Balayage (hair painting) : a Look I Love, But a Technique I Can Do Without

The More You Know the Less You FEAR

This post always generates a lot of hair stylists tearing me apart & putting me down..........so in answer to that, I have filled in some areas and re-written this so as to address the concerns they keep bringing up. Last I checked we still lived in the USA and there is room for everyone:

> professional hair stylists

> crib colorists 

> damn Boxed hair color

   Had 1 more sad story emailed to me about Balayage this week,  this is a topic I have been tap dancing around for the entire time the KS Blog has been in existence. I have been promising forever to address my opinion about the technique. So, while it is not at all what I was planning on writing today, sometimes adapting to my readers, is the smartest decision.

 I need to be clear on something.......its not the "look" of Balayage I don't like ...its the "application " people are trying. Of course there are some beautiful balayage heads of hair out there, and a lot of talented artists doing the "freehand technique'' - but that is not the norm. that I hear from . Many people end up here because of some hair disaster - so when you hear it as much as I do, you really wonder if this whole hair painting thing is worth the marketing ploy.

About 18-19 years ago {yep, that’s how old this technique is} I first got wind of BALAYAGE - ( which was not its name for about 5 years). I can still remember hearing about it, and thought, uh geez……one more “cowboy color” move, I never talked or thought about it again. Once a year – every year, some new “technique’ within the hair color world gets introduced and then proceeds to (almost) always fail. I'm not saying all 'new' hair coloring techniques will not be successful.....but you have to remember that unless a new chemical has been introduced, millions have people have been working on this issue for over 100 years......many brilliant artists and cosmetic chemists have been working and playing on new techniques and art forms.

 This dinghy Balayage is like gum on my shoe ......it just won't go AWAY ! ! !  Everything about it makes absolutely no sense, although for the interest in the comment section, that shows me that many of you sure are intrigued by it....

Having wondered ‘where’ these quirky little processes  come from, makes me question - - the reason behind them. Within a Colorists world there is always a “new” technique around the corner..the industry of hair coloring was an 8 billion dollar sector of the market in 2016. That's right up there with the pentagon (j/k).   That new technique is almost always just a new name for something we already do, which means it is merely the result of the hair world’s > “Marketing-machine”.  In other words . . . the theory is, if a new technique is announced it will get more people into Salons, which is brilliant - do not get me wrong on that one.                          
Yep, that’s how the world of Color rolls! Why do you think they show pure white snowy blonds ( see my previous post) one month and raven dark haired vixens the next. As long as “change” is happening in hair color, then its a good thing for the “business” of hair color and the world of hair. If everyone were to remain a level 8 B ….year after year after year, what a boring ho-hum world it would be, and how hum drum it would be for business. Just like everything else in today’s world, Hair Color is first and foremost  - -  a business - -  and it needs rejuvenation and spark to stay interesting and provocative, just like any other.

I was trained at …. Vidal Sassoon. A school that has strict rules and regulations for extremely valid reasons. I admire their ways & means of teaching and continue to follow them all to this day. This entire BLOG is littered with both: KC-isms & Sassoon-isms… so if you want to learn the same, I would read and absorb……..read and absorb. 

Now, when any Colorist is preparing to color a hair models hair, the first step always is the “consultation”. To me there is no more important step. The reason so many Stylists/Colorists make mistakes, is because they don’t take the time necessary to properly analyze this step and look at their clients hair back story. It is crucial to a successful outcome, to fully

• analyze the hair’s characteristics,
• learn the previous color processes performed
• understand the “desired” look

Now, one of the biggest and most common mistakes one will see on blonds, is when the hair turns yellow/brass/orange/gold . I’ve tried many ways of explaining why that happens, we will try another one today. There is a misconception that ‘brass’ is a color and it can be removed, when nothing could be further from the truth. Its a bit of an ‘odd’ concept how the color Brass, or blorange, or Gold shows its ugly head in hair. But let me try  to explain how, where and why it comes from. I can’t tell you the amount of readers that have asked me if they could use the artificial hair color remover “VANISH” to remove the BRASS from their hair.’ 

Another KC-ism in Hair Color is

“ ALWAYS USE THE PROPER TOOL FOR THE JOB “

 

Using Vanish is the complete wrong tool, and it seems to be my issue in not teaching this concept properly….as to why some of you don’t understand why not....I would like to try to get this clarified in this post, if you don’t understand, PLEASE ask in the COMMENTS section below, so I can see what I am missing.

When you apply color to the hair you are adding color . Color + Color (=) makes more Color, so the hair has more pigment. If the color used is addition only, the hair will often (but not always) be darker.

 
When finally comprehending color theory, it can benefit much more than hair color, it can add to the Interior or Exterior Design of your Home, the Clothing you put together and wear, it can even benefit the Frosting or Decorations you make on a cake. Color Theory affects many different aspects of ones life, and once it sinks in,you will find yourself having “aha” moments that deal with color theory revelations randomly.I receive emails from new Crib Colorists all the time with various stories of how color theory has popped  into their everyday life. Remember ANY education, is good for you. 

For a balanced natural hair color: all 3 primaries must be present

An imbalance (lack of any of 3 primaries) of primaries leads to an imbalance of end result

Therefore if you are blond, with brassy tones, the method one would use to “COUNTER” the brassy tones is what?

If the hair color is brassy, that means the primary that is the strongest is the YELLOW.

{Primary colors are Red, Blue & Yellow}

So, if the YELLOW is predominant and is what is causing the hair to be an obnoxious brassy color

Use the rule, that if the color is objectionable, then play with the primary colors to solve the problem.Take the 2 other primary colors…..???? RED & BLUE, mix them together which makes PURPLE ( right?)

Add a PURPLE TONER to that brassy Blond and it will knock that brass right out of the hair .

Once you begin to lighten hair….warmth is released. The first pigment to be released during lightening is BLUE. If you start with the blackest most coarse hair and begin to lighten it with bleach, you immediately see a change.

Because BLUE is the first pigment to leave the hair, you would go very quickly into the RED Zone, which is also the most difficult zone to leave. However if you use a microscope to observe the same black hair being lightened, you would see a different dominance of pigment at each step

So, if you were to observe the amount of natural pigment remaining in the hair at each level under a microscope, you would see a dominance of blue pigment at LEVEL 1 – BLACK, Which makes sense because black is really the BLUEST BROWN.

• Level 2: very very dark brown, a dominance of blue/violet, which is still very dark but not black,prevails.
• Level 3 : violet dominates
• Level 4: violet/Red
• Level 5: Red
• Level 6: Red/Orange
• Level 7: Orange

**LEVEL 7, btw is the most difficult stage or level to get past  -  all the trouble with brassy colors in hair stems from this

• Level 8 : DURP Gold
• Level 9: Yellow
• Level 10: Very Pale Yellow

Now, that is an overview of where “brass” comes from and why it is so very difficult to get rid of. It is the most dominant color, it is the hardest color to counter, and the most impossible color to eliminate. There is no avoiding it, it is the most predominant color in everyone’s hair, no matter ‘what’ color the Virgin hair is.
Now to explain ‘why the Balyage technique makes no sense to “this Colorist” anyway!
The color hardest to get out of the hair………is Gold/Brass {Level 7 Brass/Gold is like Glue}
The way in which hair is lightened is by applying bleach to the hair. The bleach then “lifts” the  color OUT OF THE STRANDS….in an effort to lighten it into the desired blond shade of choice….. in other words its like  sucking the color out the strands of hair…..
(I want to put this in the most simplified terms possible)
Say the hair is BLACK………….and you DESIRE PLATINUM
The mixture of Bleach plus 40 VOLUME DEVELOPER  is applied to the black hair and the bleach begins to suck the color out of the hair…………..
The lightening train goes like this….color is drawn out of the hair strand in this method:

• BLACK - ->>> GOES TO
• DARKEST BROWN ----> > >TO
• DARK  BROWN  - - -> > >  GOES TO
• BROWN  - - -> > >  GOES TO
• LIGHT BROWN - - - -  GOES TO
• RED - - - > > >  GOES TO
• RED-ORANGE---->>> WHICH goes TO - - - >>>
• ORANGE- - - > > >  WHICH THEN GOES TO
• GOLD  - - -  - which goes to
• YELLOW - - - -> > > >
• PALE YELLOW BLOND
• PALE BLOND the desired colored when millions of women go looking for a Sun-Kissed Blond Look).

Bleach/ lightener doesn't keep its strength forever.........Really after 75 minutes ( or knowing how well your hair lifts ,which should always be calculated with a strand test prior to using this product) 
Now what happens to so very many blonds that have BRASS instead of BLOND….is the lightener ( of whichever type or kind has been used)has not been left on long enough, OR a strong enough developer was not used. Resulting in the hair lightening up but getting stuck at the “GOLD” Level…..see it up there? If the lightener would have stayed on longer or a stronger volume developer would have been used it would have been able to climb those remaining 2 levels to PALE YELLOW BLOND .

Now when this dippy Balayage method, paints the Lightener on the hair –  FreeHand as you see in this photo: 
Why would you paint the lightener on the hair free hand? I have no idea what that accomplishes?
I wonder if they think it looks more natural??  It won’t……I wonder if they think it’s faster ?? Most likely.. . . .
 Foils are difficult to learn - they had foiling BOOT camps at Sassoon because they not only wanted your foiling work to be 'pretty' looking - when the foils were on the head  ( which at first I thought was sooooooooo bizarre - who cares???) ..............then after I finally absorbed and understood the entire Sassoon world and education I finally GOT IT ! While the other people in the salon had screwy looking uneven and  horribly placed foils - yours would be perfect and orderly, it not only made your client feel special I cannot tell you how many clients switched to me to be their Colorist -- SIMPLY because of my foiling work. I OWE THAT ALL TO SASSOON ! ) Remember Foils keeping moisture in and on the strands. Moisture keeps the lightener active and working, the last thing you want is for it to dry out.........which is what will happen to it in the AIR .....during Balayage. Do you really think no one thought of this before?  That's the part that gets me. So 70 years ago when all of these techniques were first being formulated you don't think the first Colorists didn't think of painting the bleach on the hair FIRST????

OF COURSE THEY DID.

Because when you did that the client would repeatedly end up with brassy hair - then the hair needs to be "re-colored' and REPEATING lightening processes on top of each other is called OVER-LAPPING and check in my rules about how to achieve the most damage in lightening hair. OVER-LAPPING is at the top of the list. 

They figured out a long time ago if foils were used that the majority of people would have properly colored blonde hair. They did NOT make up the process just because they wanted to add a useless step to lightening hair. 

THAT JUST IS NOT HOW TOP COLORISTS ROLL !

I know this is a very controversial subject but I stick to my guns about how foiling is the proper method for achieving natural looking "off- scalp" streaks, wisps or ribbons or ropes or pieces or whatever you want to call little pieces of hair that are lightened lighter than the rest of the hair.
FOILS are hard to learn. Ask anyone who is an A List Colorist and if properly placed they can achieve the exact same look with less time and more control.



 Here is another photo of Balayage, which I would foil and would achieve this exact same look.



As a Colorist .......what you want when you color hair is “control”. 

Control and Timing so I know exactly what is going to happen and WHEN. If you are to paint lightener on the hair you are going to lose the body’s warmth that comes from using foils. Once the lightener is applied to the strand of hair then the foil is folded over that strand …. both the body and the foil create HEAT a very mild warmth which is actually just perfect -- it gently helps the lightening action along. if you don’t use foil, you lose that, which means you have a much greater risk of ending up in the BRASS RANGE. The dreaded BRASS – range......... its why we use foils. 
 Lightening hair without the use of foils is archaic and unnecessary. If anything, apply the foils with the lightener, as hair stylists you must learn how to check hair that has lightener on it, and KNOW WHAT STAGE IT IS, I mean it doesn’t take long…in about 2 months of practice you could be good at foils and should know what hair looks like when you scrape off the lightener from a clients foils….to be able to tell whether or not you should rinse a client now or in 20 minutes. Yes, its an  art, but dammit, get GOOD at that art….its why you went into this biz, don’t be a slacker.

I cannot even figure out what the purpose of Balayage is, to be perfectly frank.

 I need to be clear on something.......its not the "look" of Balayage I don't like ...its the "application form" people are trying. Of course there are some beautiful balayage heads of hair out there, and a lot of talented artists doing the "freehand technique'' - but that is not the norm. I hear from . Many people end up here because of some hair disaster - so when you hear it as much as I do, you really wonder if this whole hair painting thing is worth the marketing ploy.
With foils you can create just about any work of art you would like….. foils let Color 1 be on a certain portion of hair. . . . while allowing Colors 4-7 & 9 to NOT be other portions…. 

Using foils are the mark of a Great Colorist. Everything they claim Balayage can create we have been doing for years with foils. There is a certain strain of hairstylists that don’t use foils and the only reason I could possibly imagine for not using foils is laziness, they are untrained in the art, or...the clients hair lifts so quickly it may get damaged.  . Foils are used for the heat they retain – the art they allow to have and the mobility they impart when trying to display a rainbow of colors WITHOUT BRASS in the blond’s. 

I will have at least a half dozen people every week ask me what they can do to get the brass out…..or the ‘orange’ out…I ask how the Stylist colored their hair and the answer is ALWAYS BALAYAGE!!!!!! So, if you believe nothing else, believe that, or your own experience.
The only way to lighten hair with “control” over how light it does or does not get is with Bleach. So many are hesitant of the use of bleach, . As an experienced Colorist, bleach can be your best friend … there are just soooo many uses for it, but never ever use it without plenty of experience behind you. 

Balayage began in the country of France, which explains a lot (to me) . Balayage,  is a French term for hair painting. It is a freehand placement of highlights, without the use of foils, allows for a more natural color application that complements and contrasts in all the right places.THAT is what the textbooks say. I say, bring back the foils!

This is what Balyage looks like;



Think before you request this technique and I never EVER would suggest or imply that anyone should try to do this technique at home, this is where the talented hair colorist comes in and they come in with a BANG doing this right! Ask that Stylist if they also do foils. 
Remember foils give the colorist more control and get the hair PAST that dreaded ‘brass’ stage.
Something.................anyone Loves !

Bleaching for Rainbows : Dark Hair Yearns to Be Blonde, the Absolute Safest Way - Zero Damage

I Apologize Brunettes But BLONDE'S 

Rule the Air Waves & Social Media

This week a bombardment of you who have very dark hair ( Level 1-4)  just insist on wanting to be Blonde. I get it and I understand but if you will follow my preaching in this very long and laborious Blog - you can be platinum as well

If you were in my chair I would weigh you out . . .  spend 10 minutes trying to talk you into enjoying the glory of dark hair and giving you other tricks you could do, but those tricks are better left to the pro's, remember I like to teach here the color jobs that I believe all of you can handle and also will be thrilled with the results. The side effect is achieving healthy hair at the same time and is my #1 Concern & the THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR.

I also have experienced those who are dead set on it and if I don't help them they will just keep going until they achieve that crown of platinum glory they have dreamed of since being a small child. So this is for those of you who fit into that category...

WITH THE WEALTH OF CELEBS JUMPING IN MAYBE ITS YOUR TURN TOO?

BEFORE YOU DO REMEMBER THIS ONE SENTENCE:

'' HIGH MAINTENANCE'' 
 ( the phrase derived from turning dark hair ---> platinum ) - so not only it is required to receive touch-ups - it can be taxing on your wallet. The only way many can handle the look is by turning into a Crib Colorist and going "FOR IT" ! ! 

I will give you 10 Don'ts in this process and if you decide to go ahead you must read all posts on this Blog regarding subject matter and I promise if every single question is not answered you can text me at the store's number and I will answer it. (if its complicated then you must send your Killer 18 questions with your question - ( just GOOGLE the Killer 18 questions)........

1.  DO NOT USE POWDERED LIGHTENER/BLEACH - - - - which is where I feel all the damage comes from in lightening hair!  There is no need to, cream lighteners exist. I don't like any of them so had to make our own and then I learned to tint it a rich blue/velvet which helps with 1 less bleaching application AND removal of brass/gold. Ours is a Cream & oil based Bleach, not just Cream like everyone else and I use a very special triad of oils, that make the hair shine afterward.
2. NEVER use any bleach/lightener to remove OLD 'previous'  hair color, that is not at all what it is made for, the single biggest mistake Stylists make, to me.  Use a Color Remover.
3. DO NOT try this unless you are fully educated on the process, it is the single most tricky color to get right. I see celebrities all the time with yellow hair and it just makes my skin crawl. 
   
4. Never think 1 Lightening session is going to be all you have to do. If you are a Level 9 VIRGIN hair with Zero color on it, you would be the only one pretty much that can get away with 1 bleaching session. It runs the gamut from 2-12. ! Yep 12 boxes of VANISH means you most likely have 15 boxes of old black hair color on your hair for years and the highest numbers of boxes I sold to a woman like that was 13!  But, you never heard a happier person when complete. This is a one time procedure and you will learn so much, it will never happen again!
5.  If your hair is 2 feet long I would not suggest this procedure at all. Yes, it can be done but most people with that long of hair do not really want to cut it, the shorter hair the better. I mean this one seriously.
6.  Do not think that you must buy 5-8 boxes of VANISH to remove your old hair color, I fully realize how expensive it is. One of your biggest mistakes would be NOT reading about the (1) Shampoo Train  (2) Malibu DDL Lifter Packet (3) Wella's RENEW Color Remover(4) Malibu CPR Remover.........are all valid measures to removing old hair color. The goal? do it as gently as possible. Even going in a pool with chlorine is a nice help - don't over due obviously! 
7. Don't think for a minute if you have thin hair this isn't for you, this IS for you . . . it is what so many celebs with famously thin hair do, ( they just wear $100,000. wigs on the movie screens! ) Truly ! Look at Renee Zellwager, Julianne Hough, Michele Ledger Williams, Charlize Theron....all have naturally thin hair. Lightener kind of blows out the cuticle and makes it appear thicker and it sure will handle and style better! 
8. NEVER -EVER - EVER apply the lightener just willy-nilly all over the head, that is not how it is done, you MUST invest in proper tools and we sell them cheap, on purpose. Divide head in quadrants. Take each section at a time. Purchase a wall mirror ( home depot) where you can see the back of your head while you apply it is weird at first, but you will become a pro sooner rather than later. Think of hair color sort of like cooking.......both are science really. If you follow the rules and do things in the proper order, its a "piece-of-cake"! 
9. DO NOT take short-cuts, if that is what you want to do, this procedure isn't for you. There are NONE allowed. Remember this big first procedure is only done once! The idea is to get all of the hair platinum 1st and then its not that bad.... if you think about it....every 4-8 weeks all you need is 1 of the 2 applications that come in our Kit to retouch roots. I always suggest starting with the pro Kit, I know its expensive but hey, pay for it over 6 months through PAY PAL...........it will assure you have enough product, and most likely will end up with enough to do your roots for another 6 months minimum (depending on many various factors that is - length of hair, texture, porosity, denseness, etc..)

Last but not least my 2 favorite pet peeves: (1) Never EVER apply Bleach to the roots first, it will ALWAYS be the last place you apply it (heat from head makes it process faster than rest of hair - thus the term "hot roots" you may have heard of) Finally, the key to this whole thing working out properly is being sure you have applied the lightener enough times, you want the hair to be yellow free enough, where if you do not want to apply a Toner it will look beautiful as well. But with all the Toners out these days, I can tell you its a whole lotta fun to experiment. So do NOT forget to apply lightener, process 65-70 minutes, remove only by rinsing ( no shampoo) dry and check color. Bleach must be applied on dry hair, so you will see the color after each lightening.

1. 

 

I hope this finds you well and I very much appreciate all the love and prayers everyone has sent me - they are working

But as you can see I am up and roaring again ( just a bit slower and more carefully) - 

 

Watch for new things once again and we have a FACEBOOK GROUP (which I am looking for a moderator for - -  just to work with me - - anyone interested?)

(Please TEXT/or call the store phone number)  

 

and am considering opening the old group up again. Lots of you remain with many questions for me to answer. 

 

Bleachin For Rainbows .............KC
 

How Hair Turns Blond - and Its Not What You Think ! !

One of the most common problems I get asked is . . .

 

"how can I get this lousy hair color out of my hair and just simply get back to something beautiful and blond?"

Seems so easy to many of you, when in fact it will be the single hardest thing you ever do to your hair. That one weak moment in the drug store, that reach for that darn 'Color-in-a-box' was where it began that treacherous slide down the hill into the pit of "no-return". You knew better . . .you knew, but you did it anyway and now you are paying.

I have written many a Post about this subject, but I continue to get numerous people every week with the same sad song, so I am trying a different approach with this post. I'm hoping if I explain why and how hair turns blond, it will make some of you see why it isn't so simple to come BACK from. Although, I will give many of you credit, many will tell me that once you discovered KILLER STRANDS, started reading and studying, you wished you would have found me just one week earlier - so that you prevented the whopping mistake. Here's hoping this explanation opens some eyes, if you have any questions at all ...you know where the comments section is. . . Mahalo

Blonde is The Absence of Color in Hair, NOT a Color Itself

Blond, James Blond - The First Post of a 10-Part Series on everything I can come up w/ on Blonding

Within the walls of Killerstrands we have a way of displaying to everyone what our hair color looks like now, what we were born with and where we want to go with it. We call the 10 Questions the KILLER 10, we call them that because these 10 questions are absolutely necessary in order to have a successful result when coloring your hair. {oh and btw : these questions better be considered by your Stylist in a Salon situation as well}.  What we have below is both the display of that and the beginning of a Series I am going to write called:  Blond, James.....Blond - The Crib Colorists Side of the Complexities of Having and Keeping Your Hair Blond. issues at hair salons across the United States and now that many have Killerstrands to use...... a lot of it is going on at home as well.

I was just writing the first of a 10-part series on Blonding, when I received this question, that shook up my whole idea of what I should talk about and I'M THRILLED ! I love to have a clear focus of the angle of Blonding (or whichever subject I'm writing about) that many of you don't quite understand. Now, I can clearly see where I should concentrate the next 9 Posts about. The concept of how we arrive at blonde hair. It is a weird one. People think that Blond is a color, well.....technically it is not. Blond is the absence of brown, well - wait.....let me start at the beginning .... here is the Question that was Posted in our Group - that made me re-think the whole series. . .

 My Hair Is A Disaster I need Your Help ? ?

Here's my Killer 10.

1. Do you have previous haircolor on your hair? Yes, I have 90% of
Highlights

2. What is your VIRGIN (God-given) hair color level & tone ?  7N

3. What IS your present Hair Color level & Tone ? Terrible 8.34, 9.3
and a very few 10.01

4. What is your DESIRED hair color Level & Tone ? 8.12(I think .12 is
ash/violet, right?) or 9.12

5. What is your percentage of Gray? Is it Resistant? very few, it just
started showing up

6. What is your DURP?  When I do highlights my hair turns yellow/
orange. When i color my hair turns orange/red

7. What is your texture? Dry  (but was not like that before a year
ago)

8. What is the Porosity? Low porosity

9. Along w

10. What is your length and thickness? A little bit underneath the
shoulder. Fine-course (but it was thick before)

What is the Condition ? damage, brassy and frizz

I'm 40 years old from Brazil  and I started highlighting my hair when I
was in my 20's. My hair used to look like Alessandra Ambrosio's hair
with that color and those highlights. That's the way I like my hair
(with a little bit more highlights than her). It was like that until 1
year ago when I changed my colorist because she moved. After that,
every colorist i went to, messed up my hair and now I have highlights
over highlights over highlights all over my hair... Every thing they
put in my hair turns brassy, yellow, orange, and sometimes redish-
orangish. Now I have all these horrible colors in my hair with 2
inches of my roots showing and I really don't want to try another
salon.

What I want you to help me with is decide what to put in my hair
because I am really lost since it is going to be the first time I
color my own hair. I am thinking about using 9.02 + 8.10 and I'm going
to be crazy and try the star shape technique (because i think this is
the easiest one, and i really dont like my hair in just one color)
with 10.10, with 9.22 toner all over my head. What do you think, Is
this a good combination? Should I use 30v or 40v on my base? Should I
use 40v on my star shape and 10v on the toner? What about the times
for the star shape and the base? I put the toner on wet hair?

I really hate orange, yellow, and red and unfortunately my hair has
all those colors. Do I need to use a blue and violet shot to mix in my
formula? If you think neither of these options work on my hair, then I
am willing to go back to my natural color.

Thank you for helping me, I really appreciate it, 

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Wow............

 This one Question jogged my brain and reminded me that I myself had a difficult time with these concepts when I first began, which is great news for all Killerstrands readers ! Here I was about to embark on the James Blond Series - Well, what a way to start it, with a real Comment from the Killerstrands Group.

Let me start out by saying that at about the age of 30 and then again at about age 40, 50 and in my 100% honest opinion on the DECADE of every age from then on.... EVERYONE's hair begins to change. . .and as much as I am one of those people who feels we get better with age, unfortunately I do not feel our hair is on board with that theory. it has a mind of its own. So first off, please get ready for your hair to change, its just part of life. We all must make adjustments accordingly to how your hair has altered for the worse.

At Killerstrands we do not encourage experimenting on the entire head of hair, we stress STRAND TESTS, on new formula's. That way the mistake or success is only on a small piece of hair. So please read a post or 2 on that subject before trying any color at all (yes that includes the Toner idea !). Take the time. Do not put it off and think its not worth it. Once you get the color down, then you may fly through the application. But I will tell you that most of the mistakes that are made are made because you are in a hurry. Forget the mental attitude that comes with doing "Boxed" Hair Color. Hair color that is gorgeous is NOT FAST. Remember the last time you had 'rockin' color by a great Colorist....I bet it wasn't fast ! Anything that is done well, is not done in a hurry.

Now. The problem with your hair and hair color in general. Its difficult to know why a new hairdresser screwed up in the manner in which you describe. This concept stumps a lot of people but I am going to try one more additional way in which to explain it......

> Blonde is not a color you "add': to the hair. The strands of hair have natural pigment in them from birth. That pigment 9 times out of 10 is darker....say a Level 7,6,5 and on and on. The way you reach blonde is by removing layers of natural pigment. So you ( for lack of a better word) SUCK-OUT the pigment in the hair in order to reach blond. Lets say someone has Level 7 color and the goal is a Level 9 . We do NOT ADD color to go from a Level 7 to a Level 9. What we do is "lift" the color out of the strands in order for it to become lighter (and blonder) . Therefore if the color is Lifted out of the strands - - rather than: removing existing color.... as many of you think, it would not work. But, I am very glad this scenario was brought to my attention....so now I see clearly what issues are not understood.

So, I need to work on this area so that everyone understands this concept better! Thanks for this, both of you ! !                        

Blond is not a color that is added to your hair.

Although, Brunette is .

Why isn't blond?

Blond is the hair color that is the result of "lifting"out your natural color . When either "lightener" or High Lift Blonde's are used, there are 2 main goals of the high lift blond colors.......1st they LIFT THE NATURAL COLOR OUT of the strands....then, they DEPOSIT the "tone" of Blond you have chosen.

I'm trying to remember how exactly this was explained to me years ago as this was a concept I just had the hardest time comprehending at the beginning. Remember my trick, read concepts you do not understand -- OVER and OVER again. Eventually it WILL sink in. (That was how I went to the hardest hair school in the USA with a bunch of 19 year olds and made it through the other side!)

'Lifting' basically means 'lightening'

Remember how (only) permanent colors can "lift", which is why as a Colorist we adore permanent colors compared to Demi-Permanent hair color. With the Demi-Permanent colors the only process they can do is to deposit hair color.

The most miraculous part of hair coloring is the fact that Permanent color CAN do 2 polar opposite techniques on ones hair  (lifting & depositing)  AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. Therefore when you apply level 9 - 10 - 12 to your hair with 30 or 40 Volume that color you applied will FIRST lift all your natural color out of the hair strands you have applied it to, then it will deposit the tonal quality you have chosen.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Now My Dear, I cannot tell you why your hair color is all these bizarre colors for sure....but if you have had it beautiful at some point then I am guessing it is very possible. I would start by following Betty and try 9.22 + 10 Volume - that is a toner with strong Violet undertones. Violet rids us of Brass. How you use the color wheel on this subject is.....if you have brass that you cannot stand....go to your color wheel.....go to the color directly ACROSS on the Color Wheel. Across from Yellow is Violet. The Color directly across WILL CANCEL THE COLOR you dislike. You don't need us if you understand that one little rule. Don't like Orange? Use a color that has a BLUE base.

 If you had a stylist doing your hair that you loved I am willing to bet a lot of money that she used the old "standard" used by every Hairstylist known to man......and that is powder lightener and 10 Volume with the 1st bowl  and once you are half way thru the hair you use powder lightener and 20 Volume. THAT is how you avoid all those crazy colors you quoted and that is what is used on all those South American models, I've worked on their hair before. Most of them have at least a Level 6 hair. Most Hair Stylists don't go to all the trouble I do using 2-3-4 colors......so I need to remember that for all of you to not have to live up to the way in which I worked. I know that over 1/2  It was harder, and there are short-cuts, I just need to be aware that I should point them out for all of you to choose your method of coloring from. Since I have turned into over to a home hair colorist myself, I have even stopped putting blond pin-size ribbons in the top of my hair, its too hard - so now I get it. 100% !

In the hair business the #1 manner in which Stylists put "highlights in the hair, is by using "powder lightener"( bleach) and 10 or 20Volume. The issue with that is, you want to be fast enough so that you get all the foils in within a very close margin from each other..... The biggest no-no with using powder lightener is not leaving it on too long. Then you get into the field of creating Damage. So THAT is the theory behind running Strand Tests. If you do not leave the lightener and 10V "ON" long enough ...then if you look at the 10 degree's of De-Colorization Chart, what would you end up with?.........................Guess ?    ?  You could end up with orange-Gold or the hard-to-avoid "BRASS" ! Remember how it works. . . The hair begins brown.....yes if it is black it is even 1 step darker than on this chart.  As time ticks away in the "processing time" everyone's hair begins to go up the chart up above. And as you can see if the time has not been long enough it will stop at RED ......if not long enough STILL.....It will be Gold ......the goal should be the top 2 shades....yellow (which is a nice Golden Blond) and Pale Yellow (which is most likely the color most strive for). 

The issue that effects this most is................your God-Given DURP. Your Dominant-Underlying-Remaining-Pigment that is basically hidden from most.  Some people (think Jennifer Anniston) have the most amazing DURP on Planet Earth.....which means as your hair goes UP the Ladder, in all the different Levels it passes through  - -  it is STILL or gorgeous color.  But that is not the "norm" and THAT is why EVERY single one of you should run a Strand Test or 2 !

 Also, when the powder lightener is used correctly you will eliminate all those crazy colors you spoke about.... The reason those crazy colors are there? Is because your color was not LIFTED - "PAST" the orange stage......not LIFTED "PAST" the Brass stage....and so on.....

I think you should purchase 1 or 2........ of X-Factor's 9.22, a small tub of Framesi's powder lightener ( 3 oz.)  and an X.Factor 12.20 Highlift +40V.....run strand tests with all 3 products and then you will know for yourself where your hair stands and which colors work for you.

What I want to be sure about is that NO ONE  use Vanish on Blonde, That is the one place you are not supposed to used it....as it would not work. I have seen a few people refer to possibly doing that, and I am glad I have finally had a chance to address this subject. So every woman with Blonde hair presently must NEVER use VANISH. Once you fully understand the Theory....it will make ZERO sense.

But I will continue on with this theory and this intensity in teaching everyone the ins & outs of the Blonding world.

thanks everyone,

Killer Chemist