The Star Shape Technique : Add Glowing pieces To Hair w/ 1 Easy Technique

I want to demonstrate a very easy technique that is called the :  STAR SHAPE technique.



This coloring Technique is called the Shining Star.

This is a single shape of a STAR section of hair parted away at the top of the head and that shape is colored and nothing else.

Please see the demonstration below . .

The outcome is demonstrated by using copper on top of a blond base on this model









This one has used the opposite affect which I really adore....she has used a dark rich chocolate cashmere Star on top of Blond.


They both look divine, but it shows you how 1 simple technique can get you some contrasting color. This technique is so simple it can be done at home ( find some assisting hands husband /girlfriend/mother - to just help you get the parting and applying color out of the way... or print this out and take it to your stylist



Here is Lola .........Lola says NO TO HIGHLIGHTS > but dislikes her long stringy dark hair

I personally tried to talk her into staying with her length ....but she was ready for a change to the StarTechnique

Now in these other 2 photos is the Color

. There are many different variations, with this being the easiest. What a difference a cut makes... huh? even on Lola's stone cold face   ! ! !
 a complete demo for you to see how its done a simpler method of jazzing up your hair, without using the dreaded "highlights" button all the time . . . A STAR is parted away on top of the head....It can be a 5-6-7 point STAR. YOUR choice...This was a 7 pointer. Whether you do it to yourself, have your stylist do it, you now can see how its done. See these clips? They are the strongest clips I have ever used....they last almost 2 years with a very BUSY Hair Colorist/Stylists' routine ...imagine how long they would last for you !!!  Here's the link to purchase them or at least take a peek   http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/products/sectioning-clips
Maybe, your friend does it on your hair - whichever way it works for you....I bet you will adore it.


Then you "mask" it off. Like painting. Using Color Block like you see here, or barrier bream of some sort , we also have the Repelle bar which works great. Why you are doing this is to cover the hair that you do NOT want to color....Leaving the "star" shape clean and ready to lighten.

Masked off ready to go.

See the star? This is a perfect photo of what it looks like when you are ready to color. DO NOT THINK you have to get the parting exactly perfect because you do NOT...look how goofy mine is...                                                                                                 

You may use either  bleach ( I would go for the Oil Bleach Kit near the scalp and powder bleach on the lengths (ends)                                                       

In addition I will show 3 variations on the same technique, so with each touch-up you can change it up for variety and spice. This also grows "out" beautifully , quite naturally it grows into paint drips ! Many (typical) Stylists, don't promote these types of techniques, then the client isn't coming back for constant touch-ups..or if you are too busy (I was) - you rely on your talent... more should. See the start shaped hair with only bleach on it...? leave on for 90 minutes.... Then rinse and shampoo & apply Intensive for at least 3 hours...........truthfully I would apply it for the 8 hours I recommend. 

would welcome this type of technique..only because it is beautiful and all those others worries are just put to rest.

Here she is shampooed and rinsed and wet headed......I forgot to take one shot of me applying the toner... You see right from the bleach, the color is a Yellowish blond  (which is completely normal)

So first you must bring the pH balance back to normal....how do you do this????
Come on boys and girls..... ? ? ?  after the Rinse....one must apply "INTENSIVE" - which is my personal secret trick for all my clients walking out my door and coming back to here again. Which is why I teach YOU to follow in my footsteps....so you will have the wonderful results THEY did.

 I applied the Violet Beige Toner from the X. Factor Demi-Permanent SOFT  http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/products/x-factor-hair-color-permanent-pro      it is one of the most beautiful toners for brass that I have seen for a long time..

here is the results......... See the beautiful shape and color...I really love it and she was on top of the world....Which is the best thing about achieving the perfect color for clients or YOURSELF, too!

See how the shape of the star formed and how the color ended up and no one ended up the points can be moved all around for different looks.!

Try this look with various colors....think about it........and come up with you own combinations.


Thank You for your support.

Killer Chemist

America's Newest Haircare Lines Chosen Exclusively by KC for Killerstranders!

Well, its a new year and I am on a mission now.....I got a tad lazy and now that I have more help... I can go back to searching out 'new' products to bring to you. When I look for new lines, I always comb the "ingredient list" of every product to be sure they pass "my" requirements for a product to be carried by Killerstrands. I was so busy with keeping up with employees, I lost sight of caring for the KS product lines. We have gotten some new help that is assisting me so wonderfully ... that now I can get back to carrying a 100% properly formulated quality line of shampoos, conditioners, styling products and conditioners. To date....we have found a minimum of 12 entirely NEW product lines that we will be bringing into the store, over the next couple months. We all are very excited at Killerstrands home office for this new and innovative update we are making to our Store & Blog.

For our very 1st ""NEW" line we are introducing the Sojourn line - a Hi Quality line of hair products that we sought out because of their commitment to using only hi quality, and SLS-free ingredients. You cannot imagine the surprise when I discovered this line was created by Elan Sassoon, son of hair legend Vidal Sassoon and many others that were involved in the Creative whirl-wind of Sassoon. This entire line boasts what they are most proud of is ... what is "NOT IN" the products !  NO: sulfates, alcohol, gluten...etc...etc...

 Also - - FINALLY a line that states its pH Level right on the bottle, its something SOOO easy (yet important), "if" you have the proper pH stated inside that bottle . Why does pH of a hair product matter? Your hair reacts and acts correctly if the pH of any hair products is within the 4.5 - 5.5 level area( natural)... The entire line is right there. It really is not that tricky to make a dynamite line of hair products "if" you follow a some simple rules. SOJOURN has accomplished that and we are thrilled to introduce the 1st of our 12 new lines.

You will NOT be disappointed......

 Thank you soooo much for being a Killerstrander and following our Blog, Store and Group.....

Killer Chemist

There Is Something About Hair Products You Must Pay AttentionTo...

I try hard in life NOT TO BE A NEGATIVE person,

I promise I do,

I am hoping it doesn't seem like the opposite to the Killerstranders Gang

Like in any field there is the "behind the scenes" stories and then what is on 'the surface'.... What I am doing for Killerstranders is giving you the "behind-the-scenes" from the hair industry.
If it affects the health of your hair, then I feel it is YOUR BUSINESS


The large hair manufacturing companies may not believe that is the case, but that is why the INTERNET was invented, wasn't it? In America we have many organizations regulating all sorts of things the IRS, the FTB, the NRA, Social Security, and on and on.

 
As I am sure you have seen, the War on Terror which is supposed to be at the forefront is lagging so poorly we cannot even get "Homeland Security" to do their job efficiently, so regulating and keeping an eye on Hair and Beauty products seems rather insignificant in comparison when you think about it.

First of all, what is the name of the industry that regulates hair and beauty products?
Do we all know? Guess.......
Got it ??????????
The United Beauty Administration ???????
NOPE ?
In the good ole US of A its what's called > the FOOD & DRUG Administration. The FDA.
Wow, but where are the words beauty or hair or health???
NOWHERE to be found.....why?
So the Food industry regulates hair and beauty????...........or better yet..........the DRUG industry????....you mean medicines-prescriptions and shit???
YEP! That's them.....
What could either Category have to do with the beauty industry??
They are the ones that are regulating beauty products?
More specifically > Hair products?
YEP, boys & girls,yep!
How?...................Why? ..................Are you kidding?.........................Nope!
So that is your first blow and the first HUGE HUGE mistake .

Basically there is no one regulating the hair industry.
If any industry is watched it is Skin Care and that is ONLY because the "drug" industry does NOT WANT any skin care products DIPPING into the "Drug" ARENA ...AT ALL. You should see the big wall and restrictions they have put up to PREVENT that from happening.

The FDA would have to bring home all the troops from Iraq to enforce the rules they have "JUST FOR THE SKIN CARE PRODUCTS to be enforced!!
So you can forget the hair Industry following any rules AT ALL!

Exactly "where' does "hair" fit in to either FOOD or DRUGS?
Absolutely NOWHERE
So basically the hair industry gets away with murder, I envision Hair CEO'S laughing all the way to the bank
I can see them at their meetings, planning their stategies and just laughing at the fact that no one will even be checking on the way they execute their next plan,
& what a breeze this industry is....FA LA LA LA LA

For example, and the reason for this post......
about 6-7 years ago?? I forget 'when' exactly, the new big thing was to have shampoo that was "COLOR-Safe". 
Remember, when that first hit? Coloring hair had become such a huge HUGE industry and those of us that cared about our clients color "lasting" sent them out in search for "COLOR-SAFE" shampoos. There were those nim-rod Stylists that felt if their clients "didn't" use a color-safe shampoo then they would have to return for more frequent visits (help).
Now if you had Cosmetic Chemistry training...or had conducted your own tests then you knew that the ingredient that was the enemy was the "sulfates" SLS/ALS or any of the cousins.

But what the executives at L'Oreal....& many of the drug store shampoos {whose sales by the way are in the 'Billions" of dollars range} did was >>
> they simply stamped "COLOR- SAFE "on the bottle of the same shampoo !
They did not change the formula...
not one change....not one alteration.........NOTHING!

I don't know, but I would imagine they didn't even think twice about it

The really horrible part?
They are perfectly legal doing it
--- legal 'yes'
--- morally ???

Do most of you think they probably laughed all the way to the bank? Or am I being mean spirited? I figured this out about 8 years ago when I delved into the world of Cosmetic Chemistry.
Before that, our worlds did NOT collide

{Chemists don't get along with Stylists

Stylists don't get a long with Chemists

Hair Product manufacturer CEO's don't get along with Chemists or Stylists

Then a Trichologist ( which we do NOT HAVE HERE in the USA, and I sure wish we did) is a whole other rock to throw into the spokes of the turning wheel of HAIR + Hair Health + Hair Colour.

Even though we have no Trichology training here in the USA, I am prepared to take the TEST when we do.
Which is what I mean about how they sit at their meetings just rubbing their hands at how they are 'allowed' to get away with MURDER because NO ONE IS WATCHING and there are no rules in place.

There could be battery acid in those bottles and technically they could NOT get in trouble for that. We have no regulations as to "what" a shampoo is,
what a conditioner "is" what's in them what can be,
what cannot be

Can you believe that in this day and age?
The Europeans have a whole entity set up regulating this industry.
I'm the last person to OVER-regulate things - I swear, but in this instance it makes my neck hairs curl!

What those cheap brands use as their ingredients...is discussed heavily and often in our trade magazines for Cosmetic Chemists.
My vision of this industry changed so much once I got the education as a cosmetic chemist, enlightened my whole world into "HOW products are made"... and what each and every ingredient "IS"
It was a wonderful addition to the education and knowledge I already had.

Please, every time one of those hair commercials comes on..........be VERY very careful....what you get out of them...

So - at least - I got this subject off my chest..... remember it...every time you pick up any hair or skin product....you MUST begin to learn to protect yourself, you must begin to pay attention to ingredients in cosmetics/hair products the same way you do in food.

It will seem hard at first, jot down the names of chemicals you have heard to be bad... just keep reading and paying attention.... because no one is doing it for you.

KillerChemist

OMBRE HairColor Technique (Paint Drips) - Brief Demo

This is a photo by photo display of how to accomplish the OMBRE technique, which I can now see is not going to be nearly as easy as I thought to describe & teach on the Web. 

Depending on the level you are and the level you want the color to be...will determine the volume of developer you use with either the bleach or tint. Here is another example where "bleach" comes to the rescue. Bleach goes in the foils to lighten the pieces, do NOT worry about it, its only a small portion of the hair. Remember your new mantra: " I Must Learn To Love Bleach "...." I must learn to love Bleach"...!! 

Part of the specialty of this technique is "blending" them and "placing" them so it looks natural and fun.

Here is the front large Paint Drip....parted away from rest of hair, then applied bleach & 40 volume ( the hair on this mannequin is pretty dark

Fold up the Foil and seal . . . the heat that is generated from being folded up - helps the bleach work faster/better/etc. on a real person the heat from the scalp helps

Look at the paint drips on the beautiful girl above.... That look is very easy to get and very fashion forward




See how I part away the hair. Being sure to keep the hair you do NOT WANT COLORED, away from the foil. You are using the foil to keep together the hair and the bleach, so it may work together. Separated from the rest of the hair, is what creates a lot of the cool looks in hair, I hope to show you that in stages this week.

I am showing this for one reason only, (stubborn hair only).... generally the rule is to NOT use heat with foils and bleach.....The rule is NO > Do not use heat on bleach.
I will be perfectly honest and admit there are just times when you will need to mildly ( NOTICE THE WORD MILDLY ! )warm-up the foil.....especially in the cool of the winter!

There is stubborn hair, there is hair that is so resistant not only heat won't work -- sandpaper won't either!
As in everything there are exceptions to the rule... and that is exactly how it is with hair....

REAL human heads with real human hair are not like that, unless there is artificial color on it you are trying to remove. Normally you will watch the hair turn very fast, no heat needed ...Just open the foils, smooth the bleach off with your finger and look at the color of the hair. Yes, this takes experience but, you might as well start now. Be sure to Re-Apply the Lightener on wear you scraped it off....

Experiment with one small piece of hair underneath all of your hair, to just see how it works. There will be no harm done on one little piece of hair that can be covered up, if need be.
Stay tuned!

Happy Holiday's from Us All ....Alex, Haley, Betty, Adem, Nikki & KC

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TOP 10 HABITS THAT DESTROY HAIR

I had a plaque with these words on it in the 90's right next to the mirror in my Salon....it truly would shock people into not even talking sometime. 

Hard  words to say.....Harder even to realize.......

Proven these to myself over years and multitudes of clients... it really is common sense....

the sooner you stop ... the more hair you will keep 

its in your hands now, I'm not here to judge, just help, educate & inspire

head to our Store.....

join our group.... 

we try to be the best access to decent hair education on the web

We have a Free Shipping offer happening now.....go check it out 

Best Hair Conditioner on Planet Earth...

I just have to relay this wonderfully classic statement about THRIVEN (Killerstrands conditioner)

by a young woman on a web site I had not yet heard of  ....

                   " Thriven is the best thing ever....you can sleep with it on, you can use it as a styling creme. I plan to be buried in a vat of it. It's not cheap, but a tub last 6 months and my hair is like silk.  "

 

Killerstrands' Thriven

Mirror-Mirror on the Wall....Please Remove Frizzy Hair from ALL .

 Lookie Lookie ... what the Lord Almighty has bestowed upon us. Now I am sure many of you think how in the world could someone in sunny California possibly need a product like this???

Well, static hair is everyone's problem and the fact they put "Winter RX Solution" as its Title, really has me puzzled. Just today we had one of our notorious SANTA ANA WIND Days that haunt us in  Sept.,Oct.,Nov., & Dec. - 1/4 of the year. The Static here is so horrendous it amazes me that every single person's hair is not sticking straight up towards the SUN ! Its blazing hot AND we have hurricane winds. It truly sucks.

This is the most wonderful little line.... I've always wondered what people saw in the Alterna Line...but  I have picked up some of their wonderful products...You must check up on them all. It is a tiny bit more expensive line, but as I have always found in more expensive lines??? You need to use a much smaller portion size to deliver 2 - 3 times the benefits. If you think about that...that one point actually makes the product less expensive...think about it.

 With the Alterna Spray is a weightless sheer mist that instantly eliminates static. It works its magic by Sealing and soothing the hair cuticle to smooth fly aways.

Anti-Static Spray soothe's stressed-out tresses and eliminates static with two essentials for smooth, hydrated hair during the year.

Features

• Instantly eliminates static
• Weightless finishing spray
• Seals hair cuticle
• Provides light hold
• Removes static cling

Directions

Shake well. Spray 6-8 inches from dry hair.

Below now is the suggestion I used to advise people on dealing w/ Static...which comes from 6-7 years  ago.

>> The eternal problem of flyaway hairs. Little stubbly hairs sticking up all over the head and if its the winter and hats need to be worn. . . well you can.... for-ged-a-bout-it!

 Most stylists I cavort with use the combo of "STATIC GUARD" bought at any Target, its used for clothing I'm sure there are other brands but this one works wonderfully,and a spray silicone.

• #1 Version:Take your brush or comb, spray once over with the Guard and smooth the hair with it.
• #2 Version: the most used combo is using a combination of Static Guard, Gleam  and one of the zillion silicone serums out there, although it must be one that does not have any denatured alcohol in it or you will be adding fuel to the fire.

The Alterna is the ultimate answer and you need hardly any ! ! 

There, you all should be flyaway FREE

 Killer Chemist