An Honest Comment From a Loyal 7-Year Customer (& Crib Colorist)

. . . . a poignant email I received today that I feel many of you will learn from....




-----Original Message-----
From: RXXXXX LXX <xxxxxway.com>
To: KillerTrinity3 <KillerTrinity3@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Oct 31, 2013 8:40 am
Subject: Re: Schwarzkopf Igora Royal

Hi. 

I just tried using Schwarzkopf Igora Royal for the first time, and want to pass along my experience and comments. This is the first color I've found that I love for toning pre-lightened hair since Renbow went out of production. I like to tone with a  blend of level 9 ash and neutral permanent color mixed with 10-volume developer. I used to use Renbow Colorissimo 9A and 9N and loved both the depth and tone. Since I've tried equivalents from Lakme Collage, Kaaral Baco, and Wella Koleston Perfect and just haven't been as happy. The toning qualities of these three didn't produce a dark enough depth, and usually required a second application to get the right results. Compared to Renbow Colorissimo, these three produced lighter results, as if they were really level 10 colors. 

Don't know if this makes sense (maybe it's because they were mixed 1 oz color to 1.5 oz developer, versus Renbow and Schwarkopf's 1 to 1 ratio?)

Whatever the case, I'm thrilled with the results of Schwarzkopf Igora Royal. I've attached a photo of the results (color may be a bit off due to color correction setting of computer). FYI, my formula: pre-treat hair with Gleam, then Kaaral Cream Bleach with 40 volume developer, then tone with mix of 3/4 oz Igora Royal 9.1 and 1/4 oz 9.0.

 I'm about a natural level 5, very ash (me and my friends call the tone "pencil lead"), with 30-40% gray on top-front. Since I have my hair cut short every 4-6 weeks, I apply the bleach all over every time, not just to roots. I do see where the front takes the toner more since it is more porous from previous lightening. I the past I have heavily conditioned this section before toning, and that does seem to help equalize the toning from front to top (didn't do that this time). Anyway, wanted to pass along my experience and thank you again for being a pioneer in home hair color education and product availability in the digital age. 

Best wishes.

Rxxx

That is exactly the experience I have and your color looks phenomenal, very good for a Crib Colorist...actually very good for a professional Colorist (truly)
You have been with me a very very long time and I appreciate your loyalty.
You really have learned a lot , just in the way you speak about it shows what a great student you are. Again so many 

many thanks....

I am going to use your email as a Post on the BLOG I get dozens of emails daily, but certain ones, really speak to me in the way I want to come across to the public..

So many thanks for taking the time out to write that.

It is deeply - deeply appreciated, as is your 7 year loyalty!

KC  

Check out his color:

excellent 

Gray Hair . . . No More? ? ?

I will tell you one very interesting piece of news I have found out from my Cosmetic


Chemistry magazines....
A Pill has finally been approved for eliminating gray hair. BUT it has a HUGE exception.....you must take it for 10 years before it works and it will not get rid of current gray hair is one piece of news I heard then I read this in Forbes: and for those of you that are petrified of putting hydrogen peroxide (or developer on your hair) ...you will notice that hydrogen peroxide is produced by the body ITSELF so it is a 100 % natural ingredient made by the body itself, you can't get anymore organic than that !

In the past three years, the concept of popping a pill to prevent gray hair has been fast-tracked from fantasyland to almost-reality. First came the groundbreaking British study published by FASEB (the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) in 2009 exposing the mechanism that governs loss of hair pigment.

Researchers in the UK demonstrated how over time, accumulated oxidative stress leads to the overproduction of hydrogen peroxide in the hair follicles. In other words, the hair begins to bleach itself from the inside out. The buildup of hydrogen peroxide begins to block the production of melanin, the pigment that gives hair its blonde, red or brown color.

Underlying this process is a series of complex chemical mechanisms involving the effects of oxidative stress and follicle damage on key enzymes. One is catalase, which is supposed to break up the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen so the body can eliminate it. But catalase levels drop as we age, allowing hydrogen peroxide to accumulate unchecked.

Would Emmylou Harris have taken a pill to prevent gray hair? Would you? 

Two other enzymes, known as MSR A and B, are supposed to stimulate hair follicles to repair the damage, but levels of MSR A and B drop with age as well. Without enough MSR A and B, the body can’t produce enough of another enzyme, tyrosinase, which is directly involved in melanin production.

 A New Consumer Market: Gray Hair Prevention
All of these enzymes give drugmakers new targets for medications and supplements aimed at boosting levels of catalase, MSR A and B, and tyrosinase. Cue the rush to market.
One such drug has already been announced by L'Oreal, which promises a 2015 market launch. A fruit extract about which little else is known, L’Oreal’s product acts on the production of tyrosine-related protein TRP-2. Of course, there’s no need to point out that a no-gray-hair pill could make L’Oreal a great deal of money. L’Oreal researcher Bruno Bernard was quoted by the Christian Science Monitor as saying the company already has a “watertight proof of concept” and will be in full production by 2015.
Smaller companies and supplement manufacturers aren’t waiting in the wings, though. They’re mounting online sales campaigns and putting new products on health food store shelves everyday.

The best known of these, having mounted an impressive viral marketing campaign, is Go Away Gray, manufactured by Rise-N-Shine LLC. Go Away Grey, which has been covered in a plethora of women’s magazines and newspapers, contains 5000 IU of catalase and a cocktail of L-tyrosine and tyrosine-boosting plant extracts, with the promise that boosting catalase and tyrosinase levels will prevent graying. I don't suggest falling for these.

More catalase-based supplements are arriving everyday. Other contenders include Anti-Gray Hair 7050, No More Gray with Catalase, and Anti Grey Pure by Absonutrix.
Do they work? Hard to say. The road is littered with discarded vitamins and minerals that made perfect sense but proved to be digested and excreted without effect. Some experts have suggested that it may be more effective to supplement the minerals such as zinc and selenium that the body uses to produce catalase, MSR A and B, and tyrosinase, rather than take them directly. Spinach, avocados, and liver are rich in catalase, so you could always try adding these to your diet for a more natural approach.
Next Step: RISK Warnings from Docs 
Of course, we’re talking about important enzymatic reactions here, and doctors immediately reacted to the L’Oreal announcement by cautioning that there may be significant areas to meddling with basic biology in this way. Without a product available from L’Oreal to test, however, it’s hard to argue for or against health concerns. One would hope that the anti-gray supplements already on the market have been proven safe. But there’s no way of knowing that, either. Supplements are not subject to the same regulatory scrutiny by the FDA that new drugs must undergo.

Don’t Throw Away Your Hair Dye Yet
Unfortunately, if you’re already gray or quickly getting there, the new pills won’t help you much. They have the potential to stop the graying process, but so far no one’s suggested any ability to reverse it. In fact, L’Oreal’s Bruno Bernard specifically warned that people will likely need to begin taking L’Oreal’s new supplement well before (as much as ten years before!) they would expect to begin turning gray to see the full effects.

I would say the 3 hair colors that work the best for the "Exceptions" are

IGORA ROYAL by Schwarzkopf as long as you are using a "double Zero" in the Level of your goal 
Essensity by Schwarzkopf and the most remarkeable color of our Library coming soon.... the Organic Line of Color entry by Schwarzkopf has turned out to be a real winner.

Remember any help you may need in coming up with your hair color formula
     if you are in the unique category . . . .
            or just having a hard time. . . . . . . .
                    please join our brand new intimate Group, in which you pay a . . . . . .
                         nominal fee to get help and watch others get help in figuring. . . . . .
                               out  their NEW COLOR + can ask for help with yours - 
                                     there is no pressure please sign up and join here:  . . . . . . . . . .

                 Join Our New Group 1 Month At A Time

Government Down....Hair Color UP ! !

It was brought to my attention that the color swatch charts for all our hair color lines were not working correctly for many of you...We are in the process of putting up all Color Swatch charts for: 

• Wella ILLUMINA ....................................................Done   X
• Wella Color Touch...................................................Done   X
• Schwartzkopf IGORA ROYAL.................................
• Wella Koleston Perfect............................................
• Schwartzkopf Organic ESSENSITY Color ............. Done X
• LANZA....................................................................

 and any toners, etc....that are new....


The rest will be up as quickly as possible and we are sooooooooooo sorry....... I would encourage everyone to check out the new Essensity line from Schwartzkopf it is soooooooooo gorgeous, the 'tones' are divine. Its a lot more beautiful than I realized !

KC

Might As Well Strip & Re-Color Your Hair .......Being As The Govt.Is Going To Close Up

OR

Can You Tell I Was Watching John Stewart Last Night?

if you don't watch John Stewart you must 

#1 Quick Method of Stripping and Re-Coloring Lousy Hair Color, in other words a Quick-Fix

Stripping hair color is a weirdly worded "topic", because I don't really call it stripping hair color in the manner in which I approve doing it. 

It is REVERSING Hair Color. Reversing BAD Hair Color;

 I admit it is very time consuming using VANISH and you can kind of go around it now with IGORA ROYAL & Wella's Illumina. . But when I started writing this Blog there were many people who could not afford VANISH...pretty much anyone can afford the Color Correction packet & do the Shampoo Train...while you save up to purchase Vanish...you can be doing this. I promise - IT WORKS ! !


Of all the Treatment Packs this one is Great for alternating with VANISH -- when trying to get old syrupy mollasses-y Boxed Hair Color out of the Hair.   Now the Shampoo Train experience comes from trying to take actors who wanted different colors all the time ...and do it safely and gently so this is my own little treatment that stems from my training at Sassoon... it works well. There is the wonderful Color Remover called VANISH we recommend. But, doing any hair color process, even removing your color is just not healthy to do every day or every week. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of room to play...and we will go into all the ways when someone poses a question they want answered.
The last trick for stubborn color

  Using the Malibu2000 Color Correction packet !   + Intro  to KC's "Shampoo Train"
This packet is the one I recommend to so many of you who end up here at Killerstrands in hopes of repairing and re-coloring your old horrible hair color or/ Sallys horrible ION Hair Color (which destroys hair) or Boxed Hair Color. You must get  those types of hair color OUT-OF-YOUR-HAIR, first so you have a stripped down base ! !

1. Do the very best you can to REMOVE the old DULL Hair Color by applying 1-2-3 packets of this.
2. Purchase the Travel Hair Dryer as it works even better with the heat ....... it will work 4X as well !
3. Use Cheap PRELL Shampoo or the cheapest lousiest shampoo you can find under the sink to remove your old dull hair color .........then when you have a nice clean faded BASE.............
4. Use one of 2 Hair Colors either ............SCHWARTZKOPF IGORA ROYAL or ESSENSITY..........both add so much Shine or
5. Wella ILLUMINA ..........this line works great as well but focus' on Level 5 thru 10 ONLY!

it is about the toughest project you can take on in Hair Color - there almost always is one "Hair-Color-Correction Specialist in every town. But I have taught thousands of people to strip and re-color your hair...............
Stripping is what is so important to the Re-coloring portion of the process.

This is my favorite packet for Strip and Re-Coloring the hair, if you truly cannot afford  VANISH

 The Color Correction  particular packet is used for a multitude of applications, let me pin-point the important ones:

• old hair-color removal
• mistake's in hair color
• Shampoo Train step 
• Prepping hair for NEW color
• Remove 'many' of various Krazy Kolor brands
• removes chlorine, metals, build-up - prior to coloring ANY color                        
  

 As the title says it helps Correct hair color mistakes...sometimes not completely... but it loosens the molecules in your attempt to remove hair color undesired.  I have been using these packets for 15 years, they make such a difference in both coloring results AND in the health of your hair....they are very reasonably priced and we include a Cap with ours free of charge ... they work much better if used with cap - the cap helps generate heat on the head for optimum results. This tip and trick has been kept hush-hush for many years, from the head Colorists at V.Sassoon. The difference it makes in the coloring of your hair is wonderful. You may use this packet as well as any in the Malibu 2000 line to keep the metals & gunk in all water now, out of your hair. Many people love the light and clean feeling of their hair. Try one, you'll see. 
 The Shampoo Train is my little cute (effective) trick for helping change hair colors semi-often. Depending on the procedure of course, and I remind you - everyone is different.                              The SHAMPOO TRAIN  goes like this :
Purchase or use that one bottle of sulfate-shampoo you have hiding in your cupboard or you purchase one at the drug/grocery store.. You are only using it for this one process so there is nothing to worry about. Then as frequently as you can : shampoo the hair ferociously (not scalp - just hair strands!) -- being sure to spend 4-5 minutes -- scrub - scrub - scrubbing ! ! scrub the hair in your hands with a back & forth scrubbing action - like a washboard almost. The last step is to either:

•  leave the shampoo on the hair  for 30-45 minutes with a cap or 
• if you are really trying to have it work fast... you will need the heat of a Hair Dryer... and dry it for 15-20 minutes.
• Now you may do this procedure 4-5 times in one day or over the course of  1-2-3 weeks - its all completely up to you and how big your project is. ..... and all these applications are why the "train' reference.......... as it just keeps going and going !
• This is the description of the most radical Shampoo Train  - - then you may condense it down to your situation ! OK? Get it? Questions? Use the FEEDBACK buttons in the store.
  

  Now, the most inexpensive/compact version of a blow dryer was this little Dryer system you see ( click it to purchase).....They come in silver & black -- so don't expect any particular color.....but they last a long time and work well for this and a multitude of things. * dry velcro curlers * deep condition with Thriven or you deep conditioner * Hot Oil Treatment with Gleam * Heat up your hamburger !! j/k......you watch all the reasons you find for this! . . . 

Everyone tells me they love it - - - we carry this great compact version in the store for this and for deep conditioning which you should do when completed with this entire procedure PLUS use INTENSIVE to save the pH.  This contraption turns a blow dryer into a hood dryer - they fly out of here because they work for a multitude of hair applications. After that you  shampoo.  What this does is loosen the color molecules that are lodged in your hair.  
 OR... If you are having problems lightening a color a little that way ...then you next add this Color Correction packet, do the complete application as stated on the packet....then the shampoo train -- then the Color Correction packet -- and back to the Train and on and on.... one then the other... and for the perfect Color Removal process you would Shampoo Train for a few days in a week ....Isn't it funny... so many of us color our hair and do everything possible to get it to stick and stay in the hair.. now here we are trying to get that same color out ! ! 
The advantages of the Shampoo Train procedure are :

• lessens the amount of Vanish you have to use
• Most Gentle method of shaking up molecules you plan to remove
• Boxed hair Color can be next to impossible to remove, this helps the process not cost so much.

So, if you need to do the most 'thrifty process' available buy 1-2 packets of Color Correction, hop on the Shampoo Train and follow that.....and you will be well on your way to new hair color !