Corrective Hair Coloring - "Is That Like Corrective Shoes?"

Why, When, How

Every Hair Color procedure you do is unique and along that same line can create unique problems.  Most Hair Stylists and most of you want to believe that there is a ROCK-SOLID guide to the formulation for every hair color application.......well, there just > is not, nor will there ever be.  If I took 5 separate women - with virgin hair (never colored or chemically straightened) Level 7 (light brown), with the exact same: shoulder length - straight hair and used them as hair models. We mixed your and my favorite > high-lift: Renbow 100A (ash) + 40Volume . . . applied it to all 5 of them (in the exact same manner) -- all 5 would turn out different.

Why?

These factors are completely different on all 5 of the girls, even though you cannot see them.

1. underlying pigment
2. condition of hair
3. (PET) Porosity of the hair
4. (PET) Elasticity of the hair
5. (PET) Texture  of hair
6. Natural Base ( within every Level of hair color is variations)
7. Existing tint

All of the 5 factors effect and contribute to the end result. All 5 of those factors will make each one of those 5 girls end up with a different tone of blond, 1 will most likely be brassy ( so more would need to be done to hair) - while 1 will be absolutely striking and the most beautiful blond you've ever seen - the other 3 will be varying shades in the middle.  As far as most of you are concerned: you really only need to figure out your own contributing factors and deal with those. You hair stylists out there . . .its just a matter of experience and the amount of heads you color.  That is what makes a "GREAT" Hair Stylist... one that has learned how each & every one of his/her individual clients hair reacts to hair color. So when they come in to go to lighter in the Spring you can address that without trouble and then go darker in the fall - all care free. For you Crib Colorists, all you have to learn is how your own hair reacts to hair color...which really shouldn't take that long.

Corrective Hair coloring is a subject that can be terrifying to many hair stylists. Many hair stylists don't and won't tackle it. I have found in small towns, which here in southern California we are full of a billion little towns, as I am sure you are in your area. Within every town there are usually 40-50 Salons, with 1 or 2 emerging as the "it" Salon, within one of those 2 Salons there will be 2-3 Hair Stylists that can really "cut" hair. . and then another 1 or 2 holding the "Best Colorist" Title. Finally there is that one Colorist that specializes in Color Correction, per town... fixing hair color mistakes. I, fortunately or not, was the one in this category for Malibu for 13 years. Being an expert at color correction can be both a blessing and a curse. Yes, you receive  top dollar for it, but it also can take days - - depending on the damage or amount of boxed hair color used. I suppose its why I am so opinionated about the pitfalls of boxed hair color - - I spent all those years - - helping people out of the messes they created for themselves. That was tough, they came in looking for empathy and that was a very hard emotion for me to muster up. Back then I rarely watched TV, I didn't really know how bad and misleading the advertising is, I guess that's why people buy it.

I had so many friends that were just so happy to give their hair color correction cases to me, even people I didn't know would send me their clients all the time.... I'm sure it's still that way in all the cities and towns around you. Color correction is a very difficult subject.... there are no hard and fast rules, there is no "Book of Hair Color Correction Rules" . . . . we kind of make them up as we go along and try to uncover what has been covered up on your hair. It takes a seasoned, experienced and patient Hair Colorist to tackle this subject successfully.

The reason the color correction is so expensive?

• usually need multiple steps to "fix" the color
• conditioners are essential along the way
• Fillers are most often required
• expertise as a colorist is challenged and valued

As with regular color formulations, you must consider the 3 contributions for the end result:

1. Hair

               a. Base

               b. Goal

    2.   Color

    3.   H2 O2

If hair is damaged or even questionable, you should proceed slowly. Don't take chances. Using deep conditioners (Thriven) along the way.

COLORING  OVERPOROUS  HAIR

Uneven porosity can cause an uneven result, because over-porous hair accepts artificial pigment differently. There are different ways to compensate for over-porosity:

• the formula: intensify the formula, make warmer, & use a lower volume developer. 10 Volume is usually ideal. Semi - Demi & no ammonia color are great choices. ( Because they deposit & don't lift). When lightening - don't use ash.
• how you apply : hair can be dampened with water a little, or with IN-DEPTH - to help equalize it
• processing time adjusted: shorten the time, over-porous hair processes very fast

    Overporous hair tends to reject warmth and accept ash. The more over porous it is, the more it selects out warmth and grabs ash, which is called "abused rejected".

I can not say this enough: "STRAND TEST-STRAND TEST-STRAND TEST!"

COLOR  FILLERS

Color Filler :  a hair-coloring product or formula used to pre-pigment previously lightened or over-porous hair, replacing missing underlying pigment, compensating for over-porosity and preparing the hair for even acceptance of whatever hair coloring follows. Color Fillers are always warm.

Does that make sense to most of you? I get asked about Fillers all the time, they make so much sense to me . . . but when I look at people's puzzled faces when trying to teach them to other Stylists - even . . .  I am fairly certain that most of you probably do not understand what they are. Am I right?

How do you know what color to fill with? They are slightly lighter than the underlying pigment of the color you want to achieve, depending on the tonal result desired, porosity and the product used.  So there is no "one color" to use when filling the hair.

Conditioner Fillers - I use these to help recondition damaged overly porous hair. . . this way the conditioner/lipids ( from the oils) can be replaced while the color is working and has the cuticle OPEN, remember there is no other time this happens. Apply Gleam + Thriven + the filler . . . is just the prefect way to even the porosity - fill the hair & repair the lost lipids all at the same time.

Color Fillers - in today's world . . . Demi-permanent colors are used for filling. The Wella Color Touch Line is used by almost every top Colorist today. Its the most wonderful line, of Demi permanent colors, it contains the perfect amount of deposit, smells nice, imparts more shine than almost any line of hair color I have experienced . . . its just a brilliant line of hair color. Which you can get in our underground store http://groups.google.com/group/killerstrands. Wella used to make a specific kit for filling, well that didn't last long  . . . the Color Touch worked better than the kit.

There are just a million and one reasons to use the Color Filler. Using color Fillers has several advantages:

• deposits color to faded ends and hair shaft
• helps hair to hold hair color
• prevents streaking & dull appearance
• prevents off color results
• produces more uniform, natural looking color in a tint
• produces uniform color when doing a tint-back

Fillers are most often used for blondes returning to their original brunette base.

Picture a Level 11-12 . . .  something like this:

who is tired of her look ( although, I don't know why? ? ?!) and she wants so go back to her original color  - a level 5 B, one of my favorite colors . . .

This is a perfect example of the most common reason for filling hair. See the Level 10 . . . in order to get it to the Level 5 . . . what is missing?

Warmth.

It is a completely blank canvas, all the color is gone, it has been removed . . . because in this case if you had warmth it would be deemed 'brassy'.  So, in order to get it to this Level 5 - Light Brown - the goal. . .one must fill-IN (where the "filler" name came from) the missing warmth. In hair color, warmth means: reds, golds, oranges, yellows.  Therefore, a nice mixture of Level 6R and 7G  in Color Touch and the Gentle Developer would be the proper formula.

First:  Apply Gleam/Thriven to all the hair strands - then apply the 7RG formula for 20 minutes,. , , which is half the timing of normal hair coloring. Rinse: and be ready for a shocker - - - the hair will be a lovely shade of shocking orange.

But you cannot say it does not have a warmth!  After the filler Apply IN DPETH for 10 minutes and then the desired color , , , , I would go with faithful 6B .

There you have it - - -  fillers du jour . . .