Musings by the Hairslave

I’ve written about some of my favorite products in the past.  So I thought maybe I’d focus a bit with some of my favorite TIGI products.

Our best selling TIGI product just happens to be one of the products I use pretty much every day in the salon.  In the Bedhead line, Afterparty is one of the best finishing creams I’ve worked with.  It’s a light, and slightly opalescent cream.  A very small amount, worked through dry (or damp) hair to finish, creates a shiny, smooth, and moveable head of hair!

Switching to the CATWALK line, I next recommend Root Boost.  It’s a surprisingly light feeling foam, with a delivery system that puts the product right where you need it.  The roots!  Hence the name.  Spray the product freely at your roots, comb through to the ends, and style with a round brush.  You will be well pleased by the lift, volume, and light hold.  Finish with Masterpiece hairspray from the Bedhead line for a super hold and maximum shine.  This spray is also perfect for finished styles and up-do’s; giving a brilliant polish to the finished look that is fabulous under lights and in photos.

Going back to the original Bedhead product, I can’t recommend, highly enough, the Bedhead stick.  This take no prisoners wax stick is perfect for maximum hold (think spiky do’s and mohawks), and rock and roll shine.  Applied to dry hair like you’d use a glue stick, this product stays pliable, which is great for an always perfect disheveled look.

Without a doubt, the best complete Beadhead line that I push, is the Superstar line.  With a really nice shampoo and conditioner, my best selling spray conditioner (never ways down even the finest of hair), a spray thickener, Queen For a Day, and the best blow dry thickening lotion on the market.  These products leave the hair in a very nice condition, and never weigh the hair down.  Even hair the texture of fine silk.

In addition to all of these terrific products, I’ll give a nod to the Dumb Blonde shampoo and conditioner.  Great for dry, over-processed, bleached, and highlighted hair.

I’m continually impressed by this product line, by the way.  Whenever I’ve decided to take a chance on one of their products, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find they really work.  Take the word of a busy stylist who doesn’t have the time most days to re-wash and style a clients hair when I have a product failure!

And one more point I’d like to make.  Yes, those products you see in the store are probably the same price as mine, they probably aren’t bad, or dangerous.  But remember, the products I sell contribute to the ambiance of Cobalt Salon & Gallery.  My renters pay the rent.  I live off of my wages, and product sales go to upkeep.  So if you’re going to spend your hard earned money, ask my opinion to get the correct product, buy it from me for the same price, and be sure that you get the best haircare, in beautiful, and well maintained surroundings.

“My job is to make hair fantasies into hair styles.”   -David Martin

Well, I was very excited about my new position as an ISO advisor, but now not so much. I think since I was recruited in the early spring, I have had two classes, more if you count the backstage work at the show (which I loved), but absolutely no teaching scheduled. In the mean time, my work has increased quite a bit, part of the problem is I’m just too busy to be included in classes that are scheduled within just a few weeks, or days.

However, I have to say I love the new ISO wet line. Between the Bouncy Curl créme, and the absolutely awesome Tamer foam. I am a big fan.

I have to admit to being a bit of a snob at first. The products are all priced quite a bit lower than my next favorite line, and the packaging is rather dull, but these products do what they say they do. Oh, not all of them. I don’t really like the daily foam. But the daily shape, and daily finish, are among my top 10 finishing sprays. I don’t really care for the color care line. Sorry, but fragrance is a big part of the package, and all of these products smell like baby powder. Honestly, no one wants their hair products to smell like baby diaper. Anyone who has a child, or younger sibling knows baby diaper smell. Ick.

On the other hand, every single product from the Bouncy line is fantastic. They are light, fresh scented, and moisturizing, just what curly hair needs. The shampoo and conditioner are fine, but the styling products are the true asset. The Bouncy spray is pretty good for styling, or actually better, refreshing naturally curly or permed hair, but the Bouncy créme is the best. It can be used on damp or dry hair. Apply a moderate amount (enough to coat all of the hair), and comb through for best results. Dry with a diffusor, or scrunch and allow to dry naturally. Then scrunch a smaller amount through dry hair to define curl and decrease frizz.

But hands down, my favorite line is the Tamer line. It took me a while to warm up to these products. I tried the Tamer foam first. It actually feels like snot (not a great first impression), and you have to use a lot, and comb it through extremely well. In the end it magically disappears, but it took 3 or 4 uses before I didn’t feel I was going to have to re-wash my clients hair. I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a better straightening product. And I’ve tried dozens and dozens. The gel is a lighter version of the same, and I even like the shampoo and conditioner.

As I said, I really like this product line, and whole heartedly endorse the company. Always keep in mind, however, I endorse many different lines. One persons favorite product will be totally useless to their best friend. Try lots, you will only look more stunning for it.

You actually can go back, but it takes some determination.  I’ve done it, but it took me days to really deal with it properly.  The angst, the sorrow, the frustration.  Wait!  You know I mean color right?!  

I touched on this briefly in an earlier post, but if you’ve made the mistake of tinting your hair black, either with what was supposed to be a “temporary” color (guess what, if you read the fine print you’ll see where it says that any color very much darker than your natural, will NOT come out), or because you thought that Kelly Osborn black would work for you, or maybe you have a client who has made that horrible mistake, this might help.

I had a client ask me to change her black (oops, the Halloween costume wasn’t really worth that kind of committment!) back to her medium neutral blonde shade (she didn’t want highlights to make matters worse).  I tried on day one, and after 5 hours of work got very frustrated with the muddy light brown we’d achieved.  I bought the same color she used, went home and attacked one of my doll heads.  After two days of work I came up with a sure fire formula.  Three more hours of work in the salon and she was very happy indeed.

As always, this is for a highly trained specialist.  A lay-person will only make matters worse!  Find yourself a stylist you trust and have them read this first if they’re willing.

This is the doll head after two days of color correction experimentation.

This procedure can be done over several days, but if you are careful you can do it in one.  Start early, and make sure you/your client understands the risk of any color correction procedure.  There is absolutely no guarantees with this type of procedure.

Start with one, two, or even three applications of a non-bleach based color remover  such as Rusk or Pravana color remover.  Lift as much of the black stain as you can following manufacture directions.  I have used Rusk and Pravana color removers with very good results.  After two or three applications you should get to a fairly nice medium to light blonde, depending on where the color started from before the application of black.  Don’t tone!  Any application of developer at this point will instantly darken the hair shaft!

At this point mix up a mixture of 5 volume and bleach, this should be very quickly applied scalp to ends.  Process until color is at the level desired.  If you are starting very near your chosen level, lift just slightly.  This process helps remove color molecules that may still be lodged in the hair shaft.  These color molecules can expand and darken (or muddy) the color when a toner is applied.  I have found this to be the most crucial step.  Don’t skip it, I guarantee you’ll be sorry!  Have I stressed this enough?

Next you can either add foils to boost to a cooler or lighter blonde, or you can tone with a neutral blonde semi- or demi-permanent color product to reach the perfect tone.  Avoid permanent or ashy products.  Always shoot for a shade lighter (remember, you can always go darker with following glazes).

This technique works particularly well taking black to a red tone, but it can work just as well for golden, and even neutral blonde.

Good luck!

Another one of those posts that may or may not be of interest to the general public.  I decided to take on the challenge of taking a very light blonde hair color to a knock-out red. This technique is completely mine, no tutorial from any other color specialist was used (although it was inspired by the teachings of the legendary Beth Minardi)!

I started with a doll head that I had cut into a modified mullet, believe it or not!  The cut is from the TIGI Glastonbury Glamour collection.  The color technique took about 3 hours to complete (including blow-out, but not cut), and consisted of three glazes of verying intensities of reds.  This is a very technical color and should not be attempted by someone without many years of color experience.  Once again, I warn any lay-people out there reading: it will cost you more to have this fixed, than to pay a color expert in the first place. I do not recommend attempting this with a supermarket/drug store color! Be warned!  

P.S. I’d love to find a live model who would go for this kind of change in photos!

Tutorial at end of post.  

Just for a reference point, this is the doll head used for a Fantasy Wedding concept, with origional color. The black bang extension was removable.

This is the final color (none of these photos has been color edited, by the way, the color is actually quite a bit bolder in person).

This shows some of the depth of the color.

The cut is a combo of a disconnected a-line (or graduated) bob, with a somewhat mullet-ish back section.

A nice shot of the face framing layers of the cut. This cut could be done with a much more or less emphasized back section.

Blazing Red Tutorial

I started with a level 9, very light golden blonde. This technique will work equally well on a level 7 or 8 gold, red, or ash tone. I would even be willing to try it on a platinum level blonde (though I would first prep the hair to make sure any toner or gloss was gone).

All color formulas are using L’oreal Richesse no-lift demi-permanent color with Richesse 9 volume developer, mixed 2 parts developer and 1 part color.  I use the term part instead of giving ounces because different amounts will be needed depending on length and thickness of hair.  For this application I used 40 ounces of color to 80 ounces of developer for all three formulations.

formula 1
3p 7.34
1p .40
Richesse 9 volume developer

Formula 1 was applied scalp to ends and processed 20 minutes with steam heat. I prefer a steamer because I don’t have to use a bag. This makes spot checking and hairline cleanup easier, and the steamer mimics the moist heat of the scalp, which I feel contributes a very even color process.

Shampoo and dry under hood dryer.

formula 2
3p 4.56
1p 3
Richesse 9 volume developer

Formula 2 was applied at scalp and taken randomly through 1/2-1 inch out. When the entire head is applied with this technique I went back and took color through ends at NAPE, and then used a baliage technique over the rest of the head taking very chunky weave sections through ends. This was again processed 20 minutes with a steamer, shampooed and dried.

formula 3
1p 5.6
1p 6.64
Richesse 9 volume developer

Formula 3 was then applied scalp to ends and processed for 20 minutes with the steamer. The hair was then styled using Rusk Smoothing Lotion, flat ironed, and sprayed with Kenra Spray Gloss.  The final formula can be altered depending on the depth and intensity of the color desired.

Hope you enjoyed (maybe) learning something today!

Hey all, something a little different today. This post is really intended for professional stylists, but that doesn’t mean the “lay person” can’t enjoy it as well. Just keep in mind these are very advanced color techniques, and are not meant for at home color. Believe me, you’ll spend a lot more to fix it than you would to find a professional to do it! I hope to have drawings for the tutorial in a later update, but for now, just the before and after.

Hi Gloss Red!

With this technique David does not strive to keep colors strictly separated, but instead allows them to mix randomly to achieve subtle color variations. The use of no-lift demi-permanent color adds a wonderful amount of control and shine.

Liz’s natural level 4 hair was washed out, and stressed out. With grown out re-growth, an almost pink mid-shaft, and faded copper-y ends. She needed a pick me up!

David Martin, owner and photo stylist at the Studio at David’s starts with a section from occipital to occipital. He applies bleach with 20 volume developer from mid-shaft to ends. Checking the bleach constantly and massaging gently to evenly distribute and warm. He watches the color to see a fading of the pink (not too far, the red tones need to be blended, but not removed). After the mid-shafts and ends have lightened about a third of the way he applies 10 volume bleach at the re-growth. He watches very carefully, so as not to lift any of the hair past the orange stage. David then shampoos and dries the hair.

The top section above the occipital is then sectioned into triangular sub-sections radiating around the crown. starting with Formula One, and alternating all the way around with Formula Two. Since he’s using a no-lift demi-permanent color he applies scalp to ends, using a wide tooth comb to gently distribute the color evenly.

The top section is then pinned gently up, and the lower section is applied using the same technique with Formula Three.

David processes under a steamer for 20 minutes, this eliminates the need for a cap, and evenly processes the color from scalp to ends. Check manufacturers instructions for heat processing.

The layered cut is finished with dry chipping to reveal the layers of color.

Using a demi-permanent, or no-lift permanent color (in this case Richesse by L’Oreal):

Formula One
1 part 6.64
1 part 6.5
lo volume developer

Formula Two
2 parts 3
1 part 4.56
lo volume developer

Formula Three
1 part 7.41
1 part 6.4
lo volume developer