Re-touch - ReTouch Who Needs A Re-touch ? Part 1

 Lots Of Killerstranders do, I know that much !

Re-touch of a Bleach & Tone. From a prior Post that was kind of lost/hidden and not seen from October of 2008. Doesn't matter the information is superb. You see I don't realize what you all struggle with until you speak up. Even if I act surprised when you say it, pay no attention to that. I welcome your questions and comments.

  Been a while since I've tackled a DEMO, thought it was about time, again. Lately I've had a number of my trusty followers purchase the products and get ready for their very first at home re-touch, turning them into a CRIB COLORIST by my rules of engagement!  Congratulations I say to you all and my gift and vote of confidence is this DEMO shot and written mainly for you. 
Some of this is a repeat, but what I have decided this time is to break it down much more slowly, transparently and clearly. I know I have a tendency to skip over parts that I think everyone probably already knows - mistakenly . Which is stupid on my part, because why would "ANY" of this be something you already know - - many of you are coming off of years of going to a Hair Salon in which you sat back, grabbed a magazine and started up with the latest trials & tribulations of your life to your trusted Stylist. Its funny, that's one of the things I miss the most . . . I never got many of the stories I knew about my hundreds of clients finished or completed or at least headed in the right direction. I'm sure they are all just fine!
Today we have Trixie . . . how about this sweetheart, who knew they made mannequins WITH roots! I laughed my ass off when I saw her, yet she actually filled the need most perfectly.  I know of at least a dozen of you that will be tackling this exact project in the coming weeks so I hope this helps.
She has a lot longer root than I would have liked, doing roots this length are easy, as you have so much root to work with. The tricky part is when you have a measly 1/2" or 3/4", you need to be so careful of the overlapping part. (overlapping meaning overlapping the bleach/ blond tint onto the already blond part of the hair - which can cause breakage). Don't worry about this now, I will go into detail about all of these topics this time.
Here are 6 photos of Trixie from every angle, if you can believe I gave her a 4 minute haircut because I just could not stand the way she showed up at my door, that should get a laugh out of you. Once the color is complete, we will see what we can do with the hair cut for a permanent look, how about a POLL ? ? ? At the comments section below why don't we have a little vote for what hair cut you think she should have?

 

How about my make-up job? Swift huh? Like I said, you should have seen, "what showed up" !! Lots of color is better than Peter Pan and Twinkleberry puff colors, trust me!
Now that you have met and seen the project . . . what would be you very first step . . . all the time imagining this is your OWN hair and you are applying this technique to yourself, that's how these DEMO's work.
 
Sectioning, Parting and Preparation
Get the supplies out that you will need to do the SECTIONING and PARTING of your hair. What I really want to impress upon you is how important the sectioning and parting is. Maybe If I relay a story about how they crammed it into our heads at Vidal Sassoon Academy a way back when the teachers were grand, the art was still alive, and at unbelievable levels it will make you see more clearly what I mean.  Every week for the first 12 weeks of the Academy - - we had what was called "State Board Training" . . . we all hated it. It was a process of memorizing rules and regulations that we would NEVER put to use in our actual career and we all knew it, but you had to pass the test or the rest of what we learned would go right out the window. To keep us from going out of our minds . . they would break up the day with sectioning and parting - -  for 12 weeks mind you!  A couple hours of each day our break from reading boring - pointless - out-of-date Rules, was to grab our mannequin heads or work on each other and practice our parting and sectioning. Seems so silly to me now, although in trying to teach the process to you, I now see the importance of it all.
The complaint I get from many of you is the issue of keeping the hair straight and not getting it all mixed up within itself. Clips over tint brush thru combs on top of the bowl of color . . .well you get the picture.
The Answer . . .as it is to many questions of confusion  . . . is ORGANIZATION.  Plain and simple organization and steps. So for Step 1 to the madness called Hair color we shall call it section, parting and Preparation. Today we are getting prepared and Sectioning the Quads. and that's it! Slowly but surely we will get through this so that you will all have the Sassoon Mind set. Repetition is at the base of any great hair colorist - doing things over and over  will have you tuned into what to do automatically. It worked for me and if it works for the best and most famous school in The country, then it will work for you. DO NOT CUT CORNERS - if you do that, it will be your first downfall. 
This is what you need to get out to prepare to do the initial sectioning and parting and prep. Clips - invest in strong ones, they last 2 years and are worth it, they MUST be plastic -metal reacts with bleach in a bad way. Couple cutting combs, couple tail combs and GLEAM. Never color hair with out GLEAM, Argan Oil is even better, but I won't even use it until the price comes down a bit. I found the GLEAM works almost exactly the same.

I always need 8 clips and 4 combs, its just the standard prep tools I grab for - no matter what. As you can hopefully see the combs have different widths and teeth to help with the density of the hair.. if you have super coarse hair you may need the larger combs. I'm battling with some pretty freaky hair hair so this won't be an easy job for me, all the much better to show you the process with. Mannequins hair does not lay down flat like a real persons, among many other challenges, one would never think of!  The more organized you are at the beginning the easier the entire process will go for you. I want you to enjoy coloring your hair, so you look forward to doing it next time, not the other way around.
 
So the sectioning begins with getting your head into QUADRANTS. See the straight part from nose to nape. Then the straight part from ear to ear. Practice this parting not once or twice . . . practice getting it exactly EVEN 15 times! Yep its that important!
The head needs to be divided into 4 EQUAL SQUARES. If you do this and treat each as its own individual section, it will make your life easier AND ( the key to this is ) > it will make you faster in applying the color - the goal for most of you.

 Just different views of the whole "quadrant" idea I'd like to plaster into your brain. See how the whole head is divided into 1/4'ths. The reason for this ? ? ?  So you treat every quadrant as its own individual section, that you will be 'starting' and 'finishing' before going onto the next section.   You are to focus on that 1 section only. Nothing else.  It gives you a beginning -- middle -- and end to your project . .  something nice, when you feel like you don't know what you are doing. Right? Always starting at the bottom of each section FIRST - - working upward going to the top of that section and then completing it. 
Again notice the quadrants pointed out with the TAIL COMBS. Keep your hair in these quadrants at all times during the coloring process.
IT  WILL  MAKE  YOUR  LIFE SO  MUCH  EASIER ............. I  PROMISE

Next is the GLEAM, wonderful - glorious - GLEAM. What a Godsend this has been for me and my clients. . . as it will also be for you.
It depends on the amount of hair you have, but not a whole lot is needed


Just a few squirts if you got the smaller bottle and 2 eyedropper fulls if you got the larger bottle is plenty. The idea is to get the oil everywhere that you plan on applying any color/bleach/lightener at all. Do not worry about putting it everywhere ( if you feel like it) I was just trying to save you a bit of money, I actually put it on the entire head of hair. Its done some wonderful repairing for dry and damaged hair clients of mine. You will see.

  So there you have it, the entire head is gleamed up and read to have color applied. This one back section is all GLEAMED up and ready to go. You will want to begin applying the color  in the back 2 sections as they are the more resistant sections of the hair and are the most stubborn so we want the color on them the longest. Its like God planned it that way, so he gives us the time to get the color on the front sections without destroying the back sections. .

 .  Truly it does work that way! Its more than OK for the color to be on the back 2 sections for 20 minutes longer ( although we don't really 'think' like it, that way) - because of its resistance . . . until we can get to the front two sections and apply that color as fast as possible to those sections. So it all comes out "cooked" properly and done at the same time. 
Just like a great Thanksgiving dinner.
The next POST will be mixing the bleach and applying one section ONLY -- very slowly and just like this post so hopefully you will see in detail the proper manner in which to successfully color your hair. This may also be applied to the exact same process if you are tinting your hair brown or red or whatever color. This is a color RE-Touch and works for ALL COLORS!






 Killer Chemist

 HAPPY NEW YEAR

Bleaching 'Platinum' Secret - Its All In The 'Numbers'

 In Order To Achieve This Beautiful Shade of Pink or Powder Blue or Violet or any of the beautiful pastels there are in the world of hair coloring Crazy Colors there is one gigantic secret that I have not released.

 And while there are still many secrets I possess this one seems so very 'LOGICAL' to me
 I am surprised many of you have not figured it out.  

While perusing the Internet lately I came across a Video tutorial of "how to use our Oil Bleach Kit". You know ..... one of those that show you from the minute you get the package.... to applying it on the hair. 
Well.......................
It 
Was 
Atrocious...............not her and not her attempt 
the Outcome - I mean.............. 
my God I would hope some of you would not attribute that result to my Beloved  OIL BLEACH KIT

This is a very short & Sweet Tutorial to help you prevent that vivid recollection

You remove old hair color and then you get to bleaching.
You only bleach the lengths FIRST...........
and you bleach them to VERY - VERY - VERY  LIGHT , no one will be... 1 bleaching .
 NO ONE. 
Plus, about only 10% of you will be 2 complete bleachings. 
2 Bleaching's means you apply the product to the lengths of the hair completely -- let it process for 65 minutes, rinse, apply INTENSIVE,  rinse and dry. 
Then apply the 3rd time to the Base ( roots)

Then the majority of you are 3-4-5 complete bleachings with the last one being the base.
Remember, the base comes up very quickly with the heat of the body -- warming up -- the oil bleach -- which makes for fast lifting.

Level 1-2-3 will be 4-5-6 bleachings even
So many of you at a Level 7 will be 3-4 bleaching's. If you have coarse hair, or virgin hair you will be 4-5 bleaching's. Going platinum is why and where (no joke) the term "HIGH MAINTENANCE", came from.

MULTIPLE BLEACHINGS is the trick to achieving Platinum.
The trick is applying INTENSIVE when finished and knowing when to stop !
 While that video tutorial was cute and flattering the outcome was horrifying and I do not want anyone to think that is how it comes out, because it does NOT!

When applied the correct amount of times, and finished off with INTENSIVE -- I REPEAT -- the result is the above photo and every single platinum hair photo in this Blog!

Happy New Year

KC

The Only Hair Color Remover ANYONE Ever Needs

Rarely Does a Product Work As Well As It Claims

"VANISH" Works Even Better

To understand how to get old miserable hair color out of your hair, let me tell you a little story of how hair color actually works...how it changes the color of the strands and how it remains changed into another color other than its own ! ! Then you will be able to understand how to remove hair color.

You must understand how hair color goes into the hair in order to understand how it comes OUT.
When you apply hair color to the hair (that is ANY hair color that comes with developer) it goes INTO the hair strand (it doesn't sit on top of it).  It doesn't matter if it is called demi-permanent, semi-permanent, or whatever the hair color companies have made up. Hair color is a chemical process and the one and only way it works is when you put the hair color in the bowl and THEN add the developer..... and... POOF... the magic happens!!  The mixture of those 2 chemicals creates this process that shrinks the hair color molecules very miniscule . . . so small that they can get inside the shaft of the hair and turn that hair strand a different color. THEN...the molecules enlarge so that they are STUCK inside all the hair strands. So those color molecules are bigger and another color now.

Many of you get frustrated with your hair color or decide to do something different to your body or looks -- to shake things up -  so you drive down to Target or the grocery store -- buy a box-o-haircolor'-- and apply. Through this Blog I am convinced it happens umpteen times each and every day, but 'why' is the question!?!?

I am trying to figure out why people do this..... go to a drugstore  to get hair color is like driving to the Beauty Salon to buy steaks to cook for dinner. You wouldn't do that, because the Salon doesn't cater to things 'food' related does it? They probably wouldn't know what to do with the meat .... how to keep it fresh .... how to package it....just everything. So that, is truly the same thing as driving to the Supermarket and picking out a hair color to apply. Who at the supermarket could answer questions about hair color? The Butcher? The Pharmacist?  You don't know if it is a bogus product or not, you can't even ask anyone for help. If you asked a manager at a grocery store for help with either choosing your hair color or how to apply it, he truly would look at you as though you were crazy - - - wouldn't he/she??  Please, there isn't a person alive...that doesn't cherish their hair - - . If that is truly the case then why start the process by purchasing the product somewhere they know nothing about it ??? The whole idea is as puzzling to me as it should be to YOU !
Your hair is important to you.
Don't disrespect it by purchasing the hair color you are going to use to change its color at the supermarket! PLEASE!

Now, let's just say you have done this. You have driven to the wrong store to purchase the wrong hair color, and you have applied it to that hair you love so much and it has become a God-awful hair color. . . .
What would you do?
Where would you go? 
How would you fix it ?
I hope you would head here...to the Killerstrands Blog for help with...one of 3 methods of yucky hair color removal.

The 3 standard items I believe remove hair color all in varying strengths are:

1. Shampoo 'with' sulfates (most gentle method)
2. Malibu2000 Packets - Color Correction (med. strength)
3. VANISH Treatments - (strongest - can do multiple applications)

I want to explain how VANISH works and why. The reason I want to do this is because there is not one other product like it on Planet Earth, it uses NO peroxide/developer, NO bleach, no ammonia.
You have read how hair color goes into the hair strands, now you must picture how it comes out with VANISH.

Remember how the hair color molecules shrink really small which makes them tiny enough to go INSIDE the strands of hair ? ?

When you mix Bottle #1 ... with Bottle #2 from the Vanish box into a bowl....the liquid looks exactly like water..... water with a funny smell. But it is now ready to apply with the sponge. Once you apply the liquid  - it begins working by REVERSING those molecules that went "IN" the hair strands by SHRINKING them again which allows those color molecules to COME OUT OF THE HAIR STRANDS ! ! ! 
That is why Vanish is the supreme product, no damage, no destruction of the hair strands AT ALL.

There is no better way to remove that color you no longer want.
I hope that story explains it a little bit (and remember if you want).

A link to see our color removing products

happy holidays
KC



 

21 Cosses - Help Them Heal

I have started a little tiny PINTEREST Board 

with 21 Crosses for the 21 people

You may add a teddy bear or a cross for those poor children and educators. Its only there because I would feel ridiculous not saying anything about this tragedy and going on with Hair talk as if it never happened. They deserve to be remembered by as many people as will.
 I'm only one, maybe you can be too.

PrayersForNewtown

How To Achieve a Level 8 Hair Color, the Most Difficult Of All Colors

 Having had a great question from one of our group members.......I have decided to answer it out here on the Blog.  I just knew the question/answer would help a lot of people everywhere, so I am going to attempt to answer it with a crystal clear answer.  Please continue to ask questions in the group until you understand it clearly. Remember no question. . . is a bad question....so keep them coming.

 My question is with developers. I understand that for each level of lift equals the number volume to use. Ex: 2 levels = 20 volume.  I'm trying to get an existing level 6/7 to an 8/9. So to me, it's 3 levels of lift ( 6,7,8). I was using a 8N and 30 volume. I was getting a 7/8g it looked like to me. Was it coming out really brassy because I was over processing and using too high of a developer?  I should of used an ash because of the underlying tones, but I want a gold. Should I use 8.01 or 8.1 and 20 volume instead?

  Hi S___. ,
Lets break your excellent question down.
First off I don't know who told you that ratio on developers, but it is completely wrong.
This is the correct ratio for them
10 Volume has '1/2'-1 Lift
20 Volume is  1 Level of Lift
30 Volume is 2 to 3 Levels of Lift
40 Volume is 3 to 4 Levels of Lift


This particular Level "8" is the area that so many of you have problems with, its hard to make the change like you are trying to.
I know it seems logical to use the hair color 'you want' to get the color you want.......BUT, that is the opposite of how hair color works. 
First, do you have Virgin hair? If you do, you would have 1 set of rules.
If you have previously colored hair you would have completely other rules.We have talked about this exact topic many times before .....    But, anyway....

I guess it must seem ridiculous but the answers to the Killer 14 questions gets you the solution you want. You must take into account all the factors that are in the 14 questions in order to achieve your desired color. If you have VIRGIN color, then you only need 4 -5 of them!
But, I would  be sure on your hair by strand testing the color before hand.

When you are choosing your hair color formula, you must take into account the color that are in the hair strands themselves. Hair Color is not solid when it goes on, it is transparent, like a nylon - - think of all the strands of your hair as legs - and your legs are the color you were born with - for you a Level 6.5. For this example you are saying your VIRGIN color is Level 6.5.

You say that you "want gold"....you tried gold and it showed you just what I am trying to explain....you added Gold to hair that already had tons of gold in it. Everyone is different - therefore everyone has a different amount off gold and brass and orange and that is why there isn't 1 small book with how -to-color hair that everyone can use........There just are too many variables.... that very few people truly understand.   But as the hair lightens - which is "LIFT" Here is the chart of how the hair lightens


The hair contains ALL THE WARMTH- - ALL the Gold -- ALL the BLORANGE - - ALL the orange and all the red in the world already, so if it has the warmth, there is no need to add anymore. This one fact is why 1/2 the women at Target have brassy hair. This is why box color kits don't work......because they have not put the proper formula in the box, they add warmth to those formulas, in the bottle.








There is no need to add more warmth.....see the level of hair on the left...........see the DURP : Dominant Underlying Remaining Pigment  that appears as you "lift" (or lighten) the original hair color .... so you can see all the warmth in the hair appear as you lighten it...It differs from ethnicity's as well. Hispanic/Asian/Italians. So what I am saying is they developed the colors to work on white hair, which is why you must add a couple different colors to get the perfect result.




Those tones you want are in the hair already...that is why I say the hair color is transparent






























 So, for the rest of your questions.............yes, you could use one of 3 formula's...........try to get used to the idea that you do not pick your formula from the hair color swatches..........try picking it from your study of hair color formulating.

I know its confusing.........it was confusing for me and every other person....I keep trying different methods of explaining it, because every one's brain works a different way.  In 15 years in the Salon I never once used a color from the "G" category (so GOLD !) - even at the beginning when I was fresh out of 2 years at Vidal Sassoon....and without all the heads of hair of experience under my belt.....I would strand test all the time.....I started to realize in that first year that they must have put that category in the charts to appeal to every one's 'sense of color'. Sense is what appeals to you as you look at it, not what you should use because that is how the Universal hair color system works.

So to get you your formula and hope just 1 more person now is closer to understanding how the Universal Level System, works.'
Use Wella Koleston Perfect as it has nice medium blonde's
You may use anyone of these 3 formula's (if you have virgin hair,only).
The rules change when you have hair color on the hair - remember that....you have to remove the old hair color - and re-arrange the formula....

Now, if you really want to try this, I would highly recommend joining the new FACEBOOK GROUP ..I can't just give one formula as there are many things to consider, ESPECIALLY each person's DURP.

please join the new FACEBOOK group and I will help you determine if this color will work on you --
Remember my saying .....not every person can be any color.!
But if YOU can be A LEVEL 8, I will tell you.
Remember ...........Strand Test .............Strand Test..........Strand Test !

I hope that helps and thanks for your Question . . .keep them coming. . . .
KC
Yes, she is correct 10 volume leaves a line of demarcation as does any Volume but 0!

 

Ace Hair Color Technique : Break Up Solid Hair Color w/ Glow Strips

Suggesting 1 Color to most of you is my number 1... GO-TO Hair color suggestion.  One color is beautiful and classic, it doesn't have to be your OWN color, just one color.  Google, "Celebrity Hair" ...  check out the hair 'color' of the top 30 celebrities you admire. I am almost certain they all have, one color. The only people using any variety really are the musician's, and well the variety they all use are extensions or wigs, and that doesn't count in this battle!

Once you decide on that one color  I wanted to offer some techniques easy enough for Crib Colorists to do.  Some of you get itchy for a little PIZAZZ in your hair ...  & so you do not ruin that wonderful new haircolor you have.....these are all easily accomplished and kept up I feel from home.

I call this technique : Glow Strips, for that "POP" of Color some may be seeking.

The Coloring area is in the shape of a many multi-pointed STAR  which is sectioned OFF from the remaining part of the hair in order to reach the resulting look.                 Please see the demonstration below . .

The woman in the above photo in the right hand corner has the technique on shoulder length hair...They have used COPPER strips on top of Blond hair and it is spectacular to me - the color combinations  you may achieve are endless. You don't have to always follow the 'norm'

This one has used the opposite affect which I adore as well....she has used dark rich chocolate                     

 All you need is:

•  color 
• a bowl
• tint brush
• clips
• cape or old T-shirt
• foils ( you may request 8 free with orders)
• these directions printed out

Meet Lola............Lola wanted a hair-cut

 There are many different variations, with this being the easiest. What a difference a cut makes... huh? even on Lola's stone cold face   ! ! !
 a complete demo for you to see how its done a simpler method of jazzing up your hair, without using the dreaded "highlights" button all the time . . .
 Now part the hair into a star like shape. Adding more or less strips - - according to the look you want. See how many I have chosen for this DEMO? You can now use that for reference as to how many to use for the look YOU want. (by seeing her result below) The more the strips the harder the whole process........the 'parting' is the hardest part. 




A star with strips is parted away on top of the head....It can be a 3-4-5-6-7 point STAR. YOUR choice...This was a 7 pointer. Whether you do it to yourself, or have a friend do it, you now can see how its done. See these clips? They are the strongest clips I have ever used....they last almost 2-3-4 years by a very BUSY Hair Colorists' routine ...imagine how long they will last for you!!


Then you "mask" the remaining area of hair off with barrier cream. Like painting, although you can do it with your finger.. !  Using Color Block like you see here, or barrier cream by Lanza. You are doing this is to cover the hair that you do NOT want to color....Leaving the "star" shape clean and ready to lighten.

Masked off ready to go.

See the star? This is a perfect photo of what it looks like when you are ready to color. DO NOT THINK you have to get the parting exactly perfect because you do NOT...look how goofy mine is...
                                                                                                 
You may use either  bleach ( I would go for the Oil Bleach Kit near the scalp and powder bleach on the lengths (ends) for the result of: blonde strips. You may use hair color, or crazy colors or toners.... all following the Universal System of Hair Color rules of color formatting.                                                    

 So there you go, you are all ready to color.
The barrier cream is on your hair protecting it from any bleach (lightener) getting on it.

Mix it up with 30Volume with this scenario - she has color on here hair so you must use bleach to lighten!

In addition I will show 3 variations on the same technique, so with each touch-up you can change it up for variety and spice. This also grows "out" beautifully , quite naturally it grows into paint drips ! the OMBRE method. Many (typical) Stylists, don't promote these types of techniques, then the client isn't coming back for constant touch-ups..or if you are too busy (I was) - you rely on your talent to attract clients not tricks..... See the start shaped hair with only bleach on it...? left on for 90 minutes.... Then rinse and shampoo & apply Intensive for at least 3 hours...........truthfully I would apply it for the 8 hours I recommend. 

would welcome this type of technique..only because it is beautiful and all those others worries are just put to rest.

Here she is shampooed and rinsed and wet headed......I forgot to take one shot of me applying the toner... You see right from the bleach, the color is a Yellowish blond  (which is completely normal)

So first you must bring the pH balance back to normal....how do you do this????
Come on boys and girls..... ? ? ?  after the Rinse....one must apply "INTENSIVE" - which is my personal secret trick for all my clients walking out my door and coming back to here again. Which is why I teach YOU to follow in my footsteps....so you will have the wonderful results THEY did.

 I applied the Violet Beige Toner from the X. Factor Demi-Permanent SOFT  9/22 http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/products/x-factor-hair-color-permanent-pro      it is one of the most beautiful toners for heavy brass that I have seen for a long time..

here is the results......... See the beautiful shape and color...I really love it and she was on top of the world....Which is the best thing about achieving the perfect color for clients or YOURSELF, too!

See how the strips formed a beautiful look and soooooooooo easy ! how the color ended up and no one ended up the points can be moved all around for different looks.!

Try this look with various colors....think about it........and come up with you own combinations.


Thank You for your support.

Killer Chemist