazon.