Becoming a Home Hair Colorist

My bio and background. . .

and "why you"

How to be a HOME HAIR COLORIST

This is being written for all of you for one reason or another must or want to color your hair at home. I’m going to try my damndest to skip all the bullshit & CUT TO THE CHASE in this endeavor.

Killer strands #1 goal is and always was the “CARE OF YOUR HAIR”, try to remember that is always the basis of all of my advice and teachings. Performing microscopic hair analysis on a daily basis for hair loss & damage incorporates looking at hairs magnified 1-200 times has turned me into a freak about it, which is only good news for you.

Reason for HOME HAIR COLORIST SCHOOL?

So many of you are having your hair destroyed, damaged, and turned ungodly shades of orange and yellow and green…all because of the BOXED Hair color Kits. In the level of hair coloring I was associated with ( Malibu & Hollywood) I was appalled that anyone would even think of using them – I mean -- why can’t everyone spend $100. – $200.-$300.00 on their hair monthly? Well, as hard as that is to admit…it is exactly what I thought, please except my apologies and my regrets that I was like that. I can only learn and try to get back to being a decent person, and with this effort I hope to make-up for that.

In my previous environments I just was not aware of the amount of people that must color their hair at home, for one reason or another…I now… fully understand and want to turn my thoughts, efforts and education to that segment of the Hair Universe. Being ridiculously over-trained for it,I have come to terms with that now, with my new predicament, its about all I can handle and it will be good for me and for YOU!

My Beginnings . . . My Education

There may be many different theories on hair color, I don’t know…I was taught by the best so I have never ever needed to look anywhere else. I attended Vidal Sassoon Academy for 1 full year, stayed on to assist Lucie Doughty ( my mentor) for the following year to hone my skills as a colourist, which was worth every single minute! Lucie is the best Colourist in the United States, I don't care what you read in the magazines. They are wrong, no one is as talented as her, for one thing I only like to work with "the best" in everything I do ....and I wouldn't have hung around for a year on my own if I didn't know she was the best.

England is the so-called “home” of hair color & hair for that matter…with Vidal Sassoon’s head colorist Annie Humphries being given the name the “Mother of Hair Color” of the last 25 years that I know of. She has always set the “collections" developed the “trends”…made up new and innovative coloring techniques that we as “pupils” (wink-wink) would pick up - copy and spread throughout this country – she was a firecracker and damn what a talent. Everything I know and practice was passed down from her and I have worked directly under her on occasion.

So many of the techniques being done today, Annie was doing 10-15-20 years ago, now retired, she truly is and was the Grand Dame of hair color. After her, I looked to Lucie to follow and learn from, as she moved over to Paul Mitchell. I look to Lucie to run with the crown for the next decade or two and with the USA trying to catch up, the need to reach across the pond has diminished. What I teach here, is what Lucie taught , which is brilliant and it in turn earned her: Teacher of the YEAR - in Hair Colour…I don’t know how many times. So, although the education did not come from me….it is my interpretation and my slant on things after years on my own and with my personal artistic twist. Being extremely lucky in having some of the best teachers in the world -- I thank my lucky stars all the time.

This is my interpretation of a standard way that hair color works; it is chemistry, like “cooking “is. Certain ingredients perform certain actions… emulsifiers, ammonias, peroxides…they need to be used to perform certain actions period. Certain products have no grey….its black and white…its science although in order to come up various colours and new inventions we are taking all sorts of new liberties…The method I relay, is going to be as absolutely SIMPLE as possible.

Any questions at all I hope you will bring up immediately.In order for you to understand which color you should buy when you go to the store you must learn some very simple basics. So,please try to have an open mind, hair color manufacturers ‘think’ the consumer won’t take the time to learn the “LEVELS” system. I disagree. I feel with a little education, PowerPoint demonstrations and a great website they can solve that.

The first Lesson will be examined and explained to you in as brief as detail as I can: Why Boxed Hair Color Does Not Work Correctly .. or How the Boxed Hair Color Manufacturers Set You Up To Fail.