Life's a Bleach .. the Lightening of Melanin

Off the Hair Health Horse... back on the Hair Color Horse

Sorry I couldn't figure out why I was sleepy every time I've been posting lately...besides the usual medical crap going on, I was just unusually tired and just couldn't get inspired...I NEED TO WRITE ABOUT HAIR COLOR, to keep me jazzed and alive. So I am just going to have to alternate the posts, for fear of falling asleep and never waking up. DO NOT GET ME WRONG, Hair Health is as important a subject as there is, I promise you. But, for me I have done all of that writing and reporting... it was completed over the past 6 years  - so its simply a matter of "re-writing" my notes - which I guess is what was pushing the snooze button for me.
I  NEED  SOMETHING  ABOUT  HAIR  COLOR  TO  MAKE ME HAVE TO WRITE  FROM SCRATCH - its what made me become involved - inspired and REJUVENATED once again....something I very much NEED. So back we go. I ordered a couple of new Doll heads . . . Molly & Dolly's cousin's are on their way from back east. If you don't know who Molly and Dolly are . . . SHAME on you -- see here >> http://killerstrands.blogspot.com/2007/12/ble-atched-hair-series-1.html.
They are showing ble-atched- super light blond's well into the Fall - and its the subject I simply get the most questions about... getting to LEVEL 12 successfully & beautifully. So today we are going over the process from a different POV, twisted technical.
Hang on.
Below the surface off the skin is the hair root: above it is the hair shaft.

The hair root is housed in a sheath, a pocket in the skin, called a follicle. At the bottom of the follicle ( deep in skin) is the hair bulb. Cells that become a strand of hair are produced in the hair bulb, the LIVING PART OF THE HAIR, from which the hair grows. At the base of the bulb, nourishing it, is the papilla, a tiny mound of tissue laced with capillaries.
 
The hair shaft is comprised primarily of cross linked, fibrous proteins called Keratin. Keratin accounts for 90-95% of the hair weight.
Structures in the hair bulb called melanocytes make melanin, or natural pigment. that gives the strand color.2-3% of total weight comes from melanin.
How is hair formed?
The papilla supplies AMINO ACIDS ( remember this - I feel amino acids are important for new hair growth) to the hair bulb; the hair bulb produces keratinous cells; melanocytes infuse melanin into these protein-based cells; then, finally, the cells dry out and harden to form the hair strand ( called keratinization) which emerges from the follicle.
There are 2 types of melanin

• Eumelanins - the darker pigments from black to brown
• Pheomelanins - lighter, ranging from red-brown to red-yellow to yellow

All hair no matter what color it is (except white- unpigmented) contains both in varying degrees. Very black Asian hair is heavily pigmented but may contain only eumelanin.
The color of a strand of hair depends on how much melanin it contains, the proportion of eumelanin TO pheomelanin  + the pattern of distribution of the melanin. There are additional descriptions of how these work but truly this all you need to know to understand 'basically' how the hair's VIRGIN color. . .  GOT there!
LIGHTENING OF MELANIN
From your POV, the most important thing to know about melanin is what happens to it in the presence of hair color.  The color result depends as much on the natural pigmentation of the hair as it does on the artificial pigment used; the same ash brown formula may look ORANGE-Y on one natural base, drab on another, and Neutral on a third....something I try my damndest to explain to everyone.

Recognizing what depth the hair is to start with and how it will change tonally when lightened allows you to anticipate the final result. So many of you are so surprised & shocked at your results, which I guess really can only subside with experience. 
Through the years, all the various color manufacturers have come up with ways of getting this process across to hair colorists {and now ME to you }  . . . . but the point of any theory of lightening is to drive home the idea that the color result depends on MORE THAN WHAT YOU put in the BOWL - -  it also depends on the color contribution of YOUR hair on your head.  So no matter how many rules we come up with and no matter how many different ways we try to teach lightening of the hair, going from Level 6 Brown Hair to that rocking Level 12 that you have always wanted to be. . . .  it also depends on the color contribution of that hair on your head right now.
Natural color contribution depends on:

1. the original virgin color &
2. how much you lighten it

The natural base level and the lightening capability of your formula, determine the color contribution of your hair.
The color contribution of the hair AND
the artificial pigment used...determine the color result.
Natural color
+ lightening capability of the formula
= the color contribution of the hair
AND
The color contribution of the hair
+  the artificial pigment
= the Color result

Are you getting this...??  Color contributions of the hair is referred to any one of different ways: undertones, underlying pigment, natural  underlying pigmentation, pigment bases, residual pigment contribution, natural contribution of the hair, lightened natural pigment and remaining natural color.
Any of these term can be substituted in that last equation (above).

SEVEN STAGES OF LIGHTENING
This concept concerns the color changes that happen when hair is exposed to a product capable of lightening it.
One of the best lessons in hair coloring is how the FINAL Result depends as much on the natural contribution ( remember what YOUR hair has IN it naturally - as it was when you were born) of the hair a s it does on the artificial dyes, and the seven stages of lightening is a way to tell that story.
The 7 stages of lightening are the colors that hair attains as it is lightened with either permanent hair coloring or bleach.
If hair bleaching could be viewed in super SLOW MOTION, these are the tonal stages that would be seen during the progression from dark to light.
The 7 stages of lightening are:

1. BLACK
2. BROWN
3. RED
4. RED-GOLD
5. GOLD
6. YELLOW
7. PALE YELLOW

  When hair is exposed to a lightener agent, its black and brown pigments are first to begin to break down or oxidize ( the eumelanin lightens first). Then the red & gold pigments gradually oxidize  - then yellow and pale yellow stages are simply lighter and lighter version of gold.

Notice 5 of the 7 stages have to do with red and gold, this is due to the tenacity of these colors in the hair. In other words, they are IMPOSSIBLE to get out of the hair! It takes longer to eliminate Red and forever to eliminate GOLD. I am hoping you will all relate this to your experience of being stuck in the "gold" stage as though it seemed like FOREVER 
The most sought after goal when going Gwen Stefani BLOND . .Pale Yellow, I refer to it as frozen butter. Pale yellow is the lightest hair can become without destroying the hair. Pale Yellow can be toned to be almost any color on the planet...including white.
I am hoping with this series in the long run I will see less banana-heads on the street, realizing fully what a grand wish that is, I am still hopeful - they make me shiver.
There are 3 parts to this  Post. . . I will finish it in the next 8 days. . . . so stay tuned!                                                               
Killer Chemist

Running with Color . . . Formulation

Killer Kolor Table

Stumbling across a formulation Chart from another company, I realized how helpful this might be to many of you. The more you understand about the entire procedure ...the better YOUR hair will turn out. Print it out on Cardboard and enlarge it, if you have the capability, studying this might give many of you a feeling of how the whole "color formulation" trick works.

It is not easy and will take a while for the "aha" moment, but I hope you will plod on. Study this...over and over and over. I disagree with a couple of their numbers. Having very rarely seen a Level 6 hair be properly lifted to a pleasant Level 10 leads to my conclusion that a couple numbers are wrong..BUT...I am hoping the whole chart in general gives you a broad picture of how color formulation works. If you have any questions about it, please ask in the "comments" section at the bottom of this post. If you are a Level 5, 6 or 7 and are looking to go to a Level 10 - Please ask a question about it first. These companies like to think their colors lighten MORE than they do. I have tested 10 companies High lift blonds ( Level 12's) and its nice to see they dream a lot in their Labs, I would post them but the differences are slight and do not show up in my photos. You need professional lighting and camera's for that, so I ask that you just trust me...maybe someday I can wrangle my daughter to do a technical photo shoot for me, but I don't have my hopes up...she's a busy busy bee.

Knowing "How-To-Color Hair" is NOT NECESSARY in order to pass State Board Of Cosmetology Tests to receive License to practice Hair in California

California's Test is supposed to be the hardest in the country, we have 10 times the applicants of other states, therefore the test is more difficult.

Call Yourself a Professional Home Hair Colorist if you can come up with the answers to a couple more hypothetical formulation examples....lets practice some more.

Many of you seem to understand the first example.Here is another example of LIFTING in the LEVEL System:

Your own natural virgin color hair is a LEVEL 4

You would like to be a "preferred" LEVEL 9 ( I prefer to be a Level 9 is one way of putting it)

What do you come up with?

This is where the BOXED kits do not work ( although they don't tell  you that, they make you think it will.....) and many of you end up with trashed color.  Your hair just did not get light enough and if it did ...it was a hideous shade of orange-y blond, & it sounds like 9 out of 10 of you end up putting brown back on top of it.....For what ends up taking a couple years of growing out to recover from (got that one right didn't I !!?!)

OK. Lets go over it.

• Not all requests can be met EXACTLY as asked, which is not made clear to those of you that cannot afford a high dollar Colorist to tell you the honest truth.  Unfortunately many Stylists with not a lot of experience in color will be just as bad as if you ( with none of this guidance) were doing it...and I have met many clients who understand color better than many stylists I've met over the years. Knowing how to color hair is not necessary to pass the STATE BOARD of Cosmetology Test, which always blew me away. There is just something not right about a Board that oversees the entire world of Hair and doesn't require the new members to learn color. The whole Theory and evolution of hair color is young but its not THAT young. I could write a 100 page book on it just by using this blog.
• Anyway here is the explanation of that problem....

Preferred level of color...................level 9 Blond

Natural level of color (subtract).......Level 4 Brown

Difference..........................................= 5 Levels

 

Preferred level of Color..................Level 9 Blond

Difference ( add)............................... + 5 Levels

Level to Use................................Level 14 Blond

 

There is NO LEVEL 14.... the levels only go to 12.

 See why sometimes hair color leaves you at some strange orange/yellow stage? The Boxed Kits do not tell you this...or warn you of this. I have so many people contact me about this type of problem...it was the main inspiration for me to start this Blog.

This is a common problem that needs to be brought up, so you all will understand. As a busy Colorist, we use many solutions to a problem like this, and offer them all to the client to come to a safe, and sane solution.

5 levels is a lot of lift and normally you will only get that many levels of Lift from Bleach....even high lift blondes only lift 3 maybe 4 levels and for now that is the most powerful "TINT" available.

The solutions?

 come up with a couple of your own....

we will review mine tomorrow......

1st COLOR FORMULATION - explanation

you are a level 4 brown..... and want to be a level 7....blond.
The difference between the level you are at... and the level you want hypothetically be is 3 levels.....
if you use a level 7 color will you achieve the desired result?

NO NO NO! You must use a color that accounts for the difference between your natural level and the level you want to be...
A level 10 color is the correct choice....however using as level 10 which contains only pale yellow dyes, will not keep the orange in a level 7 from showing through. I would use a Level 10 Neutral/Ash/Matt.....in the line I use I have dozens of tones.....and that's why i like it.. I would mix equal parts of 10N with 10M with 10 A.... and that brassiness would be eliminated. If needed it can be toned with a semi perm ASH BROWN....which will also
kill that brassiness.

Please take a look at FIGURE 2.4....this chart should be printed out -- keep it next to where ever you are keeping your color. Its a very handy little chart...I had to memorize all of this from trial and error it was not nearly this organized....back in the day!!

Lucky You......

Lots of you are writing me and I am very pleased with how well some of you are absorbing the material......and asking me "proper" questions.

I guess this was a good idea.

Some are quoting the LEVELS like an old Pro - very refreshing to hear....know that it inspires me and moves me that you are interested enough to try to learn this - - - its not easy -- I take that back.....it IS EASY; its just very 'foreign' to most......and has never been done out in "public" before.

so Thank you...

I hope to keep going, get better and for sure > more organized.

KC

Our First Test Case - Hair Color Example Case

OK here we go Jo..............See this hot ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ photo up there ? ? ? ? That is RIBBONS of lights.... I just call them ribbons, my clients all have ribbons...its a very common term here in weirdo california. . . . . how nice are they? cool, huh? know why? The color on this girl is our goal FOR YOU, and it isn't hard. Why is this such a great idea for your hair????

~No Regrowth ~ Contrast is dynamic ~Cheap

~Do it Yourself ~ Lasts a long-long-long time!

NOTHING LOOKS BETTER...............NOTHING.......its my fav hair technique. I'm giving to you, when the 'girls' show up...

I've come up with a new way to truly-honestly-completely display to you how to do the ribbon lights around the face that I can't wait to show you. What we want to learn is how to put a cool dozen blond ribbon lights around the face. We want them light enough...not too light....We want them scattered not one after another tightly knit...We want them Blonde not YELLOW not ORANGE..... just a beautiful light sunkissed blond.

BUT...........in order for there not be any questions I have come up with a solution before the problem arises...I ordered a few human hair mannequins..I get them from back east....I tried it on a human model........it didn't work.

Its a long stupid story, we're going with mannequins. This will rock I promise. Any day now....because I can't wait to do these with and for you. Its a breeze. Get your supplies. Be ready to go when I get the "girls"... I've given you the list. I went to my local Sally's - pretended I was you.......and bought every single thing you need to accomplish the Ribbon Lights. You can get it all for $20. Foils, comb, tint brush, tint bowl, yada yada, peroxide and bleach. Now, don't ditto me....as I bought a small yahoo of bleach....just to see if I could get out of there for under the $20 I was hoping to. My suggestion ? go in on it with a friend...2 reasons: buy a tub o' bleach...share the equipment...and do each others hair. But, its not necessary. Not the way we are doing it....it is totally going to be a self sufficient - do-it-yourself whup-de-do. The one precursor here is this......IF you have never EVER colored your hair before....and have completely VIRGIN hair... AND It is a LEVEL 7,8 or 9... you can accomplish those Ribbons with a Blond highlift and/or a blond tint, which is (yes) not as damaging to the hair. BUT....BUT think about this.... you are putting 12 dinky little foils in your hair.... that small amount of hair color will not do enough damage to even blink at, I wouldn't bother. But if you really want to give it a go. Go ahead and purchase a tube of LEVEL 12 HIGHLIFT ASH...( why Ash? use your color wheel.... what color is ash? Ash=Green/Blue tones...... What color is Green opposite from on the color wheel? That's how it works.....you want to SQUASH a color in your hair color? Go across from it on the color wheel. I will throw a color wheel on the page for you to gander at. Yellow is a common mistake in hair color especially blondes, if you your hair is pulling Yellow and want to get rid of it......where do you go? Violets?

Right? Think of some of those violet rinses and shampoos you see for the Gray hair's.... see why? Gray hair has a strong tendency to pull lots of YELLOW....its your Grandma's biggest problem in life. "Yellowish - Gray hair" Lavender conditioner knocks it into next year!

Back to you....why would you think buying an ASH High Lift Blond would be my first choice for you without even knowing your hair color? (I didn't ask).... ash toned high-lift blond 'counteracts' any REDs/ORANGE in the blond. If you're Hispanic,Asian, pretty much any ethnic base....you have tons of red/orange in your hair.....fighting it is the hardest job.

Most of people have brown or black hair, very few people have light hair.As a busy Colorist one reaches for ASH colors across the board more than any other tone. Which probably seems odd to you, I watch new Colorists they think "I want rich warm golden blond - I never want to use ash blonds....green?blues? yuk!

What you are doing is "countering" the offensive colors....and although you are not using in that one little dumb tube of Color something that says" warm golden blond " you want a warm blond you do not want an Orange blond...... I promise you...... and that is what you are creating by using the ASH blond. if you can just start absorbing this a "little" bit...you are on your way to understanding the PRO way of COLORING Hair.

HERE IS YOUR FIRST TEST CASE>

Lets see how you do.

The color you PREFER to be is: Level 7

Your hair's NATURAL color is: Level 4.

( PRINT the chart out and put it on your fridge so it gets emblazoned on your brain)

Did you figure it out?

Now come on, I have people emailing me all the time and wanting the answers to their individual hair color questions, which I love & adore to do DO NOT get me wrong...BUT wouldn't you feel better about yourself if you could figure it out yourself?Its a teeny bit of math and a dash of common sense. Up till now no one has given the rules out -- so it seemed like some big mystery.

Guess what? It isn't ! I hope to bust that open, here and soon.

OK. let me explain it.

Subtract the natural color from the Level you want to be ( or your friend, client or dog!)

Add the difference to the preferred color Level .This will give you the proper color Level to use to achieve the desired results.

Add the difference to the preferred Color Level. This will give you the proper color level to use to achieve the desired results.

Preferred level of Color......................... Level 7 Blond

Natural Level of Color(subtract)........... (-) Level 4 Brown

Difference = 3 LEVELS

Preferred level of Color......................... Level 7 Blond

Difference (add)..................................... + 3 Levels

Level to Use.................................... = Level 10 Blond

The level of Color is a Level 10 blond

(with a blue base)or the orange{remaining pigment} will show through.

( Refer to Fig. 2.2 - tomorrows post + the thorough explanation) Think about it. Go back Review. Is this answer right?

Bits & Pieces : Learn To Formulate Hair Color

Here are bits and pieces to help with Tuesday's Post and your first HAIR COLOR FORMULATION problem

Try the first Formulation quiz

You are a Level 4

and you desitre to be a Level 7

"VIRGIN" : EVERY HUMAN BEING WANTS . . . . . .

The natural color of the hair on your head you were born with

>is called "virgin" hair - within the walls of Hair color education

Becoming familiar with the "Natural Levels Color Chart" will help you in explaining to your stylist what you want and understanding your hair better if you are a home hair colorist

Become familiar with the chart

it will help now and in the future with determining

your hair color and talking to your Stylist

Here is a simplified example of how a Colourist calculates

your formula to colour your hair: She is a Level 7 and would like to be lighter ...lets say the goal is a Level 9

so....go up the chart - 1 - 2 levels.......

which peroxide lifts 2-3 Levels ?

30 Volume is the ANSWER !

The end formula will be to mix a tube of Level 9-10 light blonde + plus 30 volume peroxide (ash/gold/neutral tone - your choice)

What level are you?

What level would you like to be?

how would you get there?