How many of us have that client who constantly complains that they see remnants of red in their hair color no matter what you do or how you formulate?
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This scenario is a common problem we face of as stylists. The client might say they see red tones, when in fact, to the stylist, it might truly be a golden, warm hue that darker levels naturally expose. So how do we rectify this issue and ensure your client loves their color every time? First, we must know the reason WHY the hair exhibits these warm tones.
IDENTIFY: PIGMENTS, LEVELS & HAIR COLORS
Warm tones are a natural occurrence in hair and can be further enhanced by sun exposure. Natural melanin in the hair is made of 3 primary colors (blue, red, and yellow) in the form of eumelanin (responsible for brown and black hair color) and pheomelanin (responsible for red tones).
When hair is lightened in any way, the warmer tones – red and yellow – are always exposed. Blue pigment is the first to leave the hair, and at certain levels never existed at all.
During the coloring process, melanin in the hair begins to split, becoming smaller in molecular size and water soluble. The dye intermediates in the color begin to oxidize, becoming larger and less water soluble, thus exposing warmth.
You know WHY warmth occurs, now you’ll learn HOW to either mute or enhance these remaining tones with Oway’s Tone Boosters/Correctors, also known as, Hplus. These Booster/Correctors are a helpful tool to keep on hand in your salon. The cooler tones will help you tone out the warmth very easily. The 0.8 Blue will help mute orange tones; the 0.1 Ash will increase additional tonality where extra ash is needed; the 0.9 Green will help refine red tones; while the 0.7 Violet will eliminate unwanted yellow. All are a MUST in every color room when customizing color formulas.
CORRECT
By considering the underlying pigment, you will have a better idea when choosing which Hplus corrector to use.
Red/Orange Pigment
The underlying pigment of a level 6 is red/orange, and we know to refine this warmth, we must choose something cooler to refine. When a level 6 neutral color with a 20-volume catalyst is chosen, some warmth might occur because of the natural reflects of a level 6. Refining this problem is as easy as adding one of the Booster/Correctors into your level 6.0 to assist in refining the red/orange. In this scenario choosing the 0.9 or the 0.8 will remedy the warmth, making a cooler neutral result.
When lifting a 4 to a level 5, we are exposing the natural red in the hair. To refine the warmth of a 4.0 for an absolute cooler neutral with an underlying pigment of red, we can choose the 0.9 tone to bring us to a stunning rich coffee brown.
Yellow/Gold Pigment
Violet Booster/Corrector is an absolute necessity to keep on hand too. One of the biggest culprits when lifting with bleach or a high-lift blonde series is yellow or a strong gold. Adding the violet tone Booster/Corrector in small increments can help refine the most stubborn gold and help create a creamy beige blonde.
High-Lift Series
Sometimes, a small increase of ash is just enough to refine and add extra tonality to the 90 series. 0.0=90.11 and 1g per 10g of color of the 0.1 are exactly what is needed to create stunning blondes or beautiful silvery gray tones. We recommend 1 gram of Booster/Corrector to 10 grams of color. You will have to be the judge if adding more is necessary. However, keep in mind the intensity of the booster correctors.
Hair Levels and Undertones Chart
INTENSIFY
Hplus Booster/Correctors are multi-purposeful too. They act as a double agent and can be used for so much more than just correcting. How many times do we see someone with a streak of purple, blue, or green? These bright, bold colors are not just for the young at heart; this trend doesn’t have an age limit. They can be stunning in a range of clients looking for a trendy fashion shade.
Hplus can be used to create an endless palette of color. These fun fashion colors can add some spice to any hair color. The shades can also be intermixed to create lighter, more pastel colors like teal, lavender, corals or if the client simply wants that deep rich purple/violet.
MAINTAIN
When creating fun fashion colors, keep in mind that the pigments in these colors are larger, preformed dye molecules and will need to be formulated with comparable Hcolor colors for longer last ability. Educating our clients how to properly take care of these fashion shades will also increase the longevity of the color. Recommending sulfate-free shampoos, avoiding excess washing in hot water, protecting the hair while in the sun with a product like the Color Protection Veil will all prolong the vibrancy of the color.
Clients that usually desire these fun fashion colors might want a completely different color the next month. Changing things up for the next month can be as simple as taking 0.0 and 20 volume catalyst to gently remove these pigments from the hair.
The creative possibilities are limitless! Does your color room have these valuable tools?
Check out the hair colors created by our Holistic Hair Tribe using Oway Hplus Boosters/Correctors!
