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Just Colour. Summer Fun Over the past weeks I have seen a number of postings asking for help and advice about some of the soft pastel shades of colour that are quite currently fashionable those soft candy pinks, those pastel shades of mauve and purple.
I have been over the last few weeks exploring all the Alter Ego Italy professional hair colour has to offer. I'm still only scratching the surface of this very extensive colour range.
Many of the posting I have seen in recent weeks have been enquires about creating certain shades, colours and tones, they have also been cries for help having tried to create certain colour or tone and it’s gone very wrong. In some case a stylist might post what they did, what resulted and then what they did to try and correct it! Consultation offering solution: I'm always amazed as to why if a stylist has any doubts about the hair or the service being requested why jump straight in! Why not take some time to think about the process, after an in-depth consultation do a strand test make some suggestions. Take the time to consider what they are doing, what they want to create and how to get the best results. A huge part of this is being technically savvy and skilled it is also about knowing your products, how they work, knowing you can trust them. It’s also about having the ability to think the process through and assessing the client’s hair condition and past history is it possible???? Then ask your self do I have the skill to do this and deliver what the client wants. Too often the price tag blinkers a decision.
A great way to learn and have faith in products is to play with them in your own time and not on a paying client. When working in a salon if someone was having there hair cut off I would keep it and dye it, in my own time and then try and correct it back to its natural. Great way to learn colour correction. With so many of the bright fashion shades, be they bright or subtle pastel shades most of the time the hair has to be pre-lightened, a skill in its self to attain the right level of lift, to attain a workable shade, without compromising the hair’s condition or stripping away all the pigment. Once a desired shade has been achieved then we have to create an even shade working with the pigment we have exposed and left in the hair. It’s not always easy if you want a soft pink and to put it on hair that is too yellow, then you will get a more apricot tone, if you want a soft purple and the hair is too yellow you will get what? Honey or gold shade! I like to play and experiment at home in my kitchen. I use real hair wefts [see above] I lighten them gently with an on scalp bleach and then condition them then I'm ready as I play in my kitchen I use plastic to protect all work surfaces.
My goal here is to create soft pink, soft purple, a vibrant orange, and a natural blonde; all to be used in an up do for a wedding. I will be working with "Just Colour" by Alter Ego Italy and will share with you what I have used. "Just Colour" is an Oxidant free direct colour gel. Regarded as the next generation of Cationic Colour Pigments. Features benefits: Alcohol Free, Ph. Acid Balance 3.5, ready to use Pure Direct Pigments, a chemical structure that allows them to penetrate within the cuticle making them long lasting brilliant intense colour even after 10 shampoos, offering incredible durability. In all cases I did the following steps. One I used "Just Colour" Prepare Acidifying Spray my swatches were damp, I sprayed them evenly then dried them off with a hair dryer. Then wearing protective gloves, I poured the desired colour into the glass bowl provided, weighing out the amount on my digital scale, I worked the formulation into each weft and processed for 30 mins, as I was not using heat. {With heat it’s a process time of 20 mins} I then rinsed off and treated with Colour Care Colour Lock, this closes down the cuticle.
Formulations: For the Bright Orange I wanted to create I used the following 4 grams of Yellow Tale Just Colour 2 grams of Red Elvis Just Colour
I mixed the two together to create a very vibrant orange I did not want it just to appear red! The colour applies very smoothly and is a good consistency to work with. To create the pink tone that I wanted I used Pepper Pink and diluted it down to the desired shade with the Clear to take off some of the intensity, having the glass bowl so useful as it allows you to see the shade you are mixing what’s in bowl is true to expected colour result on application. This colour goes along way on application
Formulation: Remember my target is a Soft Pink! 2 grams of Pepper Pink to 5 grams of Clear
Mixed will together (as above) again 30minutes processing time, no heat and again rinsed off and conditioned.
Our final weft was to be a soft purple shade I wanted it to compliment the pink so it had to be very diluted from its original intensity. Formulation: Rott Violet 4grams Clear
6grams
Again the visual in the bowl really helped and using a scale always allows one to repeat a formulation to recreate the same formula over and over, or adjust as required for a weaker or more intense formulation. Eye balling and guess work is lazy colouring! Keeping good records is essential to all salon stylists and Technicians.
My final formulation was to make one cool blonde weft just to tie the pastel colours together the orange will be for a different look I used the Be Blonde Platinum Toner, mixing it as per directions and watched it until it gave me the desire tone, toning is so personal to the eye. The outcome and final results were excellent and I am very impressed with their product both its ease of mixing, its texture in application and how easily it rinses out and how it feels to the touch. Its a very fun and versatile product with endless application and possibilities and it delivers on shade and tone and works well to control the soft yellow pigment left in the hair to maintain the hairs integrity.
The three swatches on the left are the pink the purple and the blonde they all came out exactly to the shade I has wanted to create and as you can see for the pic below on the right they work together and complement each other.
Finally the Bright Orange, this was the first colour I tried and I am very excited as it is so vibrant and hot. See below
"Just Colour" Oxidant Free Direct Hair Colour Gel.
I very much look forward to using these swatches in the very near future. Always remember taking a little time to work and get to know any products will help you avoid errors and mistakes help you to reach the goals you set yourself. Have Fun! For more information on the products or the Brand New UK Academy here is the contact information: Phil Clark or Tony Cripps Alter Ego Italy UK, yesterday launched their new offices and brilliant NEW ERA ACADEMY. Congratulations to Tony, Paula and team for a very successful day and indeed future! Please contact the UK team through Tony or myself on +44 (0) 7411 345 376 or +44 (0) 345 871 6456. Available now my first Book ‘The salon and the ‘S’ word’ Available Now Click here for details
Mike B2MR
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