Blee-atched Blonde Hair Series #2

2nd Part of Hair Bleach and Tone Series -
Preliminary Preparation for Bleaching Process
Happy New Year
BOYS AND GIRLS
Let continue on with our blee-ached blonde series by BAAAcking up!

I jumped ahead a bit in all my excitement...and need to back up a bit to make sure you have all the preliminary basics - I take for granted




.
8 Key Factors Affecting:
the Double Process: Bleach & Tone

#1) Scalp Health: use fingers and a good mirror to check over the entire scalp, there should be no scabs, wounds, zits or any type of open skin abrasions on the scalp. If there are when you apply that bleach, ( yes, even oil bleach) you will jump through the roof. Better to prevent that from happening – your skin will thank me.

#2) End result determined: first taking into account the “5 LEVELS OF LIFT/DEPOSIT RULE”. Best advice by millions of pro hair stylists is not to go beyond 5 levels of lift or deposit from your natural level. There is reason and experience behind this theory and I (most of the time) go along with it. A Level 1 or 2 who wants to be blond looks excellent with panels of Level 7-8-9 ASH blonds - but not so great with Level 10-11 Blond.…. { I recently did a girls hair like this > am mad at myself for not taking photos. One of the biggest mistakes of my career is not documenting enough of it, I have photos, but of some of the most spectacular, I don’t. I’ve always thought, “I’ll do this again” then never do because the style & trends change grrr!}
If you are going for a Medium blond rather than a light blond you would leave more underlying pigment, usually undertones of GOLD. Light blonds need an undertone of YELLOW and very light blonds need PALE YELLOW.
Be sure to determine what level of blond you want to become -- with this tutorial we are going the lightest-- Level 12 Gwen Stefani – Frozen Butter (palest yellow) is the name of the game.

# 3 Hair Health: hair needs to be in pretty good condition for this procedure to be taken on. If the hair is in bad condition prior to…it will be destroyed after- this is not the procedure for you. Please work on your hairs condition before taking this up. Go through the Deep Slumber Protocol, I’ve never found any deep conditioner better than my THRIVEN – you leave it in overnight 2 nights a week. (6OZ Jar: $40.00) Killerstrands@gmail.com Your hair will improve in 1 month.

#4 Natural Level: More heavily pigmented hair takes longer to lighten; I find almost all Levels of hair need to bleached twice except possibly Level 8 and up…all the other factors matter as well.

#5 Gray Hair: Surprising to many, gray hair lightens fairly easily…gray hair is hair with no pigment so lightening it to the blond level is easy.

#6 Texture: Coarse hair takes longer to lighten than fine hair, which also means that fine hair needs to be watched closely so as not to leave the product on for too long.

#7 Porosity: Very porous hair lightens more easily than non porous hair. Porosity = the ability of hair to absorb & retain moisture – determined by how compact together the cuticle layers are (condition) – described as resistant/normal or over porous.

#8 Artificial Pigment: having old color or tint of any kind will alter the timing and application of any bleaching procedure. The area where the artificial pigment is will have to be reapplied many times. This is what can become tricky and one should proceed with caution. My only advice: every single head of hair is different, so every head of hair needs its own set of rules….keep your eye on the hair as the bleach is working…to make sure things are going OK. If Black pigment is in the hair, VANISH (color remover) needs to be used first.
There are no set rules for this instance except artificial pigment is harder to lift than natural pigment.



Mixing “On-The-Scalp” Bleach




Mixing the bleach to the proper consistency has a lot to do with how good your application will be and how efficient the lightening will be.

• Measure all the ingredients carefully and read and re-read the instructions, most think it sounds backwards I’m told, and the way they have you mix it, is important.
• A lot of things depend on how long the hair is, whether there is artificial pigment etc.but determine if you will be mixing two packets or one at first. Remember almost everyone will want to have 30V or 40 Volume on the “ends” and never higher than 20 Volume on the roots (Scalp) – some scalps are so sensitive they need 10 Volume to protect them. There is absolutely NO reason your scalp or head should hurt in this process. Any Hair Stylist that has ever done that to you – needs to go back to school! I would guess most of you should purchase at least 2 boxes of WELLITE, which gives you 4 packets of bleach ( still a bargain). If you are interested there is a Beauty Supply out here in Los Angeles ( that does NOT have a web site ! ! ! ! !) that has alarmingly LOW prices, you can order a dozen Wellite ON-THE-SCALP Box Kits for approx. $5.-$6/box + a 1LB tub of Wella Wellite Powder Bleach for $6.75 &/OR 1 LB tub of CLAIROL Basic White Bleach (for the ends) for $8.75....all excellent prices - don't quote me exactly, but they will be ball park. Nancys Beauty Warehouse 1-800-888-4055. They have excellent prices on many things.
diagram2A

• For 1 Packet: Pour 2 OZ 40 Volume Developer (30 Volume or ?for end remember) into bowl first – see diagram 2A
diagram2B


• Add contents of 1 lightener packet (bleach) > mix, stir or shake until dissolved – Diagram 2B
diagram 2C


• Add 1 OZ of WELLITE OIL (dark blue liquid) & mix thoroughly until smooth: the mixture will be like thick-smooth-rich- whipped cream almost – Diagram 2C & 2D





• diagram2D
  
  I suppose for many Readers you might like to use an applicator bottle, we were never allowed to in Academy so am accustomed to the bowl & tint brush method & doubt I could ever warm up to anything else... But, more power to you…whatever works the best and is the most thorough for you.

** After mixing bleach, be sure to have hair parted into 4 equal sections as in all hair color applications, as you see Molly's hair is here.

** Start application where hair is the darkest – almost always in the back.* Make 1/8 inch subsections, applying to the hair 1 inch away from the scalp and to the ends (depending on porosity of course). Applying to top and bottom combing through to be sure the bleach has saturated the section as evenly as possible – moving very quickly. Up one section…then up the next

the BLE--ATCHED Hair Series - #1

Bleached Hair Home Method

Lets Begin. . . .



I started this process using a doll head with Level 6BRV ( when you get used to the Level system > start including the "tones" in your descriptions) lets call her Molly...Molly has Level 6 Brown-Red-Violet > Virgin Hair.

This is something I have never tried (normally I use them to test new cuts on) plus - usually I have plenty of "people" who want their hair bleached. This time I wanted to be able to divide the head in quarters... compare and contrast --so I could show you the differences - as slight as you may think they are -- they are the difference in a professional (top notch) bleaching and typical home bleaching. Hearing the comments over and over as to 'why" celebs have such fantastic hair color, yet > you, do not. What I show you here will explain that, in a clear and concise manner









Also I want everyone reading this to get more comfortable with the word "BLEACH" ...get rid of the picture of Clothes "bleach"...that stinky weird stuff that turns your jeans "white" if you spill it on them...

The 2 products are nothing alike.

Try to warm up to the fact that Oil Bleach & powder hair bleach are a very mild and effective method of having your hair LIGHTENED to the proper shade of blond and I am going to prove that point to you with Photo's I have been taking of my Step by Step Bleach and Tone method.



Bleach is your friend - learn to love it -- as I have.....I do remember feeling the same way most fo you do about Bleach before I started Hair School, so I do understand, but no one explained it to me as I am...

You must learn to trust me or we are both wasting our time..



These are the ingredients it takes to mix up your bowl of OIL BLEACH... its not complicated ...you just have to mix the developer ( peroxide) in the bowl first....then add the powder bleach......mix REALLY hard....then add the OIL and mix REALLY HARD!

the dark stuff is the OIL. I used 40 Volume on Molly's ENDS...then will use 20 volume on the roots ( on a person - not a doll>> because the HEAT from the head warms the bleach up and makes it works twice as fast -- naturally!)



At all times I have at least 5-6 different types of bleach in the Lab. The reason? Different bleaches accomplish different results and there is nothing that can make such a

radical change in hair as this product. Precisely "WHY" I Love it so much. A TRUE COLORIST gets super excited with the most RADICAL METHOD there is to change the present state of hair. If the hair is black I love making it WHITE...

.If the hair is WHITE, I adore making it Black

The bigger the change ><>





When teaching Hair stylists that are new to go out into the world and become successful we tell them to use the words 'Lightener', & 'Decolor-izer'....& suggest they never use the word bleach.

Why? . . . because of everyone's "hang-up" with the word.

The hang-up stems from thoughts of the 'bleach' used in washing clothes..You know that hideous bottle of Clorox BLEACH, THAT is what all the laymen picture in their mind when the term BLEACH is first thrown at them.

Everyone has such a hatred toward bleach>

yet no one thinks twice about buying a BOXED KIT of HAIR COLOR

BOXED HAIR COLOR KITS are responsible for 65%--75%

of a Color Correction experts - correction business...

they keep Hair Stylists very busy > in fixing the mistakes they make

Makes me mad.

...Bleach used in Pools, that very strong Bleach that is used for industrial methods.... all of those methods use a completely different type of bleach. Has nothing to do with the mild conditioning completely different chemical make-up bleach that I am referring to and is used on your hair. As a colorist I wish they made a stronger bleach, the ones they make are soooo mild and so slow working , a lot of the procedures that are wanted today take a very long time to accomplish because of the "slow" and "mild" and "conditioning" bleaches on the market. So there!









I could go thru the "lets call it something else" method with you all..........but I want you to learn the "educated" method... the method the top hair stylists use.



WE USE THE WORD BLEACH



because that's what it is and that is what we know works the best.



ASK GWEN, her hair is lightened with Redken's Levitation Oil Bleach every 7-10 days and toned when needed or wanted.



The # 1 reason most of you have the banana head syndrome is because

• you are afraid to use bleach...


• afraid to leave it on the proper amount of time


• afraid to apply it twice ( almost always necessary ) even 3 times for Level 5 and below


• generally just PETRIFIED of the word & product

Am I right?

I know I am

I just have to convince you, I am.

Many of the most recent emails I receive { which is a lot, I am asking everyone to write to me in the COMMENTS section so you can see}....many say the same general thing. . . . .



"......how can I have Gwen Stefani blond hair without using bleach....."

or some manifistation of that sentence



My answer?? "Why in the Hell would you even want to not use bleach ?

You have it all wrong, its the people that don't use it, that walk around with BANANA HEAD SYNDROME





That is not possible. . . you do realize that...right?

Unless you have very light hair already - (virgin) hair that is LEVEL 9 or a Level 8, you will need bleach.

PERIOD.

Gwen uses it.

She is a Level 6



The rule is...if you are going to have fully bleached hair then you can't wear it any longer than the collar bone...the idea is to have healthy looking hair at all times.





If you don't want to use bleach > I'm not sure what to tell you....I cannot change the way the chemicals and science works....

>>> we are so fortunate to have the tools we do,

but you cannot buck the system,

be glad we have what we have and LOVE IT.

Embrace it and use every advantage we have...because there has never been a more exciting time in hair color as now.

The high end companies are making products that produce gorgeous colors while leaving your hair in the best shape ever....especially with bleaches.



You will never find a hair stylist that cares more about the condition of your hair as me.

That is why I had such a huge clientele and got it so quickly - the word spread.

I would not have you using anything I thought would destroy your hair, quite the contrary. Its "why" I use OIL BLEACH, very few Stylists do, they can't be bothered. Its messy and slower and why bother is the general consensus.

I use it because it is conditioning for the hair - period.



I have examined the cuticle under my microscope of hair lightened with oil bleach and hair lightened with powder bleach.



>>There is enough of a difference to warrant the pain in using it.

In some of my emails there are people suggesting things that are dangerous...like mixing tint(color) with bleach to get more lift or better color from it...

That combination is dangerous, no one should mix Color with bleach. There are rules and theories that must be followed. You must not try to make up your own ideas, that could be dangerous and that is where you will ruin your hair. I do not want to be responsible for that, my purpose in even being here is to help everyone have dynamite hair at home - exactly like the celebrities....for a fraction of the cost!



I'd like to start the education of the public in the "basics of hair color."..

nope its not rocket science but it can make a big difference in a lot of peoples lives...



Its very very possible to . . . . BUT >>you must follow MY RULES.

If I have not gotten to something you want to try then you MUST FOLLOW EXACTLY THE MANUFACTURERS DIRECTIONS on the package TO THE "T".

Do not vary one little tiny bit until you talk to me or someone who is a chemist > directly. There are many ways to tweak the system, but that gets learned from years of experience,





Now back to MOLLY.

For todays post I will show you Molly with her hair parted the correct way.... in Quarters.

Bleaching means parting the hair in quarters. Its the only process ( besides a Relaxer) that I stick to this with..

The application of the bleach must be applied to one quarter at a time



beginning in THE BACK. The front of the hair lightens QUICKER than the back. Like a Thanksgiving dinner you want all the parts finished at the same time! So the lightening looks even.

REDKEN OIL BLEACH

I will show mixing the Oil Bleach, I used Wellite instead of my favorite REDKEN'S LEVITATION - which I will show tomorrow. It only comes in bulk so If anyone requests it - I measure out the Oil & powder put in containers...to mail.



I didn't figure Molly would complain...even so, Wellite is my second choice.





If you are bleaching a virgin head of hair for the very first time....this is a photo of EXACTLY how & where you would start -- even with completely virgin hair ( depending on her porosity of course) most likely I would use 30 or 40 Volume >>on the lengths/ends --- followed by 20 Volume on the roots after the lengths have all been applied to first off

Here is the first section application of bleach ... you begin at the bottom of the section taking 1/4" inch parts ..apply from about 1" to 3/4"inch off the scalp, thru to the ends..

The next post will have lots of photos...you will follow me all the way to the end of coloring Mollys hair till its the color of GWENS !!

MERRY CHRISTMAS Killer Colorer's

Bitchin Bleached Blondes Accomplished @ Home

Bleach Your Hair Exactly Like Gwen Stefani's .........exactly

This seems to a very hot subject, not only by emails & comments . . but it is also one of the top Searched subjects with GOOGLE which fascinates me.

I would imagine because it is so hard to get perfect.

I see a whole lot of banana heads walking around so that has to be the reason.

I only work with "perfect" always have

Therefore...we will spend however many days it takes to get everyone's questions answered.

I have begun bleaching a mannequin head giving it "roots" . . so I can demonstrate "overlapping"... "touching up" "timing", "toning" and any thing else you can dream up

Let this be the new home of: Bleach your hair like GWEN'S - .........exactly

When I repeat myself it is because I have discovered many of the newer readers have not gone all the way back to the beginning...and expect to be all up-to-date by reading the past 10 posts...which doesn't really work. I'd probably do the same thing myself, although I wouldn't if I was truly trying to learn this shit...but anyway. When the repeats happen its beCAUSE I feel its important enough to say it again > FYI

One of my better kept secrets is the online beauty supply WIMEX www.wimexbeauty.com , their prices are so great...doesn't matter about shipping charges. I know there are some Cosmo students out there and then some of you that really want to do your homework so your hair turns out perfectly. For all of you I would suggest purchasing at least one doll head from them. They have about 40 different types and the really top notch ones even are under $25.00 !!... they even have a miniature human hair head for learning that is $16.95 !! The normal sized models have real human hair heads designed so you can practice color, highlights, blow drying, hair cutting ( practice fringe trimming {bangs} ), bleaching, they have some with Grey roots, or with colored roots ...they even have a 4 section head each quadrant has a different learning technique.

The experience is invaluable....the price incredible.....I cannot recommend it enough if you are really interested in learning & perfecting the craft. Remember if you take what I teach you, learn it >> practice it, you can save yourself a carload of cash over your lifetime....besides having the level of hair you see on magazine covers.

It just hit me to spend the next couple weeks or days whatever it takes to thoroughly cover bleaching hair....Level 1 through Level 8/9 so everyone will have every single question answered. So get your pad & pencil ready I want EVERY single question that has ever occured to you about this subject so I can address it, photograph and if necessary video an explanation. {this is terrible but I have still not figured out my camcorder - but I WILL I PROMISE!! }

No one warned me you had to become a techno geek in order to become a blogger !

Don't get me wrong . . . I Love electronics, I don't mind them at all, its just the "TIME" involved

Tint Brushes for Coloring, Bleaching and Highlights

Shape of Things To HELP: Tint Brushes

These are "my" favorites and actually I even have a favorite BRAND! What a nerd, right?

Wella makes what I feel is the best brand of tint brush, although nearly impossible to locate, most of you will be happy as pie with any of the brands you find in the local beauty supply, so don't worry.

Applying bleach and colour with this type of brush makes life easy - safe and leak-free, so make the miniscule investment and purchase at least 4 of them for multi color applications which we all end up doing at some point.

Bad Ass Bleached Blonde Hair Color

This blonde is Red Hot now and into 2008,

everyone (but redheads) should give it a go, once in your life!

Attention Emily and all others interested in bleaching or lightening your hair to a LEVEL 12 ...A La <>


Here's what you are looking for......Wella's WELLITE Oil Bleach Box................or you can purchase the REDKEN OIL BLEACH......... thru me & PAY PAL...just email me Killerstrands@gmail.com/





Any questions on your own hair color formula I will answer them at the bottom in the COMMENTS SECTION of the most recent POST, I like the others to have the advantage of learning from the the questions, I would appreciate you follow EMILY's lead....Thanx, killer Chemist

Killerstrands To Go Thru Minor ReVamp

Time.......................
for...........................
a..............................
change...................

LOOK, its a GREEN Christmas!

A Beauty Makeover for this web site is in order as best a Trichologist/Cosmetic Chemist/ Stylist/Colourist/Stunt Woman can manage. Web Design is something I wish I fully understood, even partly understood. I'd love to have this flashy-wow-cool as shit web site for you all...but the "time" it takes, I never realized THAT was the key to all brilliant items on the web.
Till recently.
It looks so damn easy, yeah if you have a fewthousand hours of extra time on your hands and a whole bucket load of patience.
.
Now that I have gotten used to this medium I have come to enjoy it. Lately, I have jotted down so many subjects that need to be reviewed in the near future, the funny part is.. I was hesitant to take this on to begin with....I thought i would run out of topics!

A while back, I was going to do some short video's of different technique's you can do at home...like

• bleach & tone
• one color re-touch
• formulating for Grey hair
• placing 7-10 ribbons of color in the hair
• applying bleach or lightener WITHOUT overlapping ( one of the deadliest mistakes)
• things like that - if you have a request make it now at the end of this POST in the COMMENTS section.

I am first going to attack it via "still" photos...then we will move on to my "video work...so hang tight

I hope to add the handy dandy bells and whistles that are useful on web sites... slowly as I figure them out.

OOOPS . . . loved the Green better

Struc---Tures of The HAIR

Quick course on Hair Structure

Yep, this is boring. It seems every post I toy with the idea of leaving it out….why? I worry you will be screaming at your screen, “when is she going to get to the more interesting stuff” ! Then I remind myself… there was a time I found all of this fascinating and I couldn’t get enough, I will assume that is where you are from now on and keep trucking along.

Below the surface of the skin…………..the hair is called the HAIR ROOT --- Above is the HAIR SHAFT. So the part of the hair that you… color…you brush…you shampoo…you tease… you straighten is called the HAIR SHAFT. The part of the hair that is below the skin that we cannot see or touch is the HAIR ROOT.

The structures of the HAIR ROOT are the FOLLICLE, HAIR BULB, and PAPILLA.

The HAIR ROOT is housed in a sheath called a FOLLICLE which you can see here in the diagram. At the bottom of the follicle, buried deep in the skin, is the HAIR BULB. The cells that become a strand of hair are produced in the HAIR BULB, the living part of hair, from which the hair grows. How many people do you hear say “your hair is dead”??...well that is not (scientifically) the truth. Where one hair grows and dies….another one comes in its place. Therefore,I would not call that dead. That theory is just a matter of tearing the words, and what happens with each hair, apart. They say that because a hair does not “feel”: you can bend, smash, curl and flat iron a hair and it doesn’t hurt, but it “does grow” doesn’t it? I would call that “ALIVE”. When I went on a mission to solve the terrible problem we have in women’s hair thinning and loss, I studied exactly that, ‘where’ the new hair was formed and ‘how’ it was formed. Proudly, I can say that I have that issue solved in a whopping 84% of the women that follow my 12 step program.

At the base of the bulb, nourishing it is the PAPILLA…a mound of tissue with capillaries running through it. The papilla contains the blood and nerve supply that provides the nutrients needed for hair growth.

The Structures of the HAIR SHAFT are the CUTICLE, CORTEX, and MEDULLA.

The Cuticle is the outermost layer of the hair. It consists of a single overlapping layer of transparent scale-like cells that overlap like shingles on a roof. *****A healthy compact cuticle layer is the hair’s primary defense against damage. Remember this fact, this will come in necessary when trying to figure out why your hair or a clients hair is in bad condition. I use a microscope to look at my clients cuticle, that tells me whether their damage is deeper within or just on the surface and in the cuticle. Knowing that piece of information leads me to the type of conditioner I need to use to ressurect their hair condition. {There are very few conditioners that actually address what they claim to ‘in print’ on the packaging, I hate to blow your hopes & dreams. }

A healthy cuticle layer protects the hair from penetration and prevents damage to hair fibers. Oxidation haircolors, permanent waving solutions, and chemical hair relaxers must have alkaline pH in order to penetrate the cuticle layer and reach their target within the cortex. Those 3 solutions goal is changing the make-up of the hair as it is now …to a complete new one….Perms are changing the hair from straight to curly, Relaxers are doing the opposite, Oxidation haircolors are permanently changing the color of the hair from its original to a new one. In order to perform such a major change the change must reach the CORTEX of the hair.

The CORTEX is the middle layer of the hair. It is a fibrous protein core formed by cells containing MELANIN pigment. About 90% of the total weight of the hair comes from the cortex. The elasticity of the hair and its natural color are the result of the unique protein structures within the CORTEX.

The MEDULLA is the innermost layer composed of round cells. It is quite common for very fine & naturally blonde hair to entirely lack a MEDULLA, generally only thick coarse hair contains one. Men’s beard hair contains a Medulla, as far as Cosmetology…the MEDULLA is not involved in any of the treatments we deal with.

You will find the structure helpful as you move into more knowledge of hair coloring as well. Just let it absorb into your brain.....and allow your brain and body to become hair "brilliant" !