High Lift Blond, Achieving Lightest Blond – Zero Bleach

Battle of High Lift Blond Brands

I believe the last big new technology we’ve had in hair color was the product MAGMA, which is a one-step bleach and tone. Before that the next newest technology was the introduction of the high-lift blonde. Whoever coined the term “high-lift blonde” – should win an award… its brilliant. I mean if you are going to either go to a Salon and ask for a “blond” or chose one to do to yourself, wouldn’t the “high-lift blond” be the one you wanted to use? As opposed to just the “blond”? I certainly would . . . I mean to use a “high-lift blond” as opposed to a “bleach”….well of course you are going to choose the “high-lift'’ I mean – who wouldn’t? Just trying to make you all well aware of the “WORDING” used in this world of hair color and how misguiding it can be and to watch out for it. There are so many other factors to consider before choosing a process just for the “name”….PLEASE PLEASE do your homework, before asking from a Colorist, or performing on yourself. The technique called, “Bleach & Tone” versus the technique “High-lift Blond” are the 2 most popular blonding techniques and each of them are wonderful applications. Just depends the hair you are performing them on and the result you are seeking.

Many of you probably think blond is blond. Well, as in any art - - - there are hundreds of degrees of blonding…. from the darkest

level 7 Blond

to a

Level 8 Blond

to a

Level 9 Blond

to a

Level 10 Blond

to a

Level 11 Blond

or to the famous Marilyn Monroe

Level 12 Platinum Blond

Look at the range in just those 5 levels of blondes. They are completely different. Its always been my feeling that the Level System is just way TO SMALL. I mean for 50 years it was level 1 through 10, then about 18 years ago they added level 11 & 12 when the HIGHLIFT Tints were introduced to the world of Hair Color. To me I see such a vast amount difference from one level to another that I feel, at the bare minimum - - - the System should have 20 Levels not 12…or 24 would be even better. That way there wouldn’t be such a radical difference between 2 levels. I mean Level 1-2-3 are so close you need a magnifying glass and a headlight to distinguish them all from each other, they are so damn dark. But between level 6 and 7 it is a huge difference…..as well as between Level 7 and 8. When people ask me for a level estimation I almost always use 2 numbers to distinguish which end of the Level I am talking( or thinking) about. I will say “ oh you are a 7-8 if its on the lighter end of a Level 7 or a 6-7 if its on the darker end of a 7 ! Which is why I feel we need a 20 Level System as opposed to a 12 level system.

Now with the recent experience with Renbow, I went on a mission to try to test all the high-lift blonds on the market. We used to do this annually ( every january) within the Salon, when I had multiple assistants…all my assistants were always students from Sassoon so they were schooled in the same strict standards I was . . . as goofy as some may think it to be . . . I saw many talented individuals come out of that school. This time I have been doing it, which is good for me to actually see for myself & that way I can write from first hand experience as well. I have been experimenting with processing times, on 2 different levels of virgin hair…. level 5-6 and on Level 7-8 with various brands of high-lifts . . going off of what other Colorists I know use and like. You know something else I discovered? There are a few lines that have a product exactly like WHITE Genie !! Wella has one that works EXCELLENT called Blonding Booster.

I applied Wella’s Color Perfect in Pearl Blond which is 12 CV without the Blonding Booster and was not impressed, but with just a 1/2 ounce of Blonding Booster, it was a gorgeous BRASS-FREE Level 10 Blond……….absolutely LOVED it. ZERO damage – hair was in excellent condition much better than with White Genie….Makes me mad that I didn’t do this a long time ago . . So that is a definite winner and being added to the Store and my list of “loves” ! I am actually very excited about the entire move and change…..as I found at least 6 new high-lifts that I am proud to introduce to you and that I will be using myself…. I always restricted myself to using 100A exclusively…which was a pain in the ass, because “getting” it was a frickin’ nightmare….NOW I have so many options….something a busy colorist needs.. The high-lift blond kit is the number 1 selling hair color BY FAR on Killer Strands - - - of all the colors we carry, so that is why I have done this . . . I know this bores the brunettes . . . but have a heart for your fellow platinum-haired vixens! Apparently we have a lot of blonds out there, and I just thought it was here in California that people liked to adorn those golden locks . . . but I guess not.

Now with every single one of my strand tests I processed them for a minimum of 75-90 minutes, and I use a plastic cap over them to keep warmth “in” as I do on my clients. I know my Stylists who use hair dryers but that is where the hair receives its most damage… if you use the body’s own warmth and perform the process in a warm room - - the health of the hair stays INTACT.

The other 2 brands so far that I want to recommend are Schwarzkopf who’s 12.0 N which is a neutral . . and its /1 series is Lavender based Ash I was just thrilled to find out as well. Now Schwarzkopf was a brand we used way back at Sassoon but it was bought out by an American company so I lost interest in it - - quite a while ago. But, remembering back, yes, we all liked the high-lifts made by them a way back when……….. Something interesting to you . . . Schwarzkopf is the company that developed VANISH, a long long LOOOOOOOONG time ago when it was called MODULAT. So I was glued to this company via Modulat for years.. Then the owner sold Modulat off - the patent and the whole shebang for millions… But anyway…. what I have discovered is Schwatrzkopf’s 12.1 ASH is the single best HIGH-Lift on its own. No booster. So the replacement for Renbow’s 100A {our number 1 selling color ( by a LOT= btw) } is Schwarzkopf's 12.1. Now they also make a booster . . . which they call a Blonding “Extract” . . . which can be added. I haven’t even tried it yet, as I didn’t see a need to the 12.1 A …..maybe a tad with 12.0 N…and the 12.4 B (Beige) . . . they were all gorgeous without a booster. But for those of you with a need for more lift, I will definitely carry the Blonding EXTRACT – Schwatrzkopf.

Then the 3rd high lift that was yummy was MATRIX’s ( which surprised me) but then I remembered that all the girls that worked in the old Salon with me used this one particular High-lift

by Matrix called UL-PA . Ultra Lift Pearl Ash. . . . and it was sold out at both of the supply houses I tried to get it at. . . which now shows me that an awful lot of Colorists must use it. I did not notice a booster with Matrix, but again - - the color was so perfect I couldn’t think of why I would need one. . . . but will carry that as well. So watch for that in the near future. I truly cannot see why any of the boosters can’t be interchanged with any brand. I have not tested that theory, but will. . . .coming up. You know science formulas' and theories that are used with “hair color are plain and simple and just not that complicated so there is pretty much no reason it shouldn’t work.

I re-tested the 100A by Renbow in this same review of the high-lifts. . . because I had 2 separate people tell me they had weird lavender-brown deposits….using it. What I immediately thought of , was “of course” . . . Paul Mitchell should be just about at the sabotage point…as Renbow has just recently completely been shut down here in the USA. It now is going to be made in Europe, and then imported in the USA, under a different name ( by law). NAME…but[ that won’t be for a while. I didn’t want to leave many of you high and dry . . . and now I am very VERY confidant I won’t have to. I mean I still have 8 other brands of high-lifts to test. . . and would love to offer an array of high-lifts blonds to all you Crib Colorists to choose from so please watch for this to come to fruition.

In addition to high-lifts and lighteners, with losing the Renbow toners ( which I have never found anything even remotely close) I plan to put together a base line of opaque toners course and then demonstrate to you how to change the colors of the toners in order to reach soft pastels. It really is not that hard. Just comes with experience….which luckily YOU don’t need. . . because I have it - - - for you!

Matrix brought back its line of 4 opaque toners for blond’s I used to use and love so that is a great start.. I will also demonstrate the fairly simple technique of making an apricot-rose toner ‘from’ these toners as a base provided there is some interest for them. Soft Silver, Soft Raspberry, Ice Blue – All coming up in the future days and weeks of the NEW HIGHLIFT series.

NEW ADDITION TO THIS POST :

Please check out the store, I have completed all the lines of testing highlifts from some 20 lines of hair color.

The absolute 1st and best blonds without the use of bleach goes to the company FRAMESI, they actually blew both Schwartzkopf and the rest of them out of the water....just read the post on the page under hair color for the end of the testing results...

http://killerstrands.myshopify.com/products/high-lift-blond-color-kits-all-brands

Killer Chemist

The Magic of Hair Color Mixology

Becoming a Crib Colorist

Mix Colorissimo w/ RenColor & why

I am very, no…. make that ---> EXTREMELY proud of so many of you that follow the KillerStrands teachings and have taken it upon yourself to learn the proper way to color hair. I hear many of you talking in “Colorist-lingo” and speaking about it correctly and in the proper format. Makes me a proud Mama Bear. There seems to be a lot of questions about the mixing of colors when using the Renbow Lines and I can fully understand that.

Why? When I was in Sassoon Academy no one ever mixed the 2 lines together. . .when I got out and was able to order the color myself for my own Clientele…I began reading the Instruction sheets, Color Charts and Inserts that come with the color, I was very thirsty for knowledge back then, much like many of you are now.

It was not until this point though, (about 3 years after I started) that I began experimenting with mixing RenColor and Colorissimo together. I mean why wouldn’t these Master Colorists {that were my Instructors} not teach me the exact ‘correct’ methods of mixing & applying this color? ? ? It took me quite a few years to finally come up with that answer. [... because they never slowed down long enough to read the Manufacturers Instructions and suggestions which is what I did - sometimes 'ego' gets in the way of learning -be careful of that one!].

I highly suggest all of you read the manufacturers instructions periodically on hair color that you are using…you never know when they have changed the instructions so check it all over periodically. So I was not taught the way to use Colorissimo and RenColor together….that was one of the most amazing discoveries of my career…I still remember the day.

RenColor comes in 30 beautiful fashion and pastel shades. To this date I have never seen one other line of permanent hair color with this range and this unusual of colors. I keep waiting for anyone to get close or to understand that as a top Colorist. THIS IS WHAT TONES WE WANT…they may seem a bit unusual to many of you. But you ask any top colorist & most will agree. The thing about Renbow and why it was not nearly as big as any of the other lines? Is because it was owned and run and a famous italian Colorist Renato Bruno. Renato came to America and ended up staying here when he brought the line over… so he has a manufacturing plant and distribution in Italy and throughout Europe and in Pennsylvania & throughout the USA. The bottle contains 2 ounces of product and must be mixed with an equal amount of hydrogen peroxide..

Rencolor provides amazing lift & lasting ability, self-stopping coloring action, no build-up of color on the ends as is so with ALL Renbow colors. RenColor is also know for its superb transparency, unsurpassed conditioning…but mostly > its known for is SHINE!

There are 4 Shade Divisions within RenColor

DUSK ……………..….in Levels 1 to 6

DAWN …………….…in Levels 6 to 10

SUNRISE …………in Levels 7 to 10

SUNSET …………. in Levels 5 to 8

…………………………………………………………………

Lets Begin with DUSK

DUSK - An intermixed base that is predominantly a deep tone. There just isn’t a lot of tones that show up in dark levels. I have watched various companies try and fail -- attempting it. A 3 BRV, pretty much looks like black if you ask me. Or a 4A, which many companies, including both WELLA & Renbow’s Colorissimo have…I have a great eye for color especially hair color but anything below a 5 or especially a 4 is pointless….its just too damn dark. .Hey, I’m all for them keeping them in their lines, I used to use them – I LOVED them & used them all…. I felt bad for the darkies….. they had no fun/no variations…just ask me -- I’ve been the same dumbass Level 8-Red my whole life. . . with a few attempts at other colors, they just look weird on me. I understand boredom in hair color like no body’s business, I’m the queen of boring hair color….its sitting right on my shoulders day in and day out!

The DUSK series has a couple super stars though. If I had to pick #1 I would say it is #3 MOKA. I will give it to the Head of Vidal Sassoons Color Department she told me that MOKA was the most gorgeous, the most rich and the most beautiful Darkest Brown on the planet….gave hair the most shine….and was just stunning. She was dead right, so remember that boys and girls.

HOW IT WORKS

Gray Hair – Achieves a translucent type of coverage, allowing a shiny transparent effect.

VIRGIN & TINTED – Supplies a sophisticated shimmer of color.

BLEACHED & Highly Tinted—Use with caution. This is the wrong palette for very light hair, I’m sure you can see why ( its way damn too dark! ha ha)

So…my favorite 2 mixtures in the DUSK series are:

#1) Colorissimo 4N – 1 oz. + RenColor #03 MOKA – 1oz.. + + 2 OZ. of 20V Developer ……………The 4N would supply the Gray coverage, or even if you didn’t have gray, this is still the most gorgeous combo.. The color were made to work together like this and when you DO use them to work this way you get the perfect color. For years companies made “Liquid” hair color the way RenColor is made, they found that Liquid hair color imparted an incredible amount of SHINE…BUT, it did not cover Gray as well. So they had to go back to the Tube –(Pigment-rich) Hair Color for that. This is why you mix the 2 together. For both tremendous Gray coverage, and shocking SHINE! Lasts longer than any other line . . . believe I have tried. Renbow is not easy to get, the company has never been into the whole “marketing and sales” like most companies. So I have tried many times to find someone else with as good of coverage/shine/ all of it.

As I have said many times. . . Renbow, USA has been bought out by Paul Mitchel in 2009 . . . . So we will see what happens in this next upcoming year.

#2) Colorissimo 5N (or 6N) – 1/2 oz. + Ren Color 06 Velvet Brown – 1 1/2 oz. ++ 2 oz. of 20V Developer

DAWN…….An intermixed based of Violet and Blue Pigments. These are some great tones for all that brass, blorange, gold and on and on that you all know too well. I know they may not look to delightful on the page, but remember, you use hair color to fight (to oppose) the unwanted tones you have in your hair. Its funny when you are at my stage, I just LOVE the oddest colors, and it wasn’t until KillerStrands until I realized how truly funny the colors I love …are. Remember Renbow is the only company I know of that uses blue/violet for their ASH’s - - the way it is meant to be. ( American companies use green/ grey…YUK!….What color does “grey get rid of?) I

I mean look at the SILVER MINK, how absolutely gorgeous it is. Plus it is a permanent hair color + MOONLIGHT is WHITE…I call it Marilyn Monroe Blonde…Even 25 Opaline is yummy. Dawn and SunRise are my favorite groups…

I started to think whether or not I had ever used one of these colors alone…I”m pretty sure I have not. Where with the DUSK group I have used all of them alone - - these tones are all a case for canceling “unwanted tones”

HOW IT WORKS

The Dawn series is especially suited for neutralizing unwanted yellow to gold or orange tones.

GRAY HAIR…..NOT recommended for Snow WHITE or pure Gray hair, but will provide a beautiful shimmering effect on salt and pepper gray hair.

Virgin and Tinted – Provides a drabbing effect on excess yellow, gold, orange tones. An excellent series to mix with Colorissimo HIGHLIFT SERIES for one process blonding.

Bleached and Highly Tinted – A wonderful –Toner series for all Blonds. Nearly every single color creates a gorgeous effect on blonds.

In order to make it easy for you, I have added 2 new Blonding Kits – incorporating this new (to you) method of using RenColor in your Highlift blonding process.

. .There are 2 new Kits – that include RenColor (MOONLIGHT) for those that love it ( the highlift Kits are our #1 selling color ) including RenColor w/ a bit of a discount.

Its called:

1) High-Lift Twin Turbo-Kit (5 pc Kit)

Colorissimo 100A + 40V Developer………….Renbow – White Genie…………Rencolor (Moonlight 27)

AND

2) High-lift Turbo Kit (4 pc. Kit)

Colorissimo 100A + 40V Developer…..RenColor (Moonlight 27)

……………………………………….

I will finish this up tomorrow or Saturday. . . . . but wanted to get it started…

Something has happened to the COMMENTs on this Blogging System….they just don’t work very well anymore and I get lots of SPAM Comments, so I have to delete over 1/2 of them. ??? If you have any questions about this … please head to the GROUP and I will try to hang out there this weekend. . . .

thanks,

Killer Chemist

I have Hair (TIA) Advertising “BLOCK”. . .

. . . heard of Writers “Block”?

Once again, in my never ending attempt to write a post educating you on the wonders of hair color . .  I get side-tracked and stumped by this one topic:

(TIA)   TRUTH-IN-ADVERTISING 

Not wanting to talk about it, as I dislike people that harp on negativity - - it just keeps getting in the way. Many times I hit “DELETE” and you all get nothing. Which is simply not fair . .  I have soooo much to say and a list a mile long of topics to write on. So for just this once and because it is the first day of the New year, I will show you what happens - - so you understand…that way I can just tell you, in the future, to see the Post from January 1 on TIA and hopefully I won’t have to talk about it much any longer.

Interspersed with this yucky topic I am going to give you some gorgeous new photos of blond styles and colors that will set the trends for the beginning of the new decade ….so its not AAAAAAAAAAALL bad !

Another slight problem is:  I can see my writing on this subject has hurt me financially in the past 2-3 months  - - I used to have big advertisers run ads on the Blog which did help me afford to keep this entity FREE to you, the reader. These advertisers have left, and I am very very sad. But if they have not come back yet, I doubt they plan on it in the future – so here goes:

I would guess most of you at one time or another came to Killer Strands for the same reason that many continue to do today and tomorrow . . . and most likely the next day - - - and that is for one of the “BIG 3” I call it.…

The BIG #3 Hair Disasters that routinely happen by the thousands – 24 hours every single day  -- 7 Days of the Week – 52 weeks of the year… Year after Year after Year…..that is one Helluva lot of people being affected by the following:

1. Unqualified Hair Stylist
2. Boxed Hair Color - disaster
3. Incorrect recommendation by S_ _ _ _‘s Beauty Supply via – unqualified Sales person

The Big 3 get in the way almost every single time I attempt to write a POST to you about so many subjects….WHY? 

Well, here was today’s predicament – I’m hoping this will clarify easily :  I wanted to write about how to put together a very simple kit for those men out there that simply wanted to color/cover gray hair, they can do it at home, at their own convenience and I was going to give a tricky little method Sassoon came up with so it looks a little more natural with a Level 8..Level 6 and a Level 5. .  Simple enough – right?

Being as I am not a writer, but a very enthusiastic hair colorist/chemist . . . I find I must get inspired by some new facts, figures or theories, formulations…. and know my subject – learn more than I already know…hopefully more recent info than what’s in my brain already. So I always do some research on whatever the topic is for the day….

Now, I attempt to research Men’s hair color that is in those ‘boxed kits’ to figure out why it looks so weird . . . then I discover that many of them use metallic salts to color the hair, their kits aren’t even advanced enough to be like the women's boxed hair color kits. Where a Tint + a Developer is used  - - mix together / apply & process –  a very simple chemical reaction that takes place in order to color hair – most of you generally understand & its been around for well over 50 years. It is not at all degrading to the hair – in fact quite the contrary.

….BUT, Metallic salts is archaic, its so old and unpredictable I truthfully thought it was a banned substance. . . . it is very similar to Henna. Henna/Metallic Salts are the 2 applications that I was sure were not used and if they were I was to stay very very far away from them – I was told this 17 years ago. What is it doing in Mens Hair Color Boxed Kits?  Also….one cannot apply regular hair color on top of them….some sort of fizzling and hissing and yucky- dangerous reactions begin to take place… and Lord knows what could or could not happen to the poor hair strands.

I will not touch a persons hair that has HENNA on it. I heard dozens of horror stories from European Hair Stylists, that pretty much scared the crap out of me. So if this is what a lot of these companies are using to color men’s hair, I just discovered why their hair looks so weird when they attempt to cover their own gray.  

THAT IS SO ILLEGAL, and just sooooooooo WRONG. Like so much of the PUBLIC HAIR COLORING choices out there, I don’t understand why these companies get away with… Why do they get to do things that are terrible for hair, encourage hair loss and don’t even color but build up layers of metal on top of the hair strands – that’s (vaguely) how the metallic salts work to cover gray. I never wanted to fully understand it, as I said I heard it was being banned and discontinued.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS when I go to write a post, I discover some other bizarre and weird/wrong and NOT COOL discovery about public hair color that I cannot believe exists and I am so shocked and confused….I can’t really tell the story correctly without telling people this type of background. This needs to be said, so that one person brings the topic up…its not fair to men. Why don’t they get a decent hair color system? Because they are men?? I LOVE MEN . . . . they are one of the greatest joys on planet earth… It would be absolutely no fun without them…and I feel they should be taken care of at the same level as we are. There is not a woman alive that would put up with Metallic Salts covering their gray, I guarantee you. Pieces of various colors of metal close to your own color build up on the gray hair ONLY to give the illusion of the gray disappearing. It does not work and looks bizarre.  . . .

SUN-IN used to used Metallic SALTS to lighten hair which is why so many had orange hair…. it depended on your DURP as to whether SUN-IN would WORK on a certain person’s hair. I had heard someone sued and won about SUN-IN and that is what stopped the use of METTALIC Salts for hair color about 18-19 years ago… so am still stunned that Mens Hair Color is using it..

I stopped writing about them… because of all the advertisers I lost, but I can see now they don’t plan on returning. I can understand I guess. But what I can’t understand is why these companies do this. There are such easy and gorgeous colors they could put in those boxes…. I don’t understand why they put crap in them . .  and why they don’t use the good products, I guess it all boils down to “PROFITS.

So, there you have it. . .TIA or TRUTH in ADVERTISING is a huge HUGE issue to me. It gets in the way of all the Posts…So, now that you (hopefully) understand I’m hoping it will be easier for me to just plow ahead…. But I have a BLOG that I am trying to use to get my message out, for everyone to learn how to properly care for their hair and to let them know that they too can have longer shinier, thicker hair. . .  if they just follow a few rules, its truly not that hard….

I know – first hand - - -  I live it. I follow every single thing that I preach to you about.

I’ve always lived a very disciplined life, 10,000 HEADS to me is just another extension of living a healthy life I feel. I can’t participate in any of the exercises….I come from a different place - - - I would give A N Y T H I N G to be able to exercise again. So its weird to hear people complain about having to exercise …or practice YOGA to improve their hair’s health. If I could do that again, I would be a super happy person. Remember that next time you check out the local YOGA schedule…

Remember how super lucky you are that you CAN practice YOGA, and that you have the health to do it with….it truly sucks not being able to to do those things. Boy do I miss it.. . .

Happy New Year one and all

Killer Chemist

Hair Color, Hair Color Consultations, 10,000 Heads and the KillerQ8

Back to the Basics, where I Belong

Hair color is a funny thing, it cannot be reduced entirely to a science, as there are so many parts that are given to objective analysis by a experienced individual. That’s why you cannot just order a book on the subject. Dozens of Colorists before me have thought about writing one, I can guarantee you, its a daunting task…because of the variables we all know exist. Many aspects of hair coloring defy an exact system . . . the level System as I have tried to teach here on Killer Strands is the only universal system that truly works, I know it lacks in many areas…but when you get used to it I promise you figuring out your own hair color will be a snap. Learning it takes time, now that I have watched thousands of people absorb it I can solidly report that it takes some reading, some research and some thinking and experimenting to begin to work it…I am proud to report many of you are successfully working the Level System and reporting in with beautiful hair coloring stories.

What I hope for, is more of you to take the plunge, invest in your own hair….in your own hair color, in the power it takes you to take control over your own hair, NO MORE DISASTERS… you only have to learn the variables on one head of hair…YOUR OWN ! A great colorist has to be able to calculate for every type of hair that exists – every head of hair that walks through that door, sits in that seat and looks longingly to me for a perfect color. I took that look very seriously, but the more I listen to war stories of hair color disasters, the more I’m finding there are just not a whole lot of qualified Colorists out there. So to figure just your own out, really does not take that long, nor is that hard. I really encourage you to begin the reading it takes on this Blog to find the answer to your perfect hair color….Remember, IT DOES NOT COME FROM A BOX.

If I were to line up 10 of you with the exact same level 6 (completely) virgin hair, and every one of you wanted the exact same result…. I would not use the exact same formula. I’m estimating there to be 4 to 7 different formula’s to reach that same color and THAT IS WHY the Box system doesn’t work. Remember, Boxed Hair Color is known as “job security” to Salons and Hair Stylists, they count on you showing up with your hair color botched, that kind of says it all. I’ve always wanted to know how many people walked into a Salon across the entire USA one day of the week, every week of the year. …I would love to know the true exact amount. I’ve often thought it is probably around 50,000 per day, that to me is incredibly sad. You see all the stylists around me used to act like hunters waiting for the kill, during the day…in Malibu, the owner & I were the only one’s with a jam-packed book. They would wait for “walk-ins” with botched box color . . . I never had to live that way. But still, it just isn’t fair to the public, I don’t think anyone has ever brought that topic up, I won’t stop bringing it up.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Your natural base level is foremost among the key factors one wants to use in calculating your new hair color formula. Your best bet is to remove all old color (using VANISH only) if its blond or blorange, blass or blellow (my personal fav.) begin growing your hair out - - - N O W! There are methods of turning those 3 colors normal while growing your hair out, all involve “filling” the hair. In Hair Academy some of the Color Instructors that lived in the Academy world would say: there isn’t a color I can’t make a client. Which at first I took on their attitude….UNTIL >>>> I got to the “Salon” world and dealt with the public on a daily basis that is when I learned the Salon world was completely & totally different than the Academy world. In the Salon world I would become close to my clients, I cared about them, cared about their hair ……the future of their hair. In the Academy world you do one person’s hair and never see them again. You constantly are doing the hair color of people you will never see again – models you do once, spending all day on one person for a photo shoot….never to see them again… which is just not normal. If someone walks in, is Asian with Level 1(black) hair and wants to have a soft “mint green frame around the face” …. you do it & actually have a blast doing it. YES, I can make anyone – ANY COLOR -- I did that for one full year, but I quickly learned that is NOT how you introduce hair color nor take care of clients you care about.

3 tricks I learned that made my client list so strong?

• Always have their “next” or “future” hair color and most importantly their hairs health in mind (for them) .
• Listen to their requests for their new hair color choices, look at the photos they have chosen . . . .but never ever forget what the consequences of their choices will bring.
• I always felt it was my job, to talk them out of a hair disaster. It was a gamble I took at the beginning. Most all top Colorists I knew at the beginning would turn the clients hair whatever color they asked for. I care about “people” too much to

Now I live by the Rule:

NOT ALL HAIR CAN BE ALL COLORS

- - and that, is my own PERSONAL Rule.

I took the hundreds of clients I had and pretended they were all my family. Would I straighten a girls hair who begged me for it, if I knew with the next appointment she came for… she would be in tears with her hair breaking off. NO Would I tint the platinum(Level 12) woman’s hair…. black (Level 1), because there was a dance or Halloween was coming up that she just had to have it for? NO Would I apply extensions to a woman's hair that was of medium or fine texture and was of medium to thin thickness? NO Could I have done any of these procedures? Of course. They all rake in a whole lot of $$$ as well. This is the stumbling block most stylists fall into, they worship the almighty dollar instead of the almighty hair strand. Big…………….no, HUGE mistake.

So for all of you that remain on the path to your Colorist, you must learn this for yourself, take the care of your hair into your own hands and stop any procedures from happening that do not protect your hair. Learn the Steps I have taught you through the pages and posts of this Blog. Go back to the beginning, read the entire Blog….It does not take that long and I get more compliments from that one suggestion than any other suggestion.

Join in on our Google Group http://groups.google.com/group/killerstrands ask questions, read the archives…. I hate to repeat myself. I look to the group for questions to write about in these POSTS. I hope to spend the next 2 months on Hair Color and Color questions the group brings to the surface will be the basis of my coming POSTS. You know when I had to wipe all my computers clean the only list that I lost that I truly miss is the one that I have collected since the beginning of the BLOG on “POSTS I HAVE YET TO WRITE”…I had about 40 titles on there and all these clever titles for them as well….I’m just so very sad about losing them. It took 3 years to put together that list. I have learned a lot from this experience, most things I didn’t know anything about, people keep trying to point out the good parts of it…which I appreciate, I truly do.

I'm looking for ideas to write about as "COLOR" is going to be my subject for the next 2 months...I'm going to really concentrate and get back to explaining and teaching hair color to you.

I am in the process of starting a small – intimate - additional group for KillerStrands.com customers exclusively - the advantage of purchasing your hair products here on KS is the advantage of getting assistance from myself and my trained assistants.

• 
  You will need to have an order number to enter/ post and read the group, and your questions will need to pertain to your purchased products....
• If you don't know exactly what color you need, purchase 2 tubes of the brand you want, some In-TENSIVE, Crib Colorist Kit ( gives you all tools you need to begin at a Killer price), a Sulfate-Free Shampoo …when you check out - there is our little "KILLER BOX" at check out - Write in that box:
  "JOINING GROUP - Hold Order 4 Help w/ Color Selection "
• Everyone joining the group, MUST join with the answers to the KILLER 8 which will be discussed in todays POST.
  Which ‘yes’ means I am forcing you to learn.
• I know that may sound mean, but it is truly not that hard, I have taught my little niece it ( she is only 17 and will be attending Vidal Sassoon Academy when she graduates high school!) - - if she can learn it - - - SO CAN YOU !
• I mean learn about your hair, so you never EVER have another hair disaster.
  

Every single day of every single month - - - all year long - - - I get an email from at least 2 and up to 10 people saying the exact same sentence, " I wish I would’ve found this BEFORE my hair got destroyed” … I am guessing my site is pretty high up there on Google’s ratings for Hair color disasters. So I thank Google for that…although I wish there was a way to for them to find me BEFORE the disaster happened. { I’m looking for miracles now, aren’t I ??}

This is what I started this group doing and to be honest my little mishap of November got me so rattled that I want to return back to the basics…..Teaching Hair Color to the Crib Colorists and Hair Health to the 10,000HEADS Regimen devotees.
...we are getting so many new members I want to concentrate on helping the people who decide to take the plunge and give professional products and KillerStrands brands/protocol a "go".
Don't panic anyone, I will still be helping out in here a few days a week - exactly as before.
I was also considering bring the Consultations back.....when I do though they are going to cost a lot more, unfortunately.
I'm so much busier now, but I get so many requests that it truly makes me feel bad.
You can look at it as one hair appointment, to save yourself a life-time of mistakes....if that is worth it to you, then maybe the price will make more sense.
As I have said many times, the answers to many of your questions are already here.....Free - in Posts I have written over the past (almost) 3 years! So if you just do a small amount of research { the Search system Google has on my BLOG works very very well } Nik is very good at learning how to "SEARCH" so is Amber, if you ask either one of them they may help you as well.

Now as I gather material and get back to writing about hair color and hair health….let me give you the KillerQ8. These 8 questions are as abbreviated as possible, to come up with your new hair color formula for your new KS Color. It includes everything possible, short of being able to feel the hair…the one and only missing variable in this system.

I can’t wait to hear some of you being able to figure out other member’s hair color formula’s as we use this system of mine in full force ad over and over again many of you will start to get it…You’ve already amazed me in your answers to many peoples questions. So in any questions from now on regarding you or your color and you wanting to change your color answer your questions with SHORT answers to these KILLERQ8

Just today I had one of our newbies answer the KillerQ8’s first question wrong.

the first question is this:

1. What is your VIRGIN hair color level & tone? Her answer was: Copper-Blond base with blond high-lights.

Now that is someone who is trying to beat the system, please get the answers right, its only 8 questions…. VIRGIN HAIR is hair that has not been touched by anyone. This doesn’t mean when you were 10 years old either, it means when you were full grown, mature and your age today…no has natural blond highlights ( z(except 10 year olds)….or if they do they are less than 1% and in 10,000 heads, I have never seen them. Anyway you get the picture now don’t you?

2.What is your PRESENT Hair Color level & Tone?

3. What is your DESIRED hair color Level & Tone?

4. What is your percentage of Gray? Is it Resistant? ( which means is it stubborn to hold hair color)

5.What is your DURP? Slight….to….Strong

VIP question….DOMINANT UNDERLYING REMAINING PIGMENT analyze what each one of those words mean – one-at-a-time ??? Then you can decipher the question…………What color do you or your Colorist fight, when tinting your hair? Blorange, Blass & Blellow are the common ones for clients trying to go blond.

6. What is your texture?

7. What is the Porosity? Along with the Condition ??, many times the two of them go hand in hand….be clear on both, please

8. What is length and thickness?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So now you have the KillerQ8, the 8 questions we need in order to do a Consultation and or to speak about your hair color concerns in the GROUP….please, everyone figure out the answers to the 8 before bringing your question to the boards and to the GROUPS….Begin by putting the answers to the 8 on your questions.

Not in Group? Google:GOOGLE GROUPS / Killer Strands

Systems are good, but in hair coloring the level System does not capture it all, remember that. That System is good for a base, but a good analysis must also be considered in calculating your new color application….DURP, texture, previous artificial color, porosity, the hair color product you are using.

Join, shop the store . . . study the Color Charts they are the most wonderful tool for learning to color hair.

I look forward to writing more on color for the next 2 months….so get ready to learn.

Killer Chemist

#3 Questions When Answered, Will Solve Your Hair Color Woes

Hair Color At The Highest Level is Much Simpler Than it Appears

Who knows why, but I make my job and writing these Posts much harder than they need to be. As a Top Colorist you get stories of how your clients got to where they are... that at times can be so long, I cannot believe it is one person. Truly, they are mind bending. I know you all think that how you got there will help us, but here is the absolute truth : all of that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that you went from boxed color to Sally's and around the corner to the best Salon in your city... and you have spent thousands of dollars and hours of time - - and your hair is horrendous. It simply : DOESN'T MATTER, however meaningful to you. Isn't your goal : better hair color, truly?

Ouch, did I hurt anyone's feelings?

Boy I hope not, that is not the point. What I hope to do is to clean up the Home hair coloring world so the stigma's are gone. . . the truth is told and the Salon experience for those that choose that method is understood. There is something that comes from being raised in California {don't worry I know you all think we are nuts...and bonkers} - a freedom, a 'who-gives-a-shit' lifestyle, a healthy yet -- many times NOT so healthy existence in a world gone mad. Hardly seems worth it sometimes, especially if the planet is as doomed as we keep hearing. But anyway . . . see how I too, can get side-tracked. Which is what I am trying to teach you NOT TO DO. Stay on point, when speaking to me or yourself, the Group about your hair color dealings. If you do that one thing it will get you an answer on how to fix your mop. How great would that be?

THE POINT HERE IS SIMPLICITY when dealing with trying to straighten your hair color out, which is why so many of you happen upon our little struggling BLOG/GROUP & STORE. The reason I want to teach you this? IS to get you the answer you ultimately want - - only faster.

Drop the long stories, drop the lengthy-ass history . . . and "cut-to-the- chase" ( my personal favorite line ) and you know why ? ? You will get a better, more cared-for, more efficient answer to your puzzlement about your hair Color problems.

When I was training a very long time ago... she would give me a line-up of 15-20 clients.... I would have 15 minutes to go down the line and come up with the heads of hair "FORMULA's for all the clients. Now if each one had a long drawn out story . . . we would still be there. That is not how Sassoon works, they are a Hair Color BOOT CAMP, that's what I called them as I never quite had an experience like that before and I truly felt like I was in Boot Camp of some sort. The only information I could have would be the answer to 3 questions and 3 sentences written by the client and that was it. The 3/3 Method of Hair Color Formulation I would later teach all my assistants.

You would be surprised how that is all we needed. . . many times I got to the point of not needing the 3 sentences. But when I moved from the Academy setting to the Salon I gave every single client that sit in my chair a Questionnaire prior to me ever laying my hands on them.

That is what I want you all to work on, when you come to the group and ask questions. . . or in any future Consultations I conduct. There is one key word in each sentence...can you tell us what that word is? Please enter in the Comments section below.

The 3 Questions

1.) What is your virgin Level and Tone ? __________L _________T

2.) What is your present Level & Tone? __________L _________T

3.) What is your desired Level & Tone? __________L _________T

Now those 3 sentences . . . what would YOU choose to tell a top Colorist, if you could. If you were in this situation? For so many of you with Color issues, can you shorten your story down. I would hope that by hearing that this is not as complicated as so many of you think . . . that maybe you will take the plunge and give home hair coloring a shot. Its really not that hard, its really a very simple hobby. As with all things complicated in your life - research and study . . . I have 2 years of POSTS - right here in front of your face.

I have opened up the stigma of the Hair Color world for you to learn, and you know what I know for sure....??? Is that it works, I have hundreds of Crib Colorists that have taken the time, to read through the entire Blog and they are all successfully coloring their hair at home. No, you will not learn it all in a night.... not even 2 nights. Its not hard - - but is not just a 20-30 minute read either.

Anything good, does not come easy . . .

if I have learned one thing in life - is that 1 sentence is true. I don't believe there are any free-rides. You want to home hair color your hair and have it look like Gwen Stefani's or Gisele's. . . first you need to learn to "lower your standards" to who is exactly standing in front of you when you are in front of that mirror. Look at the "type" of hair you have, then IF you would like to have a celebrities hair, which can very successfully be done at home - be sure you pick a celeb's hair that is similar to your your type. Do they have the same texture? Do they have the same type of hair YOU have. If not, get over it - - and move on till you find one that does. There seems to be more celebrities than people now a days - its pretty ridiculous.

I am enjoying learning what a wonderful knowledge base Killer Strands has born... so many of our members can spout off Levels,Tones and procedures in the Group and wow it makes me proud of all of you that have taken the time to read what was very difficult for me to write. I now know why people 'teach' . It can be very rewarding ... what a wonderful warm feeling to see and hear a group of people spout off some of your very own verbiage, teachings, etc. It is just inspiring to me. . .truly inspiring.

Remember my number one recommendation if you are an old member a new member. . . or just a member. Start at the beginning and read forward. . .go a week at a time - if you can't handle anymore. Read the entire Blog, that one suggestion has retrieved the most compliments . So there is your project for the week. . . set goals, even with your hair, get it in the best shape it has ever been. Have day after day of GOOD HAIR DAYS.... it's not that hard, I promise.