New Moon, New Vampires, New Hair…Have You Noticed How Wonderful Vampires Hair is?

Blood Is The Ultimate Fertilizer For Hair Strands

Vampires seem to be ‘all the rage’ . . . and as much as I love the Vampires Diaries and True Blood…I find all of them have one common denominator . . . Deadly Gorgeous Thick Luscious Hair ;-)  I just had to turn one more time to the 14 STEPS of 10,000HEADS…
Step #1 is YOGA. Why is Yoga so damn important for healthy thick hair? its a one word answer. . . INVERSIONS 

Downward Dog, Headstands, Handstands, and the list goes on. In simple language: Being Upside DOWN. Turning Gravity into your friend, by inverting your body and letting that red-oxygen rich blood to travel to parts of the body it has never been. To the root of the hair . . . where the growth of every new hair strand begins. Vampires spend a lot of time upside-down – and so should YOU!
Being upside down is important . . .and why?
Blood is the very best fertilizer in town for hair – oxygen rich – Vitamin packed BLOOD. Its such a simple and logical answer. 8 years ago when I started YOGA classes I never thought ‘that’ bonus would come from it. Its part of the reason Madonna, Aniston, Cox, SJP Parker,and 3/4 of Hollywood practices YOGA.
The supreme benefits the hair receives. I was already taking the SS  Secret Supplement daily,so I had the most tremendous boost in not only the thickness of my hair, but the length it grows to…I didn’t think I could get any happier or pleased with my little system of improving hair thickness, length and growth rate.
For someone of my age to have hair to the elbows is just nutty. Especially when I have never had hair this long in my life…I still laugh every time I brush it and can brush it in the front of my body without having to lift my arms - - - it tickles my forearms, I have never in my life had that sensation. What added another 3 inches  and even more thickness? Yoga. Plain and simple. Yoga, doing DOWNWARD dog and being inverted is an absolute GOLD MINE  . . .  and I had no idea when I started my 3 year trek into the world and life of a YOGI, that would be the result. What a supremely pleasant gift.
There was not a time in my life I was stronger - -  and my hair was never better. Its funny to me that none of the magazines (Gossip or otherwise) have ever reported this fact. It is widely known here in southern Cal. Get that body of yours upside down so your blood fertilizes the hair roots...10 minutes a day works absolute miracles.
Everyone has Oxygen Fertilizer for the Hair Strand....built right in their body. Problem is GRAVITY works against putting it where it needs to be to do the most good. Its in our legs - our feet - the lower half of our body.
What we must do is INVERT our body so the blood goes to our head, stay upside long enough so the blood goes to the scalp and literally fertilizes the hair bulb, where the hair's cycle begins and ends. If you nourish it, give it the blood/oxygen and vitamins it needs that 3 stage cycle the hair goes through is longer, stronger and naturally it just works more efficiently. That cycle is where the ultimate 'length' of your hair is determined...and it CAN be changed if you start on and stay on 10,000HEADS and the 14 steps we offer you. This one is overlooked and I'm telling you I have seen this step be the trigger on many clients.friends & family even. For many,this was the step…that pushed their hair over into the FANTASTIC stage.... 



How many of you know what DOWNWARD DOG IS?
If you don't you must find out. . . get yourself to a YOGA CLASS, purchase a DVD, even buy the Wii game that is a YOGA INSPIRED CLASS...it is worth every penny. Especially if you cannot afford Yoga classes, you live where they don’t have them, or your ‘time’ is limited. There is always answer to practicing YOGA.
Your hair will love you. It may sound silly to you, but I had a professional surfer that 10,000HEADS worked absolute miracles on...he became a very dedicated YOGI, going 5X times/week, but when he became injured he was super worried that his hair loss ( that we had reversed) would return. So he came up with a Plan “B” even!
He hung his head off the side of the sofa while he laid there....in his bizarre attempt to get his blood fertilizer in action...
For hair's health and hairs growth cycle having the bulb at the stem of the hair strand nourished fully with oxygen rich blood is the single best boost I recommend to my clients.
The month prior to awards shows - people begin the 10,000HEADS NITRO Course. Which includes getting your hair jettisoned into the best health we can possibly pull off for it...
Minimum of 10 and up to 20 minutes upside down every single day for 5 days per week.
Downward Dog is the pose that is most used…Its simple, it does the trick and it is the best stress reliever as well. A lot of the 10,000 heads Regimen deals also with getting rid of your stress.
I happen to feel stress can cause illness…I realize that is a bold statement, but more times than I want to count,people I have known in my life have become ill following heavy periods of stress. You cannot just think about it. . .  you must motivate yourself to get to those classes…get your self upside down. Watch things change . .  your life, your hair. . .  as silly as you may think it sounds  - - you will change your tune when things begin flourishing.
Namaste.
Killer Chemist

thanks to Getty Images for photos

Create this Colorists Cashmere Brown Hair Color . . . . .

or. . . . Hues Your Daddy?!

  This is a subject I have wanted to write about much in this past year, as I have watched/packed many Crib Colorist orders. With pretty much all hair color orders I can tell what you all are doing at home by the colors/toners you purchase. When I learned hair color and how to formulate, the first month I thought it was all Greek…and never thought I would ever be able to decipher the entire concept…so if you are one that is still a bit in the fog…remember that… With ‘time’ and ‘practice’ it WILL sink in, you just have to have faith and keep reading, repetition causes comprehension – I promise.  
Almost every single one of you order one tube of color to apply, and while that is more than fine. I have always known at some point I wanted to teach all you CRIB COLORISTs the basics of color formulation in the manner that Top Colorists use. Its an “art”, it truly is.. . I honestly have been rather stumped as to exactly “HOW” to teach it – its like teaching someone to “paint'” only much harder in my opinion. You can teach someone how to use the paint, how to mix colors, but the artistic ability is something that comes from “WITHIN”. Its a talent. A God given talent. Its nothing one can teach another I feel. I have one daughter who has been able to paint gorgeous pictures from a very young age . . . automatically. . .  her sister has none of that talent - -  absolutely none.  So that is when I learned what God given ‘talent’ is. 
Lets review a little. In order to come up with the most accurate end result  . . . I really hope all of you will remember to always consider the KillerQ8, when beginning to work out your color formula:

1. What level/tone is VIRGIN hair?
2. What level/tone is Hair PRESENTLY? What artificial color is on the hair? is the most defining question there is…
3. What Level/tone is DESIRED Hair?
4. Amount of Gray?
5. Hair’s Length?
6. Porosity?
7. Texture? (fine, medium, or coarse? + condition?)
8. What is DURP? Dominant Underlying Remaining Pigment ??

If your hair is fine, medium or coarse is an important part of the information each of you must determine. Texture refers to the general ‘feel’ of the hair which is a function of both DIAMETER and CONDITION. Sometimes the word Texture in relation to your hair goes even further to encompass “configuration” meaning Straight, Wavy or Curly as well.                                                 
For coloring Diameter matters the most. COARSE hair has a thick cortex, Color chemicals must penetrate more mass and lift more natural pigment, so it takes longer to penetrate and lighten COARSE hair. More processing time, a stronger developer and a more ash formula (to eliminate greater DURP)may be necessary when coloring very coarse hair. Coarse hair has more cortex & less cuticle. It has less surface area to its total weight so it takes LONGER for chemicals to absorb into it. COARSE hair is more stubborn and I always add a minimum of 10 minutes on development times {checking at all times though}, for coarse-y’s. 
Fine hair has a thinner cortex, and more surface area…therefore fine hair is penetrated more quickly . . . Less cortex means less melanin, so fine hair is also lightened more easily. Coloring is faster, although it also fades faster ( because it accepts less artificial pigment to begin with) – there is less room for the dye molecules in the thinner hair shaft.
Ethnicity affects texture to a certain extent, Caucasian hair tends to be finer. African-American, Asian, & Native American hair tend to be coarser. But to be perfectly honest the range of fine-to-coarse texture exists in every racial group – each and everyone one of you need to completely evaluate your own hair. Most of you have medium texture, not fine and not coarse. Most people perceive their hair to be finer or coarser than is really the case.
REMEMBER : a fine hairline should be the last area to be colored….many times it only needs color on it for 5-10 minutes at the end
After answering the KillerQ8 the First Follow-up question would be are you SUBTRACTING color or ADDING Color? or both?
If you are doing addition(+) only, the color formula is many times pretty simple provided it is going no more than 2-3 levels darker – more than 2-3 levels means you may have to apply a “FILLER” (re-pigmentize ) to achieve the exact ‘rich’ color you desire.
lets review the Developers again real quick…..
10 Vol<>Deposits hair color - does NOT “lift”
20 Vol<>Deposits hair color & Lifts 1/2 to 1 Level 
30 Vol<>Deposits Hair color & Lifts 2-3 Levels  
40 Vol<>Deposits Hair Color & Lifts 3-4 Levels 
What developer you use is very very important…..ALWAYS keep this in mind when attempting to solve your hair color formula. Most times I recommend using premium developer as it contains many lipids and conditioning ingredients that will condition & moisturize the hair while being tinted. The one exception? Our Renbow Color, within the Colorissimo line the conditioners other lines put in the developers Renbow puts in the tube of color. It is BEESWAX based and is a very super thick consistency - - therefore the developer is the clear type.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  -

Lets work 1 example:
lets say you are:
Level 7A (ash) +  you would like to be a Level 5 B {going darker ! ! } – which in normal everyday ‘terms’ means:     you have a light ash-brown color-less hair and you would like to be a gorgeous rich chocolate brown.
Provided you have completely virgin hair ( the absolute best to work on - has the most successful results ) this is a fairly easy task. In this post we are not talking about “how” to apply, just “what formula” to apply – how to mix multiple colors to achieve dynamite results.
I would use Level 6 colors in Wella’s - Koleston Perfect line ( the line runs a solid full Level DARKER than any other line in existence) as a result of being developed in Germany years ago.
In painting the paint you squeeze out of the tube is the color it “IS”   . . .When you squeeze Caramel Brown out of a tube of acrylic paint….the appearance of it is a caramel-y brown. When using permanent Hair Color you squeeze Caramel Brown out of tube of Hair color, it is NOT caramel brown in color - AT ALL – it can be pink, blue, violet, gold, etc... The color change doesn’t take place until the developer is added and some time has gone by.  It is the chemical reaction of the tube of color with the hydrogen peroxide that changes the molecules to become an oxidative hair color and thus, the Caramel Brown, Baby blond or whatever color you are using to achieve the desired results. 
So as opposed to mixing colors as one would do with paints, with hair color you are mixing “blind” – which is why learning COLOR THEORY is so very important. You want to pick your colors according to all the Color Theory rules I have been throwing at you…  
I don’t think I have ever used 1 tube of color to color anyone’s hair. If I have it more than a decade ago. Why? I feel these companies give me “base” colors to use in order to create gorgeous colors. What I look at when I see a head of hair is the colors that it hangs on to most and then try to fight them. Hair Coloring is not using the color you want…..its fighting the DURP (dominant underlying remaining pigment) you have. If you fight the unwanted colors, the result will be your desired look. I think so many of you are so used to hair color disasters that you are scared of hair color… I hope to dispel those feelings, over time and with many of your testimonials. The way professional hair color works is to “counter” the problem colors in your hair.              
The formula I would come up with for this client would be this:
Wella Formula
6/0 N   + 5/75 BRV  + 6/7 B  + 20Volume
1/4 oz.        1/4oz.          1oz.
Renbow Formula
5/0N +  6NBG + RenColor 06/Velvet Brown

…..Now, the reason for each color……..As a Colorist I see most people’s hair as Colorless, until it has permanent hair color in it. Natural, God given hair color is very ‘flat’ to my eye as it is with all Colorists …it doesn’t have the depth , the shine, the body any of the marvelous qualities that a great pro color will give the hair. Therefore, if you have colorless Level 7 Ash hair first it needs to be filled in with a base color. . . .which is why we use a “neutral”. Any hair color that is faded or colorless needs a “neutral” to establish a base. Now to build on top of that for richness using a Level 5 - Brown/Red/Violet – colorless hair needs warmth – this shade has so little even using it straight it is extremely little. Making it 1/4 of the formula is just enough to give the hair the warmth it lacks – reds/oranges/golds all produce warmth and result in the richness this color needs - - yet you will see absolutely NO RED.
(As I am explaining this, I can see that this multiple color mixing is being brave and having experience with color.  I guess I will just have to keep giving various examples and eventually you all will start  experimenting, hopefully!)
Now, next is the 6/7B which is a straight BROWN color which completes the picture  - -  as a straight Brown and as much as WELLA might want us to believe that we can use this to achieve the color we are going towards – it simply will not do the same as my mixture of 3….Every Colorist I know – every article I have read written by Colorists mix multiple colors in the same exact manner as I demonstrated here.

When using multiple colors the color molecules all mix together when going inside the hair strand, which results in the combo you have used.
Remember all permanent hair colors today have a SELF-STOPPING coloring action, so you will get no build-up on the ends. None of that annoying “banding” I see and cannot stand happens when using the colors sold in the Killerstrands Store http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/ . Once the color has reached the color you have chosen and the color IT IS; it will NOT go any further. It will never go darker than the shade you have chosen. This also makes it possible to apply from roots to ends ( in many cases) when you require it, with no overlapping and no build-up of color on the ends.
I hope this gives you a little insight into the “mixing of hair colors” I will start giving out more of my favorite color formula’s periodically.  I hope everyone’s Holiday Season is going well.
WE have some new products in the store and the group has been extremely active. Oh btw . . .  I have announced the first $500 Challenge in the Group…if  you are interested to learn how you can win $500. in Killerstrands products . . .zip on over to the group and read up. . . the more that join the more fun it should be .

Box Hair Color Disaster = Recovery Plan

A Tricky Maneuver in Repairing a Boxed Hair Color disaster............ 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.

I 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 or they maybe found the Killerstrands Blog and began reading like so many of you have.  

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 





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

 Koleston Perfect…… 5/0N
+ Koleston Perfect     6/71
………………..…. + 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

d

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 Group 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

Black Hair / Black Friday / Black Brush

Great Solution to FIA ( Flat Iron Addiction)

The holidays got in the way of 2 stories I have been wanting to share with you. It rarely happens that I will be excited about a new product for hair, but it happened twice in one week. I ended up trying both of those products on myself and loved both even more - - - even more rare.
In my never-ending quest to abolish use of the Flat Iron, I bought a new fangled brush thing-a-ma-gig from one of my Hair Reps. The photo of it looked like a killer concept, but I never expected it to work as well as it did. From the example of clients of all hair types whose rear-ends were in my chair, I have learned slowly but surely that the flat Iron is just not a great hair tool and it truthfully creates more problems than it fixes over time. I have nothing against any product that will make your hair look better (which is what I said when hair extensions first appeared for the public), but that product …no matter what it is…{I feel} …must not destroy the hair in the process. What I have noticed with the gradual over-use of flat irons is that while it does smooth the cuticle at the beginning of a clients ownership over time the continued use and over-use of these irons takes the hair into the “burned or frazzled” stage which causes even more frizz and is very difficult to recover from without cutting it off. I ask if they have been using a silicone serum and while silicone is the one and only product that truly protects hair from heat – it is by no means a total solution to the heat of two flat plates at 250 degrees smashed together on the hair strands….I hope I have not misled you on that one, to me its common sense.
When people would come to me for the 10,000 Heads Regimen, which usually meant they had trashed their hair beyond recognition – and I put them on a strict “diet” of all the things that got them there – many times just taking away the Flat Iron, would solve 50% of their problems. That’s a LOT, especially when you consider that there are 14 Steps ( and over the years there has always been over 10) It finally got me thinking…what would happen if just the Flat Iron was subtracted from peoples regimen ? ? You see, I realize the Flat Iron is a fairly new tool to many of you . . . but I had one when I was in Hair Academy and that was 16 years ago…so my clients have ALWAYS had flat irons …I wasn’t doing hair when they didn’t exist.
My assistants would take names/photos of volunteers for a 90 day Flat Iron Challenge from my clients about 1/2 way thru. They would receive one free hair color if they participated, with a lot of college kids from Pepperdine…. I had many volunteers. Well, the results were mind boggling – none of us could believe the difference. What we figured out was, that the temperatures of the irons kept going up & up each year as the companies that made them would listen to customers requests. Of course, the customers loved the concept and loved the Irons ( At the time so did I) – but thought if they worked so well, why not make them go hotter and hotter. For the first 10 years all Flat Irons were black and were only 1 temperature – super Hot. In the last 6-7 they have gotten all tricky…leopard, zebra - print, multiple temps., ceramic plates, tourmaline, ionic - - BIONIC…I mean its gone ape-shit-crazy!

Around Halloween I spotted this funny looking brush… bought one – & its been sitting around here for month. Finally this past week my one client is having a helluva time with the condition of her hair lately… showed up and with the crown of her hair just trashed. She is a long time client – we’ve had her hair in terrific shape and in poor shape, just depends on her styling regimen, her Thriven, Gleam, Secret Supplement use ( she is off of that now – which is a big mistake) but after the color and cut is complete is the time when I finally can tell exactly where her hair stood, she was right…it was bad. Really bad, she was in the middle of “the change” and was complaining of her hair feeling like “old lady” hair. I agreed her hair had never felt like it did that day, and she had quit using the Flat Iron a long time ago. Unfortunately its just her age and it seems to happen to everyone once they reach their 50’s, just want you all to be prepared.

Well check out this little gem. Its a brilliant hair tool and the results were nothing short of spectacular and that is because of how brilliant the inventor of this is – its so simple but to me it completely solves many of the problems of the Flat Iron. The bristles are short and are very stiff so the tension on the hair can be pulled… it holds the hair very tightly so you are able to stretch the hair tightly while drying. Stretching is the perfect answer to drying kinky, curly or wavy hair.
There are vents to let the air from the blow dryer THROUGH the hair strands , so the heat has a place to escape from…
Denman Thermoceramic Straightening Brush provides a fast and simple way to straighten all types of medium to long hair during blow-drying.
Features and Benefits:

• Thermo-ceramic plates with vented design allow warm air to circulate more freely for fast blow-drying performance
• Adds condition and shine for a silky, lustrous finish
• Smoothes the cuticle, minimizing breakage and split ends
• Velvet-touch handle for added comfort during use
• Made with interlocking rows of pure natural boar bristle

Directions:
Wash hair with sulfate-free shampoo, towel dry. Use Ecoly detangler comb to gently smooth out any tangles. Set hairdryer to MEDIUM heat and start to blow-dry until hair is half-dry. Start from the nape of the neck and separate hair into sections. Clamp hair between bristles and gripping firmly, pull the bristles down the length of the hair section while directing warm air from the hairdryer. Repeat this process until all the hair sections have been straightened. Apply gloss serum or mist with shining spray for extra shine.
One of the most interesting results one gets from this brush is from twisting and turning it as well… the volume it creates, both at the root as well as through the lengths. I mean this little, very well priced brush, made this woman's hair look like it was 20 year old hair, I was just so impressed. The reason? the way it made it easy to ‘stretch’ it changed the coarseness of her hair as it will yours.
Its just the smartest, cutest and well priced little styling tool I have come across in a very long time. You must try one – click right on over to the Killer Strands Store http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/ and check it out, you may request a sample of the FLUFF with your order as well ( a small batch has been made)
Killer Chemist