Complacent Stylist: Using heat and additives during the color process – PART 2
Last week, we broke down the science for what causes a formula to dry out and why hair would fry even when using a bond builder. If you haven’t read these yet you can find them here.
This week we will continue our focus on heat and additives during the color process but with 2 new scenarios.
1. “I added drops but it still didn’t cover.”
I shake my head every time at this question. The short answer, check what the base of your color line is. Compare that with which drops you are using to see what base it’s adding. You are more than likely recreating an “N” or neutralized color and missing the actual pigment you need to cover.
A bit of a warning, I’m going to get on a bit of a soapbox now… We seem to forget the color wheel. There is also a misunderstanding of what the base of color lines are. Some are warm bases, some are cool.
Additive drops usually give additional primary yellow pigment or gold when added. If the hair is missing the balance of primary pigments in red, yellow, blue and you are just adding more yellow (or gold) then the color is going further from balance. There will be no coverage or wanted color achieved.
If the base of the color line is cool or ashy, then adding yellow is going to get you a neutral result in the formula, not in the hair. You just canceled your own formula from being able to do anything… so basically, the client sat there with color for 30-40min for nothing but some conditioning from the color.
Anyone that has sat in on an All-Nutrient color class with me has heard this rant and understands the ever importance of primary bases in color. If you want to know more, sign up for the next class.
2. “I let her sit with color and 40vol and it didn’t lift enough.”
This one is tricky. Did it actually lift enough to what it was supposed to? Or did it just not lift enough to what you wanted it to?
The short answer, the color will never lift as much as bleach. You have to use higher levels of color and developer to achieve similar results as bleach. Remember, using higher levels of color on naturally darker hair will not give you the exact level you are using. It will give you a result somewhere between your clients natural level and the level you used in your formula.
Remember when we mix color, we get half of what we are mixing. For example, to make a level 6, we mix equal amounts of level 5 with level 7.
Another example… the client has natural level 4 hair and wants caramel looking highlights which would be equivalent to a level 7 golden brown. There are a lot more variables and factors to consider when formulating this. Like, we could use level 10 color with 30vol or 40vol developer and that would get us closer to what we are looking for. Level 7 is 3 levels higher than the natural level 4 of the client. Level 7 is 3 levels lower than the level 10 formula.
Bottom line, the porosity, density, and texture would dictate the developer. That’s the simplest way to get the result without me writing a novel.
So don’t be a stylist who gets lazy and comfortable. Instead, stay creative and use chemistry to give your client the exact color they want.
- Published in Hair Care, Hair Coloring, Hair Salon, Hair Tips, science
Complacent Stylist: Using heat and additives during the color process
To start, I need to stay that science works the way science works. It doesn’t work the way we want it to, it works the way it’s supposed to. Chemistry doesn’t know all the variables from behind the chair, that’s where we come in. We adjust the formula accordingly so the chemistry can do what it’s supposed to do.
This past month has been a busy one with a ton of questions. I’ve realized that even though the situations are different, the questions have an underlying thread… we as stylist don’t care how science works, we just want it to do what we want it to do lol 🙂
I am no chemist. I enjoy science and find it really interesting. I can’t pronounce 75% of the words, but I’ve come to a basic understanding of how chemistry contributes to why things aren’t working at the salon. This is the reason I make the recommendations that I do and is why I started writing these posts.
I know that with a bit of insight, we can tackle these repeating scenarios. With that said, let’s start with these heat and additive related issues.
1. “I put her under the dryer for 40 minutes and she barely lifted.”
The short answer, the oxidation process is the release of oxygen. Heat sucks up all the oxygen in that area. Your formula dried out and could not do its job anymore so it stopped working.
Moisture is water or other liquid diffused in a small quantity as vapor, within a solid, or condensed on a surface. Thank you dictionary for that. When we are waiting for color to process, the process is only as good as the amount of moisture the product has. During the oxidation process, oxygen is being released naturally over time, which is causing the formula to dry out. Adding heat sources such as
2. “I used bond builder with bleach and her hair still fried.”
You must properly evaluate the condition of the client’s hair before moving forward with a process that is aggressive such as high lift,
So, have an intervention. Improve the condition of the hair first and then move forward with the service and bond builder.
I do have a point of contention with bond builders. I know the point of bond builders is to strengthen and improve the quality of hair, especially during the coloring process… it does work. However, I also know that there
Try and think how many deep conditioning treatments and repair/restorative products are out there. Over 9000! Why is there so many? We know the hair is going to get wrecked by the client at home after we painstakingly took the time to achieve the look they wanted while trying not to compromise the condition of their
Tune in next week for 2 more scenarios for us to work through.
- Published in Hair Care, Hair Coloring, Hair Products, Hair Salon, Hair Styling, Hair Tips, science
Complacent Stylist: Debunking the BIGGEST gray hair coverage myth
The Complacent Stylist is someone who has gotten into the mindset of comfort zones, laziness, stifled creativity.
These are the worst things that can happen to us but unfortunately, sometimes we find ourselves in one of or all of these scenarios and that’s when we run into most of our issues… complaints, RE-do, unhappy clients.
It’s brutal mentally, physically, and financially to have to be in that situation. Let’s talk about how or why we became complacent and get back on the road to confidence!
It is a full time job in itself answering coverage questions. As the old saying goes, ‘if I had a dollar for every time I got asked this question…’ Lucky for all you, I don’t get a dollar every time. If I did, I’d be retired 3 times over by now 🙂
I know there are strong opinions out there, some of you will not agree with me on this one. What we are talking about today is not which color is right or wrong, good or bad. Ultimately at the end of the day, follow manufacturers direction for once and measure how much is mixed, and time it properly for how long it’s supposed to process.
What we are talking about today is the schools of thought as to which developer is supposed to be used when formulating for gray hair coverage. Time’s change, technology evolves and we are getting new information every day. Let’s remember that although all this information and technology is great, we still are doing chemistry 101 and there are certain rules that we have to remember when formulating for coverage.
What is Developer Strength? Why does texture, density, and porosity matter?
Developer Strength is the percentage of Hydrogen Peroxide in our developers. It’s the developer that diffuses natural pigment to make room for
Texture, Density, Porosity. We all know this too!
Ammonia is designed to open and swell the cuticle allowing artificial pigment to enter the hair. The combination of Ammonia with Hydrogen Peroxide starts the oxidation process and depending on which level of developer we use, determines how aggressive that process will be.
So using low volume developers will only activate the ammonia in colors a little bit making the process not so aggressive whereas, using higher levels of developer will activate the ammonia in colors more making the process more aggressive.
Developers are tools that we use to do our creative work.
Developers do not know what we want them to do, they have one job.
If the client’s hair is thin, soft, sparse, or the condition of the hair is porous, using 20vol developer is going to be more aggressive than we anticipate, causing up to 2 levels of lift which will make the final color look lighter than we wanted, resulting in the client thinking there was not enough coverage.
This is when 10vol or sometimes even lower volume developer needs to be used so that we do not activate the oxidation process so aggressively resulting in less lift and more deposit in this situation so that we can achieve anticipated results.
This is also true for the opposite. If the hair is thick, dense, coarse, or the person has hair enough for 3 people, then often 20vol isn’t enough. In these unique cases, we may need to break through that extremeness with even 25vol or sometimes, even 30vol developer to get the anticipated result.
The normal average hair client is easy enough and 20vol developer formulas work just fine. That’s why no one ever calls me to say thank you for this formula… it already works great.
Don’t be lazy, don’t get comfortable and complacent.
Stay creative and solve the puzzle of what your client wants even when they have difficulty communicating it.
- Published in All-Nutrient, Hair Care, Hair Salon, Hair Tips, Hair's the Bling, science
Why Exercise Is Damaging Your Client’s Hair and How to Prevent It
While women exercise they want their hair secure and out of their face. The hair is usually thrown in a bun or ponytail and off they go. It’s also very likely that it’s the same ponytail or bun every time… because humans are creatures of habit.
As a stylist, you are likely cringing at this point because you can begin to see the damage that can come while your clients get their calorie burn on.
Ask your clients about their hair routine while they exercise and turn it into an education on damage and prevention. Plus, I’m going to make this super easy for you by breaking it down into easily explainable chunks.
Let’s begin with the damage talk. Explain to your client that hair cuticles are cells that overlap like fish scales. When the hair is healthy and smooth those scaly cells fit nicely on top of each other. When those cells don’t lay smoothly it causes these 3 signs of damage.
- Frizz – Dry and bleached hair is caused by exposure to UV light.
- Split Ends – These unflattering ends are caused by too much sun exposure and sweat.
- Breakage – Women who exercise a lot may find that their hair is breaking at the place their hair tie lies.
Now, onto the prevention part. Here are 5 things to share with your client to prevent damage to their hair while they exercise.
- Wear your hair differently each time you workout. That way, you’re not pulling at the same spot all the time, causing breakage.
Wearing your hair in a loose bun or braid to avoid matting and contact with sweaty skin. Tangles and sweat cause your hair to dry out.- Use hair ties made of ribbon or fabric. Saying no to elastic makes sure the hair isn’t too tight.
- Run early in the morning or late in the afternoon. This way you avoid the sun’s most harmful UV rays.
- Use a conditioning and/or keratin treatment occasionally to keep hair, hydrated and strong.
Lastly, you can use this prevention chat to pitch a hydration product or a smoothing service. By expressing what to look for and how to prevent damage, your exercising clients will thank you with their loyalty.
- Published in Hair Care, Hair Products, Hair Salon, Hair Styling, Hair Tips, Lifestyle, science, shiny hair
6 Stunning Benefits of Hair Smoothing Treatments
Gone are the days of hair being forced to be straight and smooth. Japanese straightening treatments permanently alter the hair’s structure. Instead, Keratin treatments create a healthy protein layer around the hair shaft. This smoothes the cuticle and makes the hair smoother, softer and manageable. But that’s not all Keratin Smoothing can do. Here are 6 amazing benefits of these incredible smoothing treatments.
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Smoothing benefits last 3-5 months.
Brazilians are another type of hair smoothing treatment, but it can clog the scalp and only lasts 3 months. On the other hand, Keratin smoothing contains less harsh chemicals and silicones and lasts 3-5 months.
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It has a deep conditioning effect.
Keratin treatments add a protein layer around the hair shaft and in turn smoothes the cuticle. This enhances moisture balance and controls static. This deep conditioning effect provides shine, softness and frizz control.
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It contains chemicals and silicones that are less harsh and have minimal fumes.
Now, here’s where we need to get specific. Not all keratin treatments are created equal. Keratin treatments use less harsh chemicals than a Brazilian, but it is Keratherapy that has fewer fumes than its keratin competitors. Fewer fumes mean happier clients and a happier you.
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There is no demarcation line as hair grows out.
Keratin treatments seal the cuticle instead of changing the hair structure. Hair grows out naturally without that awful demarcation line. In fact, it extends the life of colored hair.
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The continuum of keratin treatments allows for curl calming control.
Keratin treatments also calm curl… the stronger the treatment the stronger the curl reduction. The great thing is that you have control over this. Keratherapy has a continuum of treatment so that you can choose which treatment is right for your client. Maybe your client wants the smoothing effect without losing their curl, that is a need that can be met by these incredible treatments.
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Hair proteins are built back up after being stripped over time.
By sealing the cuticle, keratin treatments prevent breakage, rebuilds damaged hair, promotes elasticity, protects from heat, and mends split ends.
Does this all sounds too good to be true? I’ll prove it to you. Attend our Keratherapy certification class and see the transformational power of Keratin treatments.
- Published in Hair Care, Hair Products, Hair Salon, Hair Styling, Hair Trends, science
The light in your salon is incredibly important!
Have you ever found yourself in a position where you finish a color service…a client steps outside or gets a little natural light and reflection is completely different? In color services…lighting is everything! Depending on the kind of lighting in your salon, be aware of the kinds of tonal reflections they may cause. Ideally natural light bulbs or lots of natural light are ideal so you can produce targeted color results with ease:
Florescent Light
– Cool Light that gives colors cool reflections
Standard Light
– Warm Light that gives colors warm reflections
Sunlight
– The perfect mix between florescent & standard. Allows colors to be seen perfectly.
- Published in science