MAGMA is a unique and fun tool we now carry that can be added to your artillery for lightening and toning hair. It does what no other product does and it does it well, BLEACH & TONE in the same step. I played around with it for a while and just loved the way it works ........the tones it imparts....... and its versatility. If you plan to apply some unique ombre, ribbons or tips, this is your product. They are called PIGMENTED LIGHTENERS !
I am excited to Introduce A New Product to You... Its a new product to introduce to you that I have been working on the past month. Recently I introduced to you............. ''Pigmented lighteners'' by Wella, a product called MAGMA. Which we carry in the Store presently....MAGMA has been out many years but they have reformulated it and created 17 new colors. All of which are inter-mixeable... ! ! ! There are so many little and BIG tricks you can create with mixing all of the powders, there is a white powder they call "CLEAR" which gives you the ability to create pastels.... The Lighteners themselves are tinted various colors so that they tint the hair as it is lightened, the various colors help a little fight DURP in the hair OR add colors like ROSE....Pink.....Peach..... let me show you the powders...........
I
have opened 3 of them to play with.... see the blue (what does blue
color do in the blonding process???...of course it fights Blorange and Gold a tiny bit.... because its opposite of those colors on the color wheel...) The biggest problem when blonding is the annoying DURP /or annoying remaining pigment that is LEFT in the hair.......once the black or brown color is lifted out of the hair. MAGMA is basically made for people looking to go Blond, you can go Blond and fight DURP but you still need more to fight most people's DURP.....
So therefore don't PIGMENTED
LIGHTENERS make a while lot of sense? The one powder I played with is /17 Ash Blonde.
Guess what color that powder is?
Its the Powder Blue powder you see above. Why? Because ASH Blonde is blonde with ZERO Brass/ or Zero Gold / or ZERO any annoying colors and why not use a Blue Lightening powder to attempt to do that with. Blue fights Gold. Blue Fights Brass Blue fights Blorange.
It is on the opposite side of the color on the color wheel from those colors.......... which is how it works to either enhance or Dissolve the Tints/Hints/Colors you are trying so hard to get rid of.
THAT IS HOW IT WORKS TO NEUTRALIZE A COLOR YOU WISH TO GET RID OF.
USE the opposite color on the color wheel and it will get rid of it . So if you wanty to get rid of Brass (yellow) look across from it....................the color is Violet. So Use Violet Powder/Developer/ anything purple you can find........... will help get rid of that annoying brass you ..............DO - - - - -NOT- - - - - - WANT
See....the colors on this side of the color wheel : YELLOW, YELLOW-ORANGE & ORANGE....all colors every colorist + Client wishes didn't exist. But they are the strongest pigments in the hair, & the last and hardest to get rid of..... as the hair lightens it gets stuck at yellow-orange and it is nearly impossible to get it lighter than that stage....which is the reason for everyone's grief in becoming a pleasant "Toned" Blond.
Being as 1 in 4 People want to be Blonde. We have a HUGE WAR, that has never been won, but we continue to work on it and I am here adding to our arsenal of tools we need to use to fight it.
! ? !) Remember how much I have spoken about DURP.....or
Dominant Underlying Remaining Pigmented......or the color most of us
have in our hair as you lighten it in one of the many many ways there are to lighten and Blond hair.
Lets look at the MAGMA by Wella U TUBE Video to get an idea of the pigmented powders and what they are presenting.
MAGMA in KILLERSTRANDS STORE So, we all know how it is necessary to mix developer with a hair color OR lightener to make the color work...Right? Developer is a product called many different names:
Developer
Peroxide
H2O2
Emulsion
Hydrogen Peroxide
they are all the same product and they are what is necessary to create the hair coloring action that changes the color of your hair. Whether it is light dark or red.....it is NOT necessary to use our BOOST & BURST, the truly Semi-Permanent Hair Color you will come across. Semi- Permanent Hair color only coats the hair, while all other hair color:
Demi-Permanent Hair Color
Permanent Hair Color - which includes Bleaches, pigmented lighteners, etc
these change the hair color permanently and a lot of works needs to be done to either return the hair to its normal color or begin your new life as a new hair color. This is the one and only time that the hair strands cuticle is "open" which is the one and only time that hair coloring action can take place because of that fact. So a couple years ago I tracked down a violet Developer for all of you to use and to add to our oil bleach Kits. Why would I want that? What is the number 1 problem with going.............BLONDE? Brass. So using this violet developer has been a big seller here at Killerstrands, most everyone that is going Blonde either purchases our Oil bleach Kit which has 20 volume Purple developer.
Then I went on a hunt for a BLUE developer, because if you have GOLD or BLORANGE, Violet will help a little but BLUE is across the Color Wheel from Gold not Purple. First I bought one, I recieved it and it was Violet then I purchased the 2nd one which we carry currently made by Aloxxi. It says its BLUE, but when I put it next to the Violet Deve3loper we have gotten for years, it is much more Violet than Blue. But, it has sold well and I have warned people.
But finally I got disgusted. I asked the company that currently makes the Violet Developer to make a BLUE one that it would sell really well. He pretty much told me It was a ridiculous idea. He just doesn't understand hair color or anything about it. So now, I finally got discusted and decided to just try to make one myself. .. . . a Solid Blue Developer for all those people fighting both Blorange/.Gold and Dark Brass...to all of you who need a nice strong Blue Developer.............. I finally decided to begin the job of developing one on my own...
It is a success and I am very please to introduce to you.....Breaking Bad Blue Developer 20Volume 30Volume 40 Volume................in BBBlue
So my first Tester is 40 Volume, with Wella Blondor ( Blue Powder lightener - the most common color of powder lightener there is & Blondor is probably the most popular brand.) So after a few test runs with the blue pigment I finally decided on is Blue........... VERY Blue..............no Violet here !
I mixed 40 Volume pretty dense with the pigment what the hell, it was on a Dollhead.
I LOVE THE RESULTS
I RAN # 3 TESTS on the right hand side of the top of this Doll head ( the left hand side was my MAGMA demonstration - somewhere on one of the many places we give education.) Which is beautiful as well. So if you are interested in Pigmented lighteners.... I have decided I am going to make a line of pigmented Developers as well. Why not? I have Purple on the way, I feel if Bold Blue works so well, how well is Bold Violet going to work? Why not Beige Developer? Why not Red Developer ? Why not Brown Developer? I have so many ideas and I have samples on the way.....but BLUE is a HUGE HIT ! ! ! I'm not sure those will be as effective as th Blue, but the Blue in one Application left Zero Yellow or Gold on Level 6 Brown Hair which is very VERY rare. So I am excited for you.
Soooooooooooooooo Many of you are Blonds out there..... So many of you WANT TO BE BLONDS ! So the Option of Blue developer is now added to the website...if you want Blue 20 Volume for the Oil Bleach Kit, its going to be an extra $1.00 until we get the next big batch made which we will make Blue Developers and Violet Developers ! !
Next Batch which will be made very soon.
WE will offer BBBBlue Developer in all strengths today.. AS bright as it looks as soon as you rinse it out - its gone ( this was even processed for only 45 minutes) which is very short for 1 Application, that is a tremendous short we can process 75-90 minutes, but, I . . . . .for once, I was being conservative ! ! ! ! The BLUE developers are on the store's website! Aren't you excited to see if the other color developers help in both tinting and fighting DURP. You never know, but we will be testing other colors next week am very excited about the prospects of all of these next week!
Wella Professionals unveil that ''Ammonia-free'' hair color is not ''damage-free'' hair As the Crib Colorist leader, I want you to discover the truth
about hair color & either use or ask for superior damage protection vs Ammonia-free color. Most people find that answer out for themselves. Almost every (big) hair color manufacturer has now or is adding ... an ammonia-free hair color line. We carry INNOSENSE by Wella & Essensity by Schwarzkopf- both ammonia-free.........Both never sell (truly) !
Which is all well and good, but if you ask a client,
"You have a choice for your hair color today?"
1) your perfect color or 2) ammonia-free color that will be a bit brassy ..........so far, 10 out of 10 times they choose #1 Ammonia-free permanent hair color is the
latest 'hash-tag' in the hair color industry and consumers have started showing
more affinity towards it as they consider it less damaging . But, if you have listened to anything I have said over the years....let it be known that this is a deep seated myth about hair color -- ‘Ammonia-free Hair color only "seems" to be damaging because of its strong scent. Ammonia smells strong and when Hair Color & Developer are first combined, yes sometimes it will take your breath away ( I happen to Love it!) . But that scent does dissipate and if you notice when you are at home, that overpowering fragrance is not there...its rally when in a busy Salon with Nail artists - hair artists - eyebrow artists - straightening going on.........curling going on..........hair coloring..................gel nails...........the whole whirlwind is just this vortex of annoying smells that sometimes makes you never want to color your hair again............ But take them one at a time.......... and in todays world
that harsh scent does not exist so much anymore.. There is a reason they didn't get rid of the ammonia many years ago when a subsitutuion was found......... it simply does not work as well Ask any top Colorist, most of us agree.
Ammonia .................while a harsh name is not a harsh ingredient. It simply lets the coloring action work the most pure with the best and most pleasing results... Think,.............
if ammonia's name was changed permanently.
Say we went to the DMV and applied for permanent name change and we changed that name to ''Daydream''. From now on that ingredient that you know to be ammonia was now going to be called Daydream. Now, how do you feel about it? Hair color w/ Daydream in it will be applied to your hair today, is that OK? Its something about the word "ammonia"
that winds everyone up in a knot, and it just conjures up bad thoughts, bad feelings and bad results........when in fact the opposite is true.
Remember what ammonia does in the hair coloring process?
It opens the cuticle so that hair coloring may actually 'TAKE PLACE ! ! !
But the truth is,
ammonia-free permanent hair colors replace ammonia with another -
Chemical usually MEA or a similar active ingredient which even though doesn’t smell, can be worse
for your hair. MEA creates more damage than ammonia would ever even think of.
Don't let the scent prevent you from getting that color you want !
Check-out the new MAGMA Colors that Are in the store, PIGMENTED LIGHTENERS is the new Buzzword !
Absolutely loved the results. Plus the "C" MAGMA.... I added 3 powders together to get the front color. The possibilities are endless as there are now 18 Newly formulated colors.
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
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.
MAGMA is a unique and fun tool we now carry that can be added to your artillery for lightening and toning hair. It does what no other product does and it does it well, BLEACH & TONE in the same step.
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