Halloween Hair That Will Rattle Your Cage!

 I have to say.... it is just 'crazy' how much everyone has gotten into Halloween Hair.

 Every year when this month rolled around the kids from my daughters High School would begin stopping by and asking me what they thought we could do for their hair for Halloween.... we would come up with some ideas that were pretty cool but NOTHING like all of these gems. 

I mean WOW, we are accumulating some very talented hair stylists out there.  Congrats on blowing the house up....... 
hands down AWESOME hair!  

For Your Halloween Night enjoyment

Lots of gory and fun photos of Halloween Hair. . . .

  

Have a Happy and SAFE Halloween

There is no better day to have a surprise SALE on our color enhancing shampoo and conditioner series - Boos and BURST. It is rising and rising in popularity
For those of you that have stopped by and checked out all the photos we displayed today we are having a surprise 24 hour Sale on BOOST and BURST our color enhancing shampoo & conditioner series from Killerstrands hair.  20%OFF both of them for 24 hours !

The Sale begins NOW and 
               ends at 9PM Saturday night!

      Enter CODE:BOO20

KC and Staff!

New Addition with Every COLOR Purchase in the Killerstrands Store

I just had to have a little medical ER breather give me 2-3 days and I'll be coloring from all cylinders - but am back at it and have a great new free addition to the already complimentary 2 products we give out with every color purchase:

First off we already send 2 plastic medical measuring Cups that look exactly like these:

 They measure in tablespoons, CC's, ML's, Fluid Ounces,Grams & the maximum is 1 ounce. At the beginning of the Blog I reached out to the readers for a small measuring Cup and an ER Nurse responded. The funny part is, I thought I was ordering 1000 and I ordered 1,000,000 !! We still are working on that first batch!!! and may be till 2020 - ha ha! They are in sanitary shrink wrap and kept in the dark to keep the plastic fresh, if plastic can be fresh :(

When you measure by Volume (the cups) versus weight (a scale) -- use just the tiniest little bit less and you'll be perfect, if your a perfectionist like someone else in the vicinity of this Blog !

They are reusable so if you don't want them mention that, or if you want an extra one -- mention that. There is a terrific little "Notes" section at Check-out -- where you can write a little somethin-somethin.....!

Our next lovely freebie is our latex gloves, I never thought of this before.... but if there are enough latex-allergies, I would be happy to supply "whatever-the-other-kind is"! heehee  provided they are not cost prohibitive!..... K?

                               




Now our newest and most useful complimentary tool, which I  know some of you are going to rear those heads of yours and resist.....is the TINT BRUSH. There is a method to the madness behind the tint brush, there truly is....and I've talked about it before as well. 

Hair Color works the best when pressure is applied to the head as the color is applied, its why professional Colorists use tint brushes, we don't fancy ourselves Rembrandt's..........or we are not gluttons for punishment and don't use the bottle because we like to flex our ''professional muscles'' or look cool there is a scientific explanation. A good Colorist presses down on the base/hair as she applies the color to get good....no excellent coverage and gray coverage. The Color gets in deeper in the hair cuticle and also provides a more EVEN color along with additional shine.

Now don't think it is going to just be extraordinarily different, but as you get better with it.... I believe you will start noticing the difference once you master your new Killer Tint Brush.

One last bonus its easier to use on oneself than on another, I can attest from experience now!

Have a Killer Day Everyone

Long Lasting Eye Brow Tinting Kit by Killerstrands

One of the most coveted trix of the trade is
the formula for tinting eyebrows....
I cannot claim the original formula....but I can claim the one for thousands walking around the streets of LA for the past 15 years...
The human female and male face just does not look right without a full eyebrow...many can't figure out "what' it is  when their face doesn't look gorgeous. Check out every celebrity you admire - - - they all spend $ 500./month on their brows - monthly. Look at their brows.....they are all spectacular - always perfectly shaped and always ALWAYS tinted as well as their hair. Oprah - Anniston, J-Lo, everyone just stunning brows. It is so easy for you to fix - - with us at your side.

I have never colored a client's hair without doing their brows. Now, don't take this wrong I would not tint them the color the client always wanted....you don't want the brows sticking out....you don't want to tint them JUST TO TINT THEM ! When you go platinum ....you do not tint your eyebrows platinum .... nothing would sillier .There are guidelines when tinting them , but all you have to do is worry about your own - as a Colorist I have to master the brow color of all colors of hair.

Our store supplies an eyebrow kit, in which all you have to do is either supply the Level and tone of your hair color if you want me to pick (yep I will do the picking, not to worry ! )
If you have blonde eyebrows and want them to be a soft Beige-Brown.... then
 be sure to input: I would like a Level 8 Soft beige brown , currently they are a Level 5.
We need to know how much the brow needs to change color to give you the proper developer  and we include directions and application brushes as well.

see how odd the human head look without brows they are a very necessary part of balance and symmetry for your face!


We include the instructions, all the little tools needed to apply and mix, all you will need to add is some q-tips! .. you only need a 1/2 inch long strip amount in the bowl, of each color.
These tubes will last you years and color has a shelf life of about 18 months - so its a great investment.

Have grays ? Tell us that too!

We have a trick for that as well !
Wait til you try this once you will be hooked like all my clientele !

Thank you for your support,

KC

Which Developers Are Lighter & More Liquidy, I Have Thick Yet Baby Fine Hair ?

A recent question from one of our many readers which I do appreciate. They always make me realize that this Blog will never be over ! There are hundreds, even thousands of additions to be answered  and discussed still. 

Always lovely to know !

Developer or H2O2, hydrogen peroxide is the white creamy liquid which is necessary in order for the hair coloring process to take place. Without it there would be absolutely NO lightening happening. It is THAT important, yet when I speak to people even many of you stylists you are afraid of the topic. There really is no need to be afraid of Developer. It is merely 1 molecule away from water! We all know how harmless and how good for us WATER is ??!! 

Right?

Hydrogen peroxide IS Developer. 2 words for the same thing!

Our bodies even produce hydrogen peroxide!

Hydrogen peroxide, the same mild acid that many people use to disinfectant their kitchens or treat cuts and abrasions, is also produced by the body to keep cells healthy. Now, researchers have solved how part of this complex process works.

 Hydrogen peroxide doesn't just come in bottles from the drugstore -- the human body makes it as well. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have found a way to use naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide inside cells to switch on gene expression. Their method also serves as a highly sensitive hydrogen peroxide detector, which may help scientists determine the molecule's role in cellular health and disease says Science Daily.

In a normally functioning cell, hydrogen peroxide serves as a messenger, carrying signals through a cell in order to allow the cell to respond to external stimuli or events. Once the message is transmitted, the hydrogen peroxide diffuses and disappears.
"It's an ideal messenger compound, because it's small, fast, and doesn't linger," says chemist Alex Deiters. "It works by oxidizing, or modifying, certain amino acids in proteins, which affects the protein's function."

 For example, when the immune system is activated in response to bacteria, large amounts of hydrogen peroxide are produced by certain cells to fight the infection. Lowther and colleagues studied how a molecule known as peroxiredoxin (Prx) helps control levels of the agent. The role of Prx is important because if the levels of hydrogen peroxide become too high, the cell's DNA and other proteins can be damaged. Scientists suspect that this and similar processes are what leads to cancer, diabetes and other disease.

Prx actually has a dual role in the process. Its usual job is removing excess hydrogen peroxide from the cells by converting it to water. But if levels get dangerously high -- and Prx needs help -- it becomes inactive in its "converting" job and instead becomes a "signaler," telling the cell to produce or activate other proteins to help remove the excess.

"It basically acts as a sensor and warns the cell that levels are too high and that the cell needs to respond," said Thomas J. Jönsson, Ph.D., lead author, and a post-doctoral fellow at Wake Forest. "Once that threat is gone, Prx needs to go back to its normal state."

I want everyone to understand Developer so you are not afraid of it, once that happens you will welcome the use of it and all the wonderful things it does. If our bodies did not make hydrogen peroxide we would not be alive.....so welcome it and welcome what it 
does.........Please

I also want you to know before I learned all of this I felt the exact same way, I don't know if its the name, or what....? But just the name peroxide used to conjure up horrific things in my mind. I have NO idea where it came from either..... so I am just trying to speed up the process for all of you to accept and love the wonderful little miracle called Developer!

Now, to answer your question on thick or thin..... that does not have anything to do with how it works. 
What it does affect is personal preference. 
Some people like the mixture to be runny, some like it to be thick. But what you will find being as I have worked with over 40 lines of color in my days is this...........
If the color in the tube (no matter "what brand") is on the thicker side, then their developer will be runny. 
Such as Wella's, Schwarzkopf's, Kenra, the most runny is our Violet colored developer. I actually feel it is SO runny I mix it with LANZA which is the thickest to include in our OIL BLEACH KITS, which I am just so proud of. These kits really do wonders for the hair if you are blond!

So your question as to runny or thick? That really is a personal preference. Colorists who do a lot of foil work do not like runny, because runny means the liquid will expand as it develops and then pop out of the foil leaving what we used to call "bunny trails" on the hair (or spots!) I'm sure everyone has either had them or seen them, they come from runny developer. 

The advantage to thick developer, like LANZA, which is clumpy almost....is, it has the "good alcohols" in it. Those good alcohols have one chance to get inside that hair strand and that is when the strand is open and hair color goes in, so that is the advantage of that particular developer over a thinner one. 
Personal preference?
 For me, I love Schwarzkopf's blond developer it is medium thickness and has an oily quality to it so it is very smooth to work with. But again ...........it depends on what you are mixing it with and if you are doing a root touch-up or foil work! To me the thickness of the hair shouldn't matter. 


KC

The Fault In Our Blonde Stars

The most asked question for regarding going Blonde, for I don't know how many years is..... how do I get 'Beige' Blonde.........as opposed to Brassy - Blorange or Orangey Blonde. I see it daily in the market, shopping - everywhere I go.....so many people whether they be home hair colorists, Stylists OR..........even..........highly trained colorists just don't get the concept.

I also realize I have spoken about this lately, but what YOU do not REALIZE is...........           I continue to receive questions indicating that I have done a poor job of explaining how to NOT have any of those annoying tones once reaching blonde. Therefore one more thing I hope I have gotten through to you is:

WHEN YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND SOME OF THESE VERY UNIQUE/UNUSUAL HAIR COLOR CONCEPTS ...... THAT IF YOU READ, RE-READ again + RE-READ ANOTHER DAY AND THEN CONTINUE TO RE-READ UNTIL IT BEGINS TO SINK IN, IS THE ONE AND ONLY WAY IT EVER WILL.

CELEBRITIES, are also at fault ! ! 

 See the Actor above has nailed Blorange Blonde hair!

I want to be dead honest....because most of the beige tint comes from whatever DURP you have and how good of a Photo-Shop magician you have working on your photo. But to get rid of it so very easily all you have to do is learn your hair and learn when to take the oil lightener OFF. Everyone's biggest problem is taking the lightener off TOO EARLY !

  Below is the graphic of how hair color LIFTS out of the hair strand. Most of you have brown hair of some Level.....so we will just show what color Levels the hair goes through as you lighten hair once you apply Oil Lightener or Bleach as so many of you have experienced.

See from the right ? say your hair is darkest Brown which means it starts way down there at Level 2 ........see it? 
Brown-Black?
as your hair lightens..........it goes through each and every single one of these colors in order to get to your goal of a Level 10 or PALE yellow .............or the color (I call ) FROZEN BUTTER !    That is where you stop.
There are stages the color lingers the longest are Level's 7 - 9, it sticks there 5 X longer than the other Levels. Which I hope explains to you why you end up with Blorange, orange, gold or brass hair in your attempt to get to a beautiful blonde! To you, it appears as though your hair has lightened very fast so you panic and rinse it off.....but what happens is from level 2 thru 7 it goes very quickly then it comes to an abrupt stop followed by a very slow lightening action to the lighter levels ( your GOAL ! )

So the problem (almost always) completely lies in the fact that everyone takes the lightener OFF the hair - too early. You all panic, almost always from previous horror stories with terribly qualified Stylists or terrible quality home bleaching kits - that will not happen with our oil bleach kits. But you HAVE to trust me on this and your best practice is to make up a tiny batch of it, test it/ time it - then you will know for yourself EXACTLY how long to leave it on , then just be sure that you set a timer and respond to it.

Lightener can be the most beautiful and transforming tool...............there is nothing like it, especially the Oil lightener.....along with the Violet developer which counters all the brass and orange just one more time. Included in the Kit is 20 Volume Violet Developer - no where in the world will you receive this. There are 2 complete applications, its a great price and I cannot wait to see how much you will love to achieve blond in this manner.

The Shine unbelievable !

The 7 stages of lightening are:

1. BLACK
2. BROWN
3. RED
4. BLORANGE
5. GOLD
6. YELLOW
7. PALE YELLOW

So....please try that method next - time. One of the most looked up terms on this Blog ( and there are a Zillion of them) is:  "high-lift blonde to platinum" Very Very rarely does that ever happen, plain and simple and I know hard-to-hear is: Highlift blonde is not strong enough, it works if you have VIRGIN Level 8 or Level 9, otherwise you will have to move to our very gentle and moisturizing oil lighteners. 
Wella's Illumina 10/36 & 10/0 are also excellent choices for super light blonde with a hair color. But get out of your own way and use the proper product for the proper result.          








KC