March 20, 2014

Wild Side Hair Color Predictions - Summer 2014

Predictions for some beautiful shades of Crazy Color Pastels.

Killerstrands sends the Directions of how to make pastels to achieve a whole head of color or even if you just want the 'tips' of your hair colored with a pastel, it would be fun for a week or 2 , don't let all these photos from creating your own look.  Please check out the lines of crazy color we carry, and just know when you buy any brand you can request the professional secret as to how to pull off the "PASTEL" look you seen in these photos of hair - summer 2014
                       Rose Raspberry                                              


                                Blu Bob



Shrunken UP Violet 


Roots Alive

 Metallica Blue Wave



 Sky - Hawk

Tangerine Dream













and here is the formula:

12% =  40Volume

Remember, she has VIRGIN hair tho . . . .  


 

 Follow these directions and if you need any help at all join our GROUP
 in which you get to talk to KC about your hair formula or dilemma's or 
whatever your case may be !


Visit Our Store for New, Interesting and always HEALTHY Hair Products, I take the job of reading labels out of your hands, I know ingredients well and I know what they do.


KC
March 18, 2014

Dye By The Seat Of Your Pants

JUST SAY "NO" TO 
BOX HAIR COLOR KITS 
(and why)

Boxed Hair Color Kits should be banned from the shelves of every store


Plain and simply:
they are FALSE Advertising
I believe the manufacturers should get in trouble, for false advertising!

My goal is for you, the consumer, to have the proper tools to complete a good head of hair color on your hair -- yourself.
But . . . .
it is now time for the system to be revamped into separating the Tube from Developer. That's what needs to be done - very simple, the manufacturers know it, but they need to know YOU know it.


ALL BOXED HAIR COLOR SHOULD BE TRASHED

Because they do not work correctly except for on a small percentage of consumers and even on those, the results are dismal. Those of us that are Hair Stylists, have known that forever and we never say anything . . . why? Because its “job security”. Every single month of every single year we have a number of new clients sit in our chairs that call with the same story, “ I colored my hair at home with a kit and it is destroyed” can you please fix it???

How ridiculous is that?........so they paid $9.00 for the boxed color and $200.00 to get it fixed minimum ! How silly is that?

The huge multi-million dollar companies that run the hair industry…are just getting bigger and bigger and the true “care” for your hair is being lost. The big companies just don’t care. You know those DOVE “real Women campaigns where they show “bigger” women and their hair…..well DOVE still uses Sulfates in all their shampoos, the ingredient that has been proven over and over to cause hair loss, thinning, in women and men. Why? Because it costs pennies. Like I said they don’t care about hair….not really. They almost had even me tricked, then I read the bottle of their shampoo.

A big blow came to me this past month when I found out the one shampoo that I have had all my clients using for the past couple years…PUREOLOGY, was sold to L’Oreal. There just is no end in sight of this, its so sad to me. I will never buy PUREOLOGY again


The new recommendations are Milk Shake, LANZA or SUDZZ Shampoos... the staff put 12 of our shampoos through a month long test (incl. me) > I was looking for the shampoo with the best creamy lather which is what you get with the proper ingredients being used, results came back with those 3 being the Top 3.
 

Now as for the Boxed Hair color Kits I am so livid about…
there is just NO way possible that they can put the proper components in one box. Why?
 

Because when coloring hair -- any good colorist has to have at least the KILLER 15 questions answered first, before coming up with the proper formula. Without those questions answered, there is simply no way you can just throw in a box:1 tube of color and 1 specific 

Developer
and claim that it will work on ALL women that purchase it.
So it is a out and out LIE, false advertising and any other form of perjury you can think of.

How about this scenario . . . .



What if a Redhead ...
An African American ...




A Blonde ...


and a Brunette ...
All walk into the store . . . . to buy the hair color of Medium blond in a box....
Which one of those 4 poor unsuspecting consumers is going to have the proper outcome?

Do you think all 4? Hell no, 1............maybe.
 Logically I think most of you can figure that out, that, if they all start with a different hair color...that probably only one of 4 should have a good outcome.
Right?
Yes > Correct.
How in the world.....with one formula in that one little box . . . could all four of them have decent results?
THEY
CANNOT
it is
mathematically/ Scientifically/ chemically Impossible

 So 3 of those people will have hair disasters ..and go seeking help from the closest Salon. 
Well, guess what public (that's you) ?? 
The same people that make BOXED COLOR.........own the companies make professional hair color. So that means they have made you a huge customer of theirs by both ruining your hair, then fixing it ! Now, who feels like you have been suckered?




In that Kit box is:

  •  1 tube of color…………… 
  • 1  bottle of developer………………………
Yet . . . .
In my Color Room alone I have well over 150 Tubes of different Colors to choose from
Developer comes in 6-10 levels (3 Volume, 5 Volume, 6 volume,10 vol, 13Vol., 15 vol.,20 vol. 25 Volume,,30 vol.,40 volume and even 50 Volume)
So if you were to do the math (if I did math well I wouldn’t be doing this). . . How many options does that multiply to be ??


Zillions. most likely
 
The point being... that all those options are necessary in order for the hair color formula to work properly... you or anyone coloring their hair deserves the opportunity to have the proper hair color when the process is complete. Especially if you are selling a product that is supposed to color hair.
When you buy one of those kits, you are opening a box of Color "FAILURE"
You have about a 20% chance to succeed, and I do not find that to be fair to you at all !.

I’ve written about this subject previously, there are a few variables when planning to color your hair that must be taken into account in order to have the proper rich color without any damage. Those variables are NOT taken into account with those damn Hair Color Kits.

When determining the color formula you are going to apply to your hair > a simple fact like: having dry hair that is porous compared to oily hair that is not….can make a huge difference in the formulation. Just knowing that one fact can prevent hair breakage, and make the difference in having shiny hair when the color process is complete compared to having damaged – dull hair.

Do they ask you those questions when you buy a box of color?
Or print that anywhere to be found?
NO NO NO.
I understand now that people need to be able to color their hair at home, for many many reasons. Convenience I have found is even a big one. I never quite understood the concept before when I was in the Salon,
now I get it.


Would many of you consider baking a cake without a recipe?
Or making cookies without any knowledge of how to measure ....or knowing the difference between a Tablespoon and a teaspoon.
Same thing with Coloring your hair. 


Once you have the basics down, which you can learn by reading this, the Killerstrands Blog, hop over to the Killerstrands Store,  I will show here with links the items I feel you need to begin to learn how to color your own hair professionally:
First of all:
  • Join our Group, for a nominal fee monthly, you will get direct help from KC, as well as access to all the people who have come BEFORE you, a wealth of knowledge.
  • Purchase the Tools kit
  • GLEAM : KS Dry Hair Oil, apply prior to coloring, nightly treatment, truly conditions hair
  • Color Wheel
  • hair color (from KC in group)
  • Peroxide Wheel
  • INTENSIVE made by Killerstrands ( pH balancer & porosity equalizer, locks in color after rinsing out. 
 Now, remember I have different directions and instructions than you have ever seen regarding hair color and the processing of it. So open your mind and get ready to begin the path to becoming a Crib Colorist. This is how the celeb's have such beautiful hair....and its just not that hard for you to achieve it as well! ! ! 

You will have to do some reading and you may not quite understand a few of the theories but I am trying like Hell to turn Crib Coloring into a HOBBY on its own, like cooking has become. I feel like so many of you.... male and female, would love that to come true..

So send your friends to Killerstrands, let people know your secret, because the larger we grow the more products we will be able to come up with. 

The Group is kind of a slower procedure, if you want a fast Consultation we have that as well.

Thank you so much and remember The big hair companies are getting your  money twice!
March 7, 2014

How Do I Correct My Mess... or ...Color Correcting & Hair

Why, When, How, Who About Color Correction

Every Hair Color procedure you do is unique and along that same line can create unique problems. Most Hair Stylists and most of you want to believe that there is a ROCK-SOLID guide to the formulation for every hair color application.......well, there just > is not, nor will there ever be.
 If I took 5 separate women - with virgin hair (never colored or chemically straightened) Level 7 (light brown), with the exact same: shoulder length - straight hair and used them as hair models. We mixed your and my favorite > high-lift: Schwartzkopf 12.19 +Framesi booster PLUS 40Volume violet developer . . applied it to all 5 of them (in the exact same manner) --  processed them in a warm room for 75 minutes.......all 5 would turn out different !!
Why?

These factors are completely different on all 5 of the girls, even though you cannot see them.
  1. DURP - Dominant Underlying Remaining pigment
  2. condition of hair
  3. (PET) Porosity of the hair
  4. (PET) Elasticity of the hair
  5. (PET) Texture  of hair
  6. Natural Base ( within every Level of hair color is variations)
  7. Existing tint
All of the 5 factors effect and contribute to the end result. All 5 of those factors will make each one of those 5 girls end up with a different tone of blond, 1 will most likely be brassy (so more would need to be done to hair) - while 1 will be absolutely striking and the most beautiful blond you've ever seen - the other 3 will be varying shades in the middle.  As far as most of you are concerned: you really only need to figure out your own contributing factors and deal with those.

You hair stylists out there . . .its just a matter of experience and the amount of heads you color.  That is what makes a "GREAT" Hair Stylist... one that has learned how each & every one of his/her individual clients hair reacts to hair color. So when they come in to go to lighter in the Spring you can address that without trouble and then go darker in the fall - all care free. 

colorist9For you Crib Colorists, all you have to learn is how your own hair reacts to hair color...which really shouldn't take that long. Remember, if you are making a purchase you may ask me questions if you get in a pinch.



Corrective Hair coloring is a subject that can be terrifying to many hair stylists. Many hair stylists don't and won't tackle it. I have found in small towns, there may not be even 1 and that is one of the reasons I started Killerstrands, to help you. Even here in southern California we are full of a billion little towns. Within every town there are usually 40-50 Salons, with 1 or 2 emerging as the "it" Salon, within one of those 2 Salons there should be 2-3 Hair Stylists that can really "cut" hair. . and then another 1 or 2 holding the "Best Colorist" Title. Ask around........there should be one if your scared to try it your self, but you really wouldn't believe how simple is. I have it broken down in steps now I have been doing it so long.

 I, fortunately or not ?!?! was the color correction specialist for Malibu for 13 years. Being an expert at color correction can be both a blessing and a curse. Yes, you receive  top dollar for it, but it also can take days - - depending on the damage or amount of boxed hair color used. I suppose its why I am so opinionated about the pitfalls of boxed hair color - - I spent all those years - - helping people out of the messes they created due to the fact that the company's that make those Boxed Color make it seem like you will have beautiful - perfect color. Something that is so far from the truth. 

That was tough, they came in looking for empathy and that was a very hard emotion for me to muster up. Back then I rarely watched TV, I didn't really know how bad and misleading the advertising is, I guess that's why people buy it. Now I know and I am more sympathetic.


I had so many friends that were just so happy to give their hair color correction cases to me, even people I didn't know would send me their clients all the time.... I'm sure it's still that way in all the cities and towns around you. Color correction is a very difficult subject.... there are no hard and fast rules, there is no "Book of Hair Color Correction Rules" . . .you have to use your experience to conquer it . We try to uncover what has been covered up on your hair. It takes a seasoned, experienced and patient Hair Colorist to tackle this subject successfully.

The reason the color correction is so expensive?
  • usually need multiple steps to "fix" the color
  • conditioners are essential along the way
  • Fillers are most often required
  • expertise as a colorist is challenged and valued
As with regular color formulations, you must consider the 3 contributions for the end result:
  1. Hair
               a. Base
               b. Goal
    2.   Color
    3.   H2 O2

If hair is damaged or even questionable, you should proceed slowly. Don't take chances. Using deep conditioners (Thriven) along the way. What the hair is missing after old color is removed? LIPIDS.....the only way to restore lipids is to apply oils from nature, such as Gleam....lipids are what give hair shine !

COLORING  OVERPOROUS  HAIR
Uneven porosity can cause an uneven result, because over-porous hair accepts artificial pigment differently. There are different ways to compensate for over-porosity:
  • Lipid-Replacement: I have discovered on my own how darn important replacing those lipids from 18 yrs experience. Gleam has NO silicone's, it is very hard to find another oil like that, I have not found one in all these years, your hair DOES NOT WANT silicone's - which is what all the other products have in them. Read the labels !.
  • INTENSIVE : I have created a unique product called INTENSIVE (because that's what it is) it IS Intensive ! It has ingredients that will work with your hair and even out the porosity, many use it as a daily conditioner but it truly was made for Color Correction. No one makes one and I don't have any idea -- why?
  • the formula: intensify the formula, make warmer, & use a lower volume developer. 10 Volume is usually ideal. Semi-Permanent color or Demi-Permanent  & no ammonia color are great choices.  Because they deposit & don't lift). When lightening - don't use ash.
  • how you apply : hair can be dampened with water a little, or with INTENSIVE - to help equalize it
  • processing time adjusted: shorten the time, over-porous hair processes very fast
    Over-porous hair tends to reject warmth and accept ash. The more over porous it is, the more it selects out warmth and grabs ash, which is called "abused rejected".
I can not say this enough: " STRAND TEST  -  STRAND TEST  -  STRAND TEST ! "

COLOR  FILLERS

Color Filler :  a hair-coloring product or formula used to pre-pigment previously lightened or over-porous hair, replacing missing underlying pigment (DURP), compensating for over-porosity and preparing the hair for even acceptance of whatever hair coloring follows. Color Fillers are always warm.

Does that make sense to most of you? I get asked about Fillers all the time, they make so much sense to me . . . but when I look at people's puzzled faces when trying to teach them to other Stylists - even . . .I am fairly certain that most of you probably do not understand what they are. Am I right?
How do you know what color to fill with? They are slightly lighter than the underlying pigment of the color you want to achieve, depending on the tonal result desired, porosity and the product used.  So there is no "one color" to use when filling the hair.
Conditioner Fillers - I use these to help recondition damaged overly porous hair. . . this way the conditioner/lipids ( from the oils) can be replaced while the color is working and has the cuticle OPEN, remember there is no other time this happens.

 Apply Gleam + Thriven + the filler . . . is just the prefect way to even the porosity - fill the hair & repair the lost lipids all at the same time.

Color Fillers - in today's world . . .Semi & Demi-permanent colors are used for filling. The Wella Color Touch Line is used by many Colorists, for the longest time they were the only company that had a Demi line. Colorist today. Its the most wonderful line, of Demi permanent colors, it contains the perfect amount of deposit, smells nice, imparts more shine than almost any line of hair color I have experienced . . . its a line of hair color. Which you can get in our store.
There are just a million and one reasons to use the Color Filler. Using color Fillers has several advantages:
  • deposits color to faded ends and hair shaft
  • helps hair to hold hair color
  • prevents streaking & dull appearance
  • prevents off color results
  • produces more uniform, natural looking color in a tint
  • produces uniform color when doing a tint-back
Fillers are most often used for blondes returning to their original brunette base.
Picture a Level 11-12 . . .  something like this:

level 11 - KKKKK

who is tired of her look and she wants so go back to her original color  - a level 5 B, one of my favorite colors . . .

level 5 -eee

This is a perfect example of the most common reason for filling hair. See the Level 10 . . . in order to get it to the Level 5 . . . what is missing?
Warmth.  It is a completely blank canvas, all the color is gone, it has been removed . . . because in this case if you had warmth it would be deemed 'brassy'.

 So, in order to get it to this Level 5 - Light Brown - the goal. . .one must fill-IN (where the "filler" name came from) the missing warmth. In hair color, warmth means: reds, golds, oranges, yellows.  Therefore (depending on all the factors we talked about above) Kenra actually has 3 colors that are made to "fill hair" ...finally someone GETS IT ! ! !

First:  Apply Gleam/Thriven to all the hair strands - then apply the filler formula for 20 minutes,. , , which is half the timing of normal hair coloring. Rinse: and be ready for a shocker - - - the hair will be a lovely shade of shocking orange.




But you cannot say it does, not have a warmth!  After the filler Apply INTENSIVE for 10 minutes and then the desired color  .
There you have it - - -  fillers du jour . . .

Here are a couple articles with their opinions about reasons you may need Color Correction:

COLOR CORRECTION9999L
    COLOR CORRECTION 777777 
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