Box Hair Color Disaster = Recovery Plan

Easier Than It Sounds - Promise!

I’ve never totaled up the variety and amount of Boxed Hair Color blunders I’ve heard of….it would send me into cardiac arrest…so I just stay away from that fact, its a never-ending supply, just ask one of the many in our amazing Google Group. You will hear nightmares from so many poor unsuspecting souls, it breaks my heart to hear the stories, it really does. I know every single one of those stories could have been avoided, had I personally done their hair. I experienced a Hair color surprise yesterday in an otherwise gloomy (read:challenging) week. I popped open a new Jug of MAGMA for a longtime Level 5 client of mine. I realize I don’t spend as much time on ‘dark hair’ techniques as I do their lighter counterparts. I will be trying to rectify that flaw in the coming months, come on all you ‘dark hairs’ – speak up – I will answer most requests as far as topics to write about.

MAGMA SWATCH CHART of COLORS:

39…………………Gold Cendre Light

89+……………….Pearl Cendre Dark

07……………….. Natural Blond

This woman (lets call her Mrs. M) is one of the many that has lost her job as part of the economy problems our country has been experiencing. So it appears Mrs.M has taken to touching up her gray roots with some damn boxed hair color that I guess she thought I wouldn’t notice.!?!?!?

[ Which is why I always tell people: NOT to forget the “back” of their hair, it’s not the hair YOU see, but it is the hair everyone else see’s! Same with boxed color, you think people don’t notice – I promise you – they DO! ]

This apparently is a common practice with many people I have come to find out…. now that I deal with soooooooo many through the Trinity of Killer Strands websites. They will have their hair professionally colored 3 times a year so it is gone through thoroughly on the back - - a place very difficult to do yourself. Then on the “off” months they touch up just the crown section of the hair, depending on the hair style and length of hair. Now, to be perfectly frank the idea is not a bad one…but if you are going to be doing the base (roots) in-between, my Lordie boys and girls…use the proper product and color.

Now the way to tackle this may not be textbook, but as I have said before, there is a reason there is NO textbook on hair color. TOO MANY VARIABLES. Now with this kind of issue I have 2 problems at hand, she has 90% gray hair and that can be quite a stark difference with virtually white roots and dark brown lengths. Even though they call Level 5 (light Brown) . . . I have never quite known what they are looking at when they say that. Maybe its me, as I have a very hard time telling the difference in the colors/levels below the Level 5. They all appear to me as “dark” and “super dark”! ! j/k . . .although you have to admit the differences are not nearly as apparent as its lighter counterparts. So we must cover the gray roots and get rid of the black “banding” I call it, created from the Boxed Color. There are black stripe-like effects on her hair. Which comes from Boxed Hair Color, I have noticed most that use boxed color have banding and I’m too sure why. I’ve never seen it used, to be perfectly honest, therefore am not too sure how the banding is created. What I do know is that it is everywhere, next time you are standing in a line…check-out all the people, see if you can
“Find-the-Banding”…the newest game from HASBRO….again – j/k!

To fix both problems at once, is how I would handle this… maybe you only want to fix one at a time, totally understandable. Depends on your dexterity, right?

First I would pull the color I always use for her base and that is Renbow –

Colorissimo …… 5N

+ RenColor ………. 06 Velvet Brown

………………..…. + 20 Volume

Beginning in the front sections. . . apply Formula to front sections -- covering right up to the line of demarcation but not going past, that is one reason for banding…although when overlapping with Professional hair color that problem doesn’t happen. That is why I know its Boxed hair color by ‘sight’. Besides the “shine” Box Hair Color takes out of the hair strand is mind boggling to me…I don’t know what they put in there that accomplishes that ? ? But, it really needs to be taken out.

So with the color on the base, I decided to try a different trick to break up the banding and broke out the MAGMA. I have been hearing a lot of scuttlebutt on how good it is lately. You all know what MAGMA is right?

It is a new-ish product from WELLA ( 6-7 years old). Its a Bleach and tone product in “one”. When it came out I was super excited about it, but it wasn’t as suited toward my clientele as I would have liked. Its a product developed mainly for Hispanic/Ethnic hair with 10 Colors & really only 2 tonal categories ….. REDS & BLOND’s. There were 2 Blonds and 2 Reds I’ve liked and used…but I hear somewhere along the line it got re-formulated…Which can be a wonderful thing, or it could be a bad thing, I never feel any of these companies use “COLORISTS” enough for feedback and product development….but anyway …back to the problem at hand.

Another new development with MAGMA I had heard was that it was now formulated to be used with “lower” developers when necessary. When I first used it, they were very strict and stern in teaching the product education courses –instructing us to ONLY USE WITH 30 or 40 VOLUME. As you can see by the above chart, it now can be used all the way down to the lowest developer they make….6 Volume! So am thrilled about that…especially in light of the results I had with Mrs. M

So with the base on, I used 13 foils in the “VEIL parting” … here is a little illustration of that… When you are in the best Hair Academy in the world they do a lot of steps and projects which at the time seem totally ridiculous. This is one of the head sheets we used in hair academy, when you wanted to explain a technique you wanted to try or that you saw & wanted to change or duplicate – we were taught to explain/teach/illustrate using these HEAD sheets. At first I really thought the whole idea was foolish, now look who’s foolish . . . here I am 17 years later – using them on a daily basis – . . . . I have used them ever since !

The way the MAGMA colors are handled is way different than I’ve ever seen…but the product also is unlike any product I’ve seen as well. 2 of the Colors have “+” Plus versions of the same color.

So that # 39 is Gold Cendre Light and then # 39 + is Gold Cendre Dark

#39………..is for use on LEVEL 6 & 7 Hair

#39+ ……. for use on Levels 2-5 Hair

I mean its pretty self-explanatory…but am always told by our trusty members, “teach us as if we were Aliens from another planet”!

See the Levels on the far left they recommend using each color on? . . you want to follow those recommendations when choosing your color.

Now to solve Mrs. M’s problem with the black banding short of having to apply a whole VANISH Kit (color remover), which was avoided and results were spectacular.

I used 89+ mixed with 1.5X – 40Volume Developer. Applied in 13 random foil SLICES in the Veil parting as stated above. A thin slice of hair is taken within each parting, place the foil down (moving quickly) brush on the mixture of 89+ being sure to brush down hard where the bands are. When necessary within the foils take (gloved) fingers coat with product and rub into the banding to really get the product into the hair….{remember this is called COLOR CORRECTION ! !} fold foil together, flip up and proceed to next .

The recommended time for MAGMA is 20-30 minutes with controlled heat…again - - I simply do NOT recommend this. I do NOT recommend speeding up processing time by using heat with peroxide. The power that is generated in the processing will have a deteriorating effect on the hair structure.

On the other hand beware of under-processing with very low volume hydrogen peroxide out of fear of a lightening product such as MAGMA - - there is no cause for fear, Wella is the KING of HAIR COLOR, when used correctly there is no better all-around hair color company. Always make sure the room you apply the Hair color in is at least 70 degrees, warmer is better…NO CHILLS.

You know what the best thrill about MAGMA was this time? They have made the #89’s Lavender based….(the Magma POWDER is the color of the base now) there is no better color for a brunette to be based in as lavender, and now the MAGMA works the way I wished it worked 8 years ago when it first came out. I have never seen a product wipe out brass as this one did. I was OVER-THE-MOON with how much and how terrific it works. What we look for is a soft lavender/rose based color as the foils are removed, and sure enough every single foil was that rosey color. I didn’t even need to rinse it out to know. . . . I had the most gorgeous color she will have ever seen, on her.

Once those foils were taken off, you must then complete the process as normal, only using MAGMA’S Neutralizer…that MUST be used after rinsing the color products out of your hair. Leaving the Neutralizer on the hair for a minimum of 15 minutes….Rinse and BOOM you are done…

The change in this product is just so rare, more rare than you even know, but I wanted you to know about it. I have since used it on a few paint drips on my hair, a few slices here or there….I LOVE IT, absolutely love it. The point of the story really was how to bounce back after a Boxed Hair Color blunder. For those of you with Black “BANDING" - -or any color ‘banding’ which develops from Boxed hair color overlapping – there multiple methods of getting rid of it. This is one - - watch for future POSTS with various other ideas & TRICKS.

Killer Chemist

Hair Color, Hair Color Consultations, 10,000 Heads and the KillerQ8

Back to the Basics, where I Belong

Hair color is a funny thing, it cannot be reduced entirely to a science, as there are so many parts that are given to objective analysis by a experienced individual. That’s why you cannot just order a book on the subject. Dozens of Colorists before me have thought about writing one, I can guarantee you, its a daunting task…because of the variables we all know exist. Many aspects of hair coloring defy an exact system . . . the level System as I have tried to teach here on Killer Strands is the only universal system that truly works, I know it lacks in many areas…but when you get used to it I promise you figuring out your own hair color will be a snap. Learning it takes time, now that I have watched thousands of people absorb it I can solidly report that it takes some reading, some research and some thinking and experimenting to begin to work it…I am proud to report many of you are successfully working the Level System and reporting in with beautiful hair coloring stories.

What I hope for, is more of you to take the plunge, invest in your own hair….in your own hair color, in the power it takes you to take control over your own hair, NO MORE DISASTERS… you only have to learn the variables on one head of hair…YOUR OWN ! A great colorist has to be able to calculate for every type of hair that exists – every head of hair that walks through that door, sits in that seat and looks longingly to me for a perfect color. I took that look very seriously, but the more I listen to war stories of hair color disasters, the more I’m finding there are just not a whole lot of qualified Colorists out there. So to figure just your own out, really does not take that long, nor is that hard. I really encourage you to begin the reading it takes on this Blog to find the answer to your perfect hair color….Remember, IT DOES NOT COME FROM A BOX.

If I were to line up 10 of you with the exact same level 6 (completely) virgin hair, and every one of you wanted the exact same result…. I would not use the exact same formula. I’m estimating there to be 4 to 7 different formula’s to reach that same color and THAT IS WHY the Box system doesn’t work. Remember, Boxed Hair Color is known as “job security” to Salons and Hair Stylists, they count on you showing up with your hair color botched, that kind of says it all. I’ve always wanted to know how many people walked into a Salon across the entire USA one day of the week, every week of the year. …I would love to know the true exact amount. I’ve often thought it is probably around 50,000 per day, that to me is incredibly sad. You see all the stylists around me used to act like hunters waiting for the kill, during the day…in Malibu, the owner & I were the only one’s with a jam-packed book. They would wait for “walk-ins” with botched box color . . . I never had to live that way. But still, it just isn’t fair to the public, I don’t think anyone has ever brought that topic up, I won’t stop bringing it up.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Your natural base level is foremost among the key factors one wants to use in calculating your new hair color formula. Your best bet is to remove all old color (using VANISH only) if its blond or blorange, blass or blellow (my personal fav.) begin growing your hair out - - - N O W! There are methods of turning those 3 colors normal while growing your hair out, all involve “filling” the hair. In Hair Academy some of the Color Instructors that lived in the Academy world would say: there isn’t a color I can’t make a client. Which at first I took on their attitude….UNTIL >>>> I got to the “Salon” world and dealt with the public on a daily basis that is when I learned the Salon world was completely & totally different than the Academy world. In the Salon world I would become close to my clients, I cared about them, cared about their hair ……the future of their hair. In the Academy world you do one person’s hair and never see them again. You constantly are doing the hair color of people you will never see again – models you do once, spending all day on one person for a photo shoot….never to see them again… which is just not normal. If someone walks in, is Asian with Level 1(black) hair and wants to have a soft “mint green frame around the face” …. you do it & actually have a blast doing it. YES, I can make anyone – ANY COLOR -- I did that for one full year, but I quickly learned that is NOT how you introduce hair color nor take care of clients you care about.

3 tricks I learned that made my client list so strong?

• Always have their “next” or “future” hair color and most importantly their hairs health in mind (for them) .
• Listen to their requests for their new hair color choices, look at the photos they have chosen . . . .but never ever forget what the consequences of their choices will bring.
• I always felt it was my job, to talk them out of a hair disaster. It was a gamble I took at the beginning. Most all top Colorists I knew at the beginning would turn the clients hair whatever color they asked for. I care about “people” too much to

Now I live by the Rule:

NOT ALL HAIR CAN BE ALL COLORS

- - and that, is my own PERSONAL Rule.

I took the hundreds of clients I had and pretended they were all my family. Would I straighten a girls hair who begged me for it, if I knew with the next appointment she came for… she would be in tears with her hair breaking off. NO Would I tint the platinum(Level 12) woman’s hair…. black (Level 1), because there was a dance or Halloween was coming up that she just had to have it for? NO Would I apply extensions to a woman's hair that was of medium or fine texture and was of medium to thin thickness? NO Could I have done any of these procedures? Of course. They all rake in a whole lot of $$$ as well. This is the stumbling block most stylists fall into, they worship the almighty dollar instead of the almighty hair strand. Big…………….no, HUGE mistake.

So for all of you that remain on the path to your Colorist, you must learn this for yourself, take the care of your hair into your own hands and stop any procedures from happening that do not protect your hair. Learn the Steps I have taught you through the pages and posts of this Blog. Go back to the beginning, read the entire Blog….It does not take that long and I get more compliments from that one suggestion than any other suggestion.

Join in on our Google Group http://groups.google.com/group/killerstrands ask questions, read the archives…. I hate to repeat myself. I look to the group for questions to write about in these POSTS. I hope to spend the next 2 months on Hair Color and Color questions the group brings to the surface will be the basis of my coming POSTS. You know when I had to wipe all my computers clean the only list that I lost that I truly miss is the one that I have collected since the beginning of the BLOG on “POSTS I HAVE YET TO WRITE”…I had about 40 titles on there and all these clever titles for them as well….I’m just so very sad about losing them. It took 3 years to put together that list. I have learned a lot from this experience, most things I didn’t know anything about, people keep trying to point out the good parts of it…which I appreciate, I truly do.

I'm looking for ideas to write about as "COLOR" is going to be my subject for the next 2 months...I'm going to really concentrate and get back to explaining and teaching hair color to you.

I am in the process of starting a small – intimate - additional group for KillerStrands.com customers exclusively - the advantage of purchasing your hair products here on KS is the advantage of getting assistance from myself and my trained assistants.

• 
  You will need to have an order number to enter/ post and read the group, and your questions will need to pertain to your purchased products....
• If you don't know exactly what color you need, purchase 2 tubes of the brand you want, some In-TENSIVE, Crib Colorist Kit ( gives you all tools you need to begin at a Killer price), a Sulfate-Free Shampoo …when you check out - there is our little "KILLER BOX" at check out - Write in that box:
  "JOINING GROUP - Hold Order 4 Help w/ Color Selection "
• Everyone joining the group, MUST join with the answers to the KILLER 8 which will be discussed in todays POST.
  Which ‘yes’ means I am forcing you to learn.
• I know that may sound mean, but it is truly not that hard, I have taught my little niece it ( she is only 17 and will be attending Vidal Sassoon Academy when she graduates high school!) - - if she can learn it - - - SO CAN YOU !
• I mean learn about your hair, so you never EVER have another hair disaster.
  

Every single day of every single month - - - all year long - - - I get an email from at least 2 and up to 10 people saying the exact same sentence, " I wish I would’ve found this BEFORE my hair got destroyed” … I am guessing my site is pretty high up there on Google’s ratings for Hair color disasters. So I thank Google for that…although I wish there was a way to for them to find me BEFORE the disaster happened. { I’m looking for miracles now, aren’t I ??}

This is what I started this group doing and to be honest my little mishap of November got me so rattled that I want to return back to the basics…..Teaching Hair Color to the Crib Colorists and Hair Health to the 10,000HEADS Regimen devotees.
...we are getting so many new members I want to concentrate on helping the people who decide to take the plunge and give professional products and KillerStrands brands/protocol a "go".
Don't panic anyone, I will still be helping out in here a few days a week - exactly as before.
I was also considering bring the Consultations back.....when I do though they are going to cost a lot more, unfortunately.
I'm so much busier now, but I get so many requests that it truly makes me feel bad.
You can look at it as one hair appointment, to save yourself a life-time of mistakes....if that is worth it to you, then maybe the price will make more sense.
As I have said many times, the answers to many of your questions are already here.....Free - in Posts I have written over the past (almost) 3 years! So if you just do a small amount of research { the Search system Google has on my BLOG works very very well } Nik is very good at learning how to "SEARCH" so is Amber, if you ask either one of them they may help you as well.

Now as I gather material and get back to writing about hair color and hair health….let me give you the KillerQ8. These 8 questions are as abbreviated as possible, to come up with your new hair color formula for your new KS Color. It includes everything possible, short of being able to feel the hair…the one and only missing variable in this system.

I can’t wait to hear some of you being able to figure out other member’s hair color formula’s as we use this system of mine in full force ad over and over again many of you will start to get it…You’ve already amazed me in your answers to many peoples questions. So in any questions from now on regarding you or your color and you wanting to change your color answer your questions with SHORT answers to these KILLERQ8

Just today I had one of our newbies answer the KillerQ8’s first question wrong.

the first question is this:

1. What is your VIRGIN hair color level & tone? Her answer was: Copper-Blond base with blond high-lights.

Now that is someone who is trying to beat the system, please get the answers right, its only 8 questions…. VIRGIN HAIR is hair that has not been touched by anyone. This doesn’t mean when you were 10 years old either, it means when you were full grown, mature and your age today…no has natural blond highlights ( z(except 10 year olds)….or if they do they are less than 1% and in 10,000 heads, I have never seen them. Anyway you get the picture now don’t you?

2.What is your PRESENT Hair Color level & Tone?

3. What is your DESIRED hair color Level & Tone?

4. What is your percentage of Gray? Is it Resistant? ( which means is it stubborn to hold hair color)

5.What is your DURP? Slight….to….Strong

VIP question….DOMINANT UNDERLYING REMAINING PIGMENT analyze what each one of those words mean – one-at-a-time ??? Then you can decipher the question…………What color do you or your Colorist fight, when tinting your hair? Blorange, Blass & Blellow are the common ones for clients trying to go blond.

6. What is your texture?

7. What is the Porosity? Along with the Condition ??, many times the two of them go hand in hand….be clear on both, please

8. What is length and thickness?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So now you have the KillerQ8, the 8 questions we need in order to do a Consultation and or to speak about your hair color concerns in the GROUP….please, everyone figure out the answers to the 8 before bringing your question to the boards and to the GROUPS….Begin by putting the answers to the 8 on your questions.

Not in Group? Google:GOOGLE GROUPS / Killer Strands

Systems are good, but in hair coloring the level System does not capture it all, remember that. That System is good for a base, but a good analysis must also be considered in calculating your new color application….DURP, texture, previous artificial color, porosity, the hair color product you are using.

Join, shop the store . . . study the Color Charts they are the most wonderful tool for learning to color hair.

I look forward to writing more on color for the next 2 months….so get ready to learn.

Killer Chemist