Demi Permanent & Toner....are One-in-the-Same

Toners are such a simple subject.... yet they are very complicated to explain and have people understand.

The technical description : Toners are semi-permanent, demi-permanent and permanent hair color products that are used primarily on pre-lightened hair to achieve pale and delicate colors.  

They are applied to the lightest degree of contributing pigment that remains after the de-colorizing process. Toners are normally pale colors that are used to counter the DURP (see previous Post) that pops through of so many peoples hair when going blonde.
Toners are always applied with low Volume developer, in order to also add to the Pastel or Demi appearance. 

 
The one description I use that works about half the time for people is this............... think about your winter white skin right now and if someone wanted you to throw on some daisy duke shorts and run around for some photos in broad daylight....would you do it?.. You would probably tell them to go to Hell, because no one has any color on them now. Everyone is kind of white , pasty and unappealing. (or maybe its just me!) but anyway . . .back to the description . . . . So what do we do in that case? We either :

• Spray Tan
• Self Tan Cream 
• Tanning Bed  or
• where some Nylons  . . . . any one of these 4 things do EXACTLY what a TONER does to hair.

A Toner is applied to the hair to give it a SHEER coat of any one color! Just like the tanning creams change white skin to Tan skin.....a toner can change brassy hair to a beautiful shade of beachy beige blonde. 

This category of hair color was originally discovered back when the platinum blonde was discovered approx. 80 years ago. They have refined how the Toner- category works, as 50 years ago they would lighten as light as they thought they could then apply a toner using 20 volume toner, hoping that with the 1 level that 20Volume developer lifts they would get even lighter blonde.

Since then it has been nicely refined. About 15 years ago Wella introduced the very first Demi-permanent line of color, which is called Color Touch. Color Touch truly is the most magnificent line of hair color for all hair types. Why? It has a pleasant floral scent ( if you can believe that!!!)..

Also let me show you how specific colors work to cancel annoying DURP that appears in hair as it goes blonde.

Here is the vast array of TONERS or Demi-Permanent

 Now the most important thing to learn about hair color ..........is its "BASE" color......otherwise how do you know how to fight the DURP or the annoying tone that you are trying to correct.

Remember the previous Post  . . .  and if you haven't read it, please do. DURP is that remaining pigment that you want to get rid of......

The most common color of DURP is BRASS

Remember what I've told you . . .  in order to cancel out the tone in your hair or the color in your hair that is remaining.....you choose the OPPOSITE color on the Color Wheel....
See the above Color Wheel?
so if you have Brass in your hair..................what Base do you want your Toner to have?
(remember you go across the Color Wheel................so Violet ! )

Here is a great little "cheat sheet" I call it......

I forget.....because a very long time ago I memorized all the base colors to all the lines of color I love and carry. But that is not fair to you....
So keep this and use it because it pertains to all Wella Colors including Illumina and Koleston Perfect, which are all the best hair color you will ever use.

Now as you can see a Violet based Toner or colors like 10/6, 10/81, 9/16, 8/81 are the perfect toners if you have Brass and or Blorange...... the first number is the LEVEL the color will be and as it shows about the numbers after the slash are the TONES.....

Knowing the 4 Distinct TYPES of Hair Color is Super Important... Or You May Get In Trouble When Choosing

 I have a number of Consultations going on at any one time and you will be surprised why I do them really. I like to keep very up-to-date with what everyone is or is NOT understanding as far as my hair color Education Posts on this Blog go.  Therefore when I go through a couple Consultations and I listen to what the people do and do not understand it makes me try to RE-TEACH a subject so that maybe if I approach it from a different angle then maybe more of you will understand it better and more clearly.

For example the "types of Hair Color"
 - right when I feel I have taught it from every single angle possible a person in my  consultation explains how they don't understand what the difference is between Semi-Permanent hair color and Demi-permanent and that could create a gigantic problem that I certainly don't want to be the cause of.....
So when I repeat subjects it is because I want you to read this description from another angle....

1} Temporary Hair Color
Temporary color is what many of you use at Halloween, it can be sprayed in and shampooed out. The pigment molecules in temporary color are large and therefore don't penetrate the cuticle layer, allowing only a 'coating action' ... these color molecules may be removed by shampooing...
This type of hair color only makes a physical change not a chemical change in the hair shaft.
Temporary hair colors are available in a variety of colors & products such as:

• color rinses applied weekly to add color
• colored mousses & gels used for slight color/dramatic effects
• hair mascara
• special effects
• color-enhancing shampoos/conditioners : like Boost & BURST

2} Semi Permanent Hair color 
 Semi - Perm is color formulated to last through several shampoos, depending on the hairs porosity. The pigment molecules are small enough to partially penetrate the hair shaft and stain the cuticle layer, but they are also small enough to diffuse out of the hair during shampooing and thus fade with each shampoo. It lasts only 6 - 8 shampoos. It cannot lighten hair, so the change is minor and it does not require the maintenance of "new growth". It is formulated without AMMONIA and is generally as gentle to the hair as shampoo. This is exactly what BOOST & BURST our color enhanced shampoos and conditioners are....

Many Semi-Perm colors can be used straight out of the bottle, some require an activator - which bothers me as I feel it should stay on the side of Semi-Perm.....or not. The activator develops the color pigments within the formula and helps to swell the cortex and open the cuticle for color penetration, which begins the difference between semi and demi permanent colors.
In order to understand why the BOXED HAIR COLOR Kits do not work, it is necessary to thoroughly understand 'what' : Semi....Demi....and Permanent Hair color is. So many of you will purchase one of the boxes that claims to "shampoo out in 8-10 washes and find out it doesn't. you wonder 'why'.... so many of you figure you must have done something wrong when you applied it, when in fact you are "set up to fail" to begin with by companies that truly do not give a damn by turning out a product that does not and could not work in a million years.





3} Demi Permanent Hair Color
 The #1 and most important difference between Semi & Demi is..............Demi is when you begin using Developer. Semi = THERE IS NO DEVELOPER, they are sometimes calling it "Direct Dye" even though that is not really an appropriate name.

The newest classification Demi permanent is also called ''deposit only'' and referred to as 'semi' permanent by some manufacturers which is 100% incorrect. It is similar to semi, but more long lasting. Some of the European companies have chosen to use super low volume peroxides to differentiate the semi from the demi lines. Honestly, it depends on the manufacturer, the Colorist or the school as to how it is defined. My education is Vidal Sassoon based which is known as the "Harvard of Hair Schools" so I think you'll be safe using my criteria.
I like to think of Demi Perm Colors as any color line that uses 3 to 15 Volume is Demi-Permanent. Which makes this the perfect category to be used on men's and any hair that needs to be strengthened- colored- add depth to and most importantly SHINE. Wella's Color Touch line gives hair soooo much shine you will be dancing on the furniture after you use it. It is my number 1 line of hair color out of every line and every category.

MAKE IT YOUR FAVORITE  LINE AS WELL> 

I RECOMMEND EVERYONE TRY IT 

AT LEAST ONCE!

With those numbers of developer, the only action that will happen is Deposit of color - no lift <> no lightening.
I am of the belief that depositing color in the hair strands of either gray, white, or simply middle-aged (weak) hair can add:

• strength
• shine
• illusion of thickness
• reduce frizz & tangles.....just try it once, you have nothing to lose.

IF YOU HAVE lots of gray : the perfect manner in which to color the hair is to use Wella Koleston Perfect on the base and Wella Color Touch on the Lengths......I cannot wait for you to try this! If you need a conversion of your formula - call me I will give you one

This formula generally imparts vivid color results, and is ideal for covering un-pigmented hair, refreshing faded permanent color, depositing tonal changes without lift, corrective coloring and low-lighting.
By their very nature, demi's or deposit-only hair colors darken the natural hair color when applied. They cause little or no damage to the hair and are generally positioned as gentle and mild due to their low ammonia or no ammonia content.

 In recent years, many top colorists will apply demi to the 'lengths' of the hair while permanent is applied to the roots. This fights the build-up effect that can occur on previously colored hair and is also less aggressive, resulting in less damage.

The single best line in this category is WELLA's Color Touch Line, to date... I have tested most every line aned this line is the single best line of hair color in the world currently HANDS DOWN !

PERMANENT HAIR COLOR 


Permanent hair color is mixed with developer ( hydrogen peroxide) @ 20 Volume and above and remains in the hair shaft until the new growth of hair occurs. It is used to match,lighten and cover gray hair. Permanent hair color products generally contain ammonia, oxidative tints and peroxide. The single best line that exists on planet earth is Well'a Koleston Perfect . . . I have seen this line cover the toughest of tough gray hair to the most gentle of gentle colors.......all with grace, and shine.....


The tint formula contains uncolored dye precursors, which are very small compounds that can diffuse into the hair shaft. These dye precursors also referred to as aniline derivatives, combine with hydrogen peroxide to form larger, permanent tint molecules . These molecules are trapped within the cortex of the hair and cannot be shampooed out and that is why this is considered Permanent color.You have a line of demarcation on the hair once one uses this type of hair color and so it is referred to as PERMANENT HAIR COLOR.

Now here is a chart I used a lot when I was doing hair I would show it to clients if they were really confused about which color they wanted....I would ask them to just point to one or 2 colors that they loved. Maybe all of you can also use this chart to try to figure out which way you want to go with your hair color as well.......

Now if you use permanent hair color and you make a mistake I just want you to know that I can solve almost every single problem there is with hair color ...and as big as a sentence as that is I am very confidant I can back it up....so I don't want you to worry if you are considering becoming a Crib Colorist for the first time.... I am here for you.... We have a $49. EMERGENCY Help Phone Call ......if you have just come out of a Salon and your hair is:

• Green
• Blue
• Gray AND NOT THE "good gray"
• ORANGE
• YELLOW
• Etc................its the ER FOR HAIR  
•  

There is now an emergency help phone call Item you may purchase in the store. I would hope it would not be any of my Crib colorist Militia - but maybe some of you new to Killerstrands......Its called ER FOR HAIR - A 911 Service for any and all hair color disasters   

Yes. we have hair color removers and all sorts of tricks that I have accumulated over the course of the last 17 years and I can help everyone with almost every problem or question there is in regards to hair coloring. But, in order to avoid having to use that bag of tricks for all the various problems that permanent hair color seems to grow, I highly recommend that each and every one of you take the suggestion I have made and read the Blog Cover to cover....because

IF
YOU
DO.........................
THEN 
YOU 
WILL 
HELP
ELIMINATE
A 
WHOLE 
LOT 
OF 
HEADACHES 
FOR 
YOU 
AND 
ME 
IN 
THE 
FUTURE 
which 
MAKES 
for 
a
Lot 
CALMER 
AND 
SWEETER 
LIFESTYLE

KC

please...............


 read 


the


 Blog

Difference Between Demi Permanent & Permanent Hair Color

I feel everyone gets confused with the difference between Demi-Permanent Hair Color & Permanent color....in today's marketplace.

I could tell you technically what:

•  Temporary, 
• Semi Permanent, 
• Demi &
• Permanent Hair Color is...

BUT, the hair color manufacturers don't go by what is technically correct.
We kind of throw 'Temporary Hair Color' out, because that is just spray in hair color that comes out completely with shampoo, no one really uses that, except on movie sets.

They have done Test studies on the public's perception of what they think....." Demi-Permanent hair color" is. . .  opposed to Permanent Hair color.  Something like 85% of you would prefer to color your hair with Demi-Permanent hair color OVER Permanent Hair Color.

I want to show you something to teach you what marketing by these companies do to your shopping habits.


Semi - Permanent Hair color is the only one that does NOT use developer. 
Therefore Semi-Permanent Hair Color is the one and only type of hair color that does NOT leave a line of demarcation. 
If you don't use developer, you do not create a line of demarcation  . . . which is that line where the virgin hair color and the NEW hair color 'meet'. Got that? That's important to understand to keep going.

Once you begin mixing developer with the Hair Color, it alters the virgin hair & that line of demarcation --even if you only use 3Volume. even if its only 1 Volume ! If you don't use developer, which is that little bottle of white liquid, there will be no permanent line of demarcation.

What developer does (even 3 Volume) when applied to the hair is open the cuticle in order for the new color molecules to go in and change the present ones to the new color - then during the processing it then makes the cuticle close and lock the new color in the hair...so that is what makes the action of the hair color change and stay vibrant. Using ZERO developer only colors the outside of the strands, the color never gets inside, therefore never releasing any of your natural tint.....and therefore not creating any line of demarcation.

So many of you say to me you want to begin with Demi-Permanent Hair Color......and then you will move up to permanent. The way things have gotten all out-of-whack is - -  as long as you are mixing developer with hair color of ANY Volume, that.... makes..... it...... "permanent hair color" because it makes that line of demarcation. Even though these companies print "demi-permanent" on the box, it simply is not true. 

I think many of you believe that  Demi- Permanent Hair color (once you apply it) will temporarily change your hair color to that swatch of hair Color that you chose and then after a few weeks your hair will go back to your own virgin hair color. 
That is not at ALL, what will happen, I'm sorry to say.
Once hair color that has been mixed with developer has been applied to your virgin or non-virgin hair it will be altered FOREVER !
 I just want you all to learn the correct and honest way that both professional and non-professional Hair Color works. I think you are owed that, so at least I hope my explanation makes sense. If not please ask questions and I will answer.











Here are our Developers

 Killer  Chemist
                                                                                                                

Lets Talk Hair Color Categories <> Beginning w/ Demi-Permanent

There are a four hair color categories in the world of hair color:

• Temporary Hair Color
• Semi-Permanent Hair Color
• Demi-Permanent Hair Color 
• Permanent Hair Color

At this particular time, ALL OF YOU....want to know ALL ABOUT: Demi-Permanent Hair color... 

It lasts longer than semi-permanent, is great for first timers, great for when that first grey hits your temples, is perfect for men/women wanting to color their grey at home with top quality hair color.

I developed a love and deep affection for the newest category of hair color many years ago, as soon as the category was announced, now, nearly every single line has a demi-permanent line of hair color. 

We, carry 3 different demi-permanent lines :  

• Wella Color Touch   
• Schwarzkopf Toners
• Demi Toners for Blondes + Brunettes....Various Brands

When I began in the hair business, Demi Permanent Hair color did not exist. this new category added a whole new plethora of hair coloring ideas and options that are endless.

• great choices for Hair Color "first timers"
• clients 'new' to Gray hair
• even "teen" Hair Color benefits from new class of hair color
• men, perfect for men's hair color 
• let alone all tricks we use it for in Hair Shows + Editorial Shoots 

 We use multiple Demi Permanent brands of Hair Color here at KillerStrands

 Demi is used on almost all Hair Color & Shampoo photo shoots. . . for any & all the boxed hair color brands . I'm sorry to say we don't use the product that is inside the box, we use the most expensive and BEST LINE of Hair Color that exists. What people want and look for is:  ? ? ? ? Shine - SHINE - SHINE - SHINE, and awesome condition. I mean besides the obvious "Photo Shop--ping" and silicone shine serums we have used since the 1990's if you can believe that ! We hi-jacked the silicone serums from the ethnic hair care companies...who found them to help with their FRIZZ 20 years ago which is pretty funny if you think about it.. that's how I found them 15 years ago!  We used to keep our photography secrets - hidden and away from the public. 

A while ago on the front page of the Los Angeles Times were 2 photos of a model  . . . both were in Color ....

The entire page was devoted to explaining in detail how the PHOTO SHOP program works and how almost every single actor, model and even sports celebrities have PHOTO SHOP Editing rights on every Photo taken of them - prior to publishing. The reason this article was in there? Seems one of the Kardashian sisters (who live near here)  had a photo taken of her and published 'accidentally'  PRE- PHOTO SHOPPING procedure. Turns out the young lady is a lot heftier than we see, think or believe her to be. Boy did that news spread, (operative word being 'spread')  - -lawsuits were threatened, yelling and screaming ensued we could hear all the way in my city 20 miles away ( not really but sounds good- - -  right?) all sorts of important things like that were flung from email to email.!! The result? The article on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, when I saw that initially I just laughed and laughed. It actually was a relief and I couldn't wait to not be restricted by that "silent" code of conduct.... 

Hallelujah! I could finally talk about it all openly and not have to worry I was the one blowing the whistle on the whole process. I WANT all the info out there, so young girls know the truth about these models that they look up to. I want them to see and hear how much work we go to, to make them look perfect , its something they can never achieve and it took me  a lot of years to comes to Terms with myself.....

The 2 photos of the model ( which were huge) showed the difference in very explicate detail, the photo on the left was the "Before" Shot.....the photo on the "right" was this woman "Photo Shop-ped" and 'After'. The article was a good one, I didn't even need to read it, I knew exactly what it said.... but when you have based a huge portion of your career on the deception we call advertising.... 

Well ---> It was as if I had been holding my breath for years, and I finally could let it out . That is what that article and those photos did to me and I'm sure every single other artist that works on advertising & photos and in that genre, from make-up people, to hair, to production, to P R, to Publicists, Agents, to the Celebs themselves. The truth finally out there.. OMG, don't you just LOVE the Internet..... here are the photos:

 

This is what young girls strive to make themselves like. . . something that just isn't even real. Please educate your daughters and yourself on this deception.... that is very carefully crafted.

Now, let me get back to Demi-permanent Hair Color.The newest classification of hair color which is called Demi Permanent is deposit only and referred to as 'semi' permanent by some manufacturers, it is very similar to semi, but more long lasting.  Some of the European companies have chosen to use super low volume peroxides to differentiate the semi from the demi lines. But if you read the first post, which I hope you do/did . . . “True” Semi-Permanent hair color is not mixed with any sort of developer or catalyst and that is how I feel it needs to stay. I teach you all this, in the hopes honestly, it depends on the manufacturer, the Colorist or the school as to how it is defined. My education is Vidal Sassoon based which is known as the "Harvard of Hair Schools" so I think you'll be safe using my criteria.

First of all it helps if you understand a little bit about the technical side of how hair dyes work. Semi-permanent color consists of tiny molecules that enter through the cuticle but they don’t affect the natural pigmentation of the hair. Because these molecules are so small they can be washed out after only half a dozen washes.This is the one and only hair color that does not change your own hair color at all. The rest do, which I know is odd to many of you. But there are no rules in hair color, there is no one single HAIR GOD that regulates how the hair color system works.  The hair color manufacturers make it up as they go along.

 DROP GOES THE JAW of most of you!

I have seen "Semi-Permanent Haircolor Boxes" where they provide developer in the box. That is a major hair color company going AGAINST the rules of haircoloring in order to sell a product to you. As you can see a semi-permanent hair color Can not and Should not COME with DEVELOPER. Maybe if I put this here, people that come to visit here,  will begin to learn and someday some of you will begin getting mad, when your hair color has been destroyed due to that fact. You must start writing .... start turning those companies IN.   Where do you turn them in? start with your local congressional Rep (Google it) and then CC the Food and Drug Administration (Google it).

Demi-permanent color also enters through the cuticle but it combines with other molecules in your hair to make it larger molecules and these take longer to wash out....Demi permanent color is used with any developer 3 Volume all the way to 18 Volume. So many of you get all in a fluff when I tell you 15 Volume is Demi the same as 10Volume ...the same as 6 Volume ... all of which we carry.  Hair color is a scientific science it is not an Artistic painting. If you follow the rules of the science that I try to teach ........you will have successful color. It also involves color theory from the artistic world though so you cannot just be a Cosmetic Chemist. When that web site online that claims to be all Cosmetic Chemists and they answer all your questions and they claim" they don't work for anyone". Ask yourself ........who do you know who works all day on a business does it for free??? My answer to you........No one.  The Cosmetic Chemists  HAD to get together with the hair artists in order to make the hair color chemistry work correctly, because they did not understand color theory at all.

....which brings us to Permanent hair dyes, these react after entering your hair because they use ammonia and peroxide which shrinks as the molecules of color go in the hair strands and then makes the color molecules EXPAND so they cannot get out once inside.... it makes the molecules much too big to be washed back out of the hair. If you keep this information about molecules in mind when deciding which hair dye to use then it will stop you from choosing the wrong product.
Always make sure that you do a strand test before dying your hair, this makes sure that you have the color you want and that you don’t react to the dye, remember different dyes from different makers have different chemicals in them. There is no UNIVERSAL SYSTEM over-seeing the hair color business . . . that implements these rules/laws .  Its up to each hair color company to follow what we hope is this universal LEVEL System I talk about so much.

 Remember . . . You may ALWAYS request a Free Strand Test with your purchase, I do that to show you how much I believe in them.

  If you have long hair make sure that you cover it properly with the color in any of the categories.... otherwise you will end up with streaks you don’t want and make sure that your hair is clean and damp before applying the dye.  For the absolute best application I would ALWAYS suggest applying one of our Malibu2000 COLOR PREP Applications.  Make sure that your bathroom or wherever else you dye your hair has plenty of fresh air - its just great for the lungs and health...don’t use hair conditioner for a day or so before putting on the hair dye but you should shampoo your hair to makes sure that it’s clean. 

 When using Level 7 and darker I would suggest using a Barrier Cream       which you apply around the hairline....it keeps the color OFF the skin, at the end of the process with darker colors. On the flip side there is also color-OFF that is used when the procedure is done and you didn't get it all off the skin.

If you stain your skin when dyeing your hair then rub a little stain remover. You will lose some hair when dying it but to keep this to a minimum after you have dyed it rinse it with cold or lukewarm water.

I like to think of Demi Perm Colors as any color line that uses above 5 Volume and below 19 Volume Developer, which makes this the perfect category to be used on men's, the first grays and up to 20 -25% Gray.

I use Demi Permanent Hair color on almost everyone EXCEPT if you want to go LIGHTER, that is the BIGGEST difference....in Demi-permanent color and Permanent color. The only action that will happen is Deposit of color - no lift <> no lightening......so remember that. There is no SUCH THING as a Semi-Permanent Blond no such thing as Demi Permanent blond. Those words make absolutely NO SENSE. If its a Level 9 blond that means it is a TONER .....remember why? because the developer is 10 or 13 Volume and that means its deposit only.  

I am of the belief that depositing color in the hair strands of either gray, white, or simply middle-aged (weak) hair can add:

• strength
• shine
• illusion of thickness
• reduce frizz & tangles 

This formula generally imparts vivid color results, and is ideal for covering un-pigmented hair, refreshing faded permanent color, depositing tonal changes without lift, corrective coloring and low-lighting.

 First of all it helps if you understand a little bit about the technical side of how hair dyes work. Semi-permanent color consists of tiny molecules that enter through the cuticle but they don’t affect the natural pigmentation of the hair. Because these molecules are so small they can be washed out after only half a dozen washes. Demi-permanent color also enters through the cuticle but it combines with other molecules in your hair to give larger molecules and these take longer to wash out, which brings us to Permanent hair dyes, these react after entering your hair because they use ammonia and peroxide and this makes the molecules much too big to be washed back out of the hair. If you keep this information about molecules in mind when deciding which hair dye to use then it will stop you from choosing the wrong product.  

Always make sure that you do a strand test before dying your hair, this makes sure that you have the color you want and that you don’t react to the dye, remember different dyes from different makers have different chemicals in them. If you have long hair make sure that you cover it properly with the dye otherwise you will end up with streaks you don’t want and make sure that your hair is clean and damp before applying the dye. I feel using our product that is a pH BALANCER  and is called INTENSIVE....helps with the shine and the longevity of the color on the strands...

By their very nature, demi's or deposit-only hair colors darken the natural hair color when applied. They cause little or no damage to the hair and are generally positioned as gentle and mild due to their low ammonia or no ammonia content. In recent years, many top  colorists will apply demi to the 'lengths' of the hair while permanent is applied to the roots. That is how the true color application should be applied.

Apply Permanent color to the base and Demi Permanent ot the ends to refresh the color if you are just trying to stay the same color.

This fights the build-up effect that can occur on previously colored hair and is also less aggressive, resulting in less damage.

Demi-Permanent Hair Color

• contains no ammonia
• is mixed with an activator, such as peroxide
• activator lifts cuticle slightly so color sits in and under the cuticle
• lasts 18 to 20 shampoos
• fades gradually and then washes out to the original color of the hair
• used for toning, changing tone, filling in highlights, and going darker
• good way to temporarily change hair color to try something new
• also recommended to color hair that is already significantly damaged or over processed

Demi-permanent hair color is, in fact, permanent hair dye mixed with low volume (usually a 5,10 up to 15 Volume) developer that blows off the ammonia from the permanent tube so that only color molecules penetrate the hair shaft.

Demi-permanents are much more effective at covering gray hair than semi-permanents, but less so than permanents.

However, demi-permanent hair colors must be used with caution because they are, in essence, permanent color and the darker shades in particular may persist longer than indicated on the box.

The two best lines in this category are:

• Wella Professional meaning Koleston Perfect, Illumina, Color Touch,Blondor, MAGMA
• Schwarzkopf : Igora Royal, Vibrance, BlondME

to date I have tested most every line and am still headstrong about these brands: its results & quality are top-of-the-line
d

I have Hair (TIA) Advertising “BLOCK”. . .

. . . heard of Writers “Block”?

Once again, in my never ending attempt to write a post educating you on the wonders of hair color . .  I get side-tracked and stumped by this one topic:
(TIA)   TRUTH-IN-ADVERTISING 
Not wanting to talk about it, as I dislike people that harp on negativity - - it just keeps getting in the way. Many times I hit “DELETE” and you all get nothing. Which is simply not fair . .  I have soooo much to say and a list a mile long of topics to write on. So for just this once and because it is the first day of the New year, I will show you what happens - - so you understand…that way I can just tell you, in the future, to see the Post from January 1 on TIA and hopefully I won’t have to talk about it much any longer.
Interspersed with this yucky topic I am going to give you some gorgeous new photos of blond styles and colors that will set the trends for the beginning of the new decade ….so its not AAAAAAAAAAALL bad !
Another slight problem is:  I can see my writing on this subject has hurt me financially in the past 2-3 months  - - I used to have big advertisers run ads on the Blog which did help me afford to keep this entity FREE to you, the reader. These advertisers have left, and I am very very sad. But if they have not come back yet, I doubt they plan on it in the future – so here goes:
I would guess most of you at one time or another came to Killer Strands for the same reason that many continue to do today and tomorrow . . . and most likely the next day - - - and that is for one of the “BIG 3” I call it.…
The BIG #3 Hair Disasters that routinely happen by the thousands – 24 hours every single day  -- 7 Days of the Week – 52 weeks of the year… Year after Year after Year…..that is one Helluva lot of people being affected by the following:

1. Unqualified Hair Stylist
2. Boxed Hair Color - disaster
3. Incorrect recommendation by S_ _ _ _‘s Beauty Supply via – unqualified Sales person

The Big 3 get in the way almost every single time I attempt to write a POST to you about so many subjects….WHY? 

Well, here was today’s predicament – I’m hoping this will clarify easily :  I wanted to write about how to put together a very simple kit for those men out there that simply wanted to color/cover gray hair, they can do it at home, at their own convenience and I was going to give a tricky little method Sassoon came up with so it looks a little more natural with a Level 8..Level 6 and a Level 5. .  Simple enough – right?

Being as I am not a writer, but a very enthusiastic hair colorist/chemist . . . I find I must get inspired by some new facts, figures or theories, formulations…. and know my subject – learn more than I already know…hopefully more recent info than what’s in my brain already. So I always do some research on whatever the topic is for the day….
Now, I attempt to research Men’s hair color that is in those ‘boxed kits’ to figure out why it looks so weird . . . then I discover that many of them use metallic salts to color the hair, their kits aren’t even advanced enough to be like the women's boxed hair color kits. Where a Tint + a Developer is used  - - mix together / apply & process –  a very simple chemical reaction that takes place in order to color hair – most of you generally understand & its been around for well over 50 years. It is not at all degrading to the hair – in fact quite the contrary.
….BUT, Metallic salts is archaic, its so old and unpredictable I truthfully thought it was a banned substance. . . . it is very similar to Henna. Henna/Metallic Salts are the 2 applications that I was sure were not used and if they were I was to stay very very far away from them – I was told this 17 years ago. What is it doing in Mens Hair Color Boxed Kits?  Also….one cannot apply regular hair color on top of them….some sort of fizzling and hissing and yucky- dangerous reactions begin to take place… and Lord knows what could or could not happen to the poor hair strands.

I will not touch a persons hair that has HENNA on it. I heard dozens of horror stories from European Hair Stylists, that pretty much scared the crap out of me. So if this is what a lot of these companies are using to color men’s hair, I just discovered why their hair looks so weird when they attempt to cover their own gray.  

THAT IS SO ILLEGAL, and just sooooooooo WRONG. Like so much of the PUBLIC HAIR COLORING choices out there, I don’t understand why these companies get away with… Why do they get to do things that are terrible for hair, encourage hair loss and don’t even color but build up layers of metal on top of the hair strands – that’s (vaguely) how the metallic salts work to cover gray. I never wanted to fully understand it, as I said I heard it was being banned and discontinued.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS when I go to write a post, I discover some other bizarre and weird/wrong and NOT COOL discovery about public hair color that I cannot believe exists and I am so shocked and confused….I can’t really tell the story correctly without telling people this type of background. This needs to be said, so that one person brings the topic up…its not fair to men. Why don’t they get a decent hair color system? Because they are men?? I LOVE MEN . . . . they are one of the greatest joys on planet earth… It would be absolutely no fun without them…and I feel they should be taken care of at the same level as we are. There is not a woman alive that would put up with Metallic Salts covering their gray, I guarantee you. Pieces of various colors of metal close to your own color build up on the gray hair ONLY to give the illusion of the gray disappearing. It does not work and looks bizarre.  . . .
SUN-IN used to used Metallic SALTS to lighten hair which is why so many had orange hair…. it depended on your DURP as to whether SUN-IN would WORK on a certain person’s hair. I had heard someone sued and won about SUN-IN and that is what stopped the use of METTALIC Salts for hair color about 18-19 years ago… so am still stunned that Mens Hair Color is using it..
I stopped writing about them… because of all the advertisers I lost, but I can see now they don’t plan on returning. I can understand I guess. But what I can’t understand is why these companies do this. There are such easy and gorgeous colors they could put in those boxes…. I don’t understand why they put crap in them . .  and why they don’t use the good products, I guess it all boils down to “PROFITS.
So, there you have it. . .TIA or TRUTH in ADVERTISING is a huge HUGE issue to me. It gets in the way of all the Posts…So, now that you (hopefully) understand I’m hoping it will be easier for me to just plow ahead…. But I have a BLOG that I am trying to use to get my message out, for everyone to learn how to properly care for their hair and to let them know that they too can have longer shinier, thicker hair. . .  if they just follow a few rules, its truly not that hard….
I know – first hand - - -  I live it. I follow every single thing that I preach to you about.

I’ve always lived a very disciplined life, 10,000 HEADS to me is just another extension of living a healthy life I feel. I can’t participate in any of the exercises….I come from a different place - - - I would give A N Y T H I N G to be able to exercise again. So its weird to hear people complain about having to exercise …or practice YOGA to improve their hair’s health. If I could do that again, I would be a super happy person. Remember that next time you check out the local YOGA schedule…
Remember how super lucky you are that you CAN practice YOGA, and that you have the health to do it with….it truly sucks not being able to to do those things. Boy do I miss it.. . .
Happy New Year one and all
Killer Chemist