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Haircoloring Introduction to Color....

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Category: Hair Talk
Forum Name: Hair Color
Forum Description: The tricks and tribulations of changing your hair color
URL: /forum_posts.php?TID=40328
Printed Date: Dec 26, 2024 at 9:46am


Topic: Haircoloring Introduction to Color....
Posted By: Claude
Subject: Haircoloring Introduction to Color....
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 8:34am

Can someone STICKY this post for people who might have questions about HairColoring?

In order to fully understand the Art of HairColoring, the first step is to understand the basic law of color.

Optically, color is a reflection of light. When a beam of white light strikes a prism, it is seperated into six different colors that can be seen with the naked eye. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet.

Those colors can be divided into 2 groups.

Primary Colors : Yellow, Red, Blue

Secondary Colors: Orange, Violet, Green....these 3 colors are made by combining 2 primary colors in equal amounts.

In addition to the 6 colors there are Tertiary Colors.

Tertiary Colors: Made by mixing primary colors with their neighboring secondary colors. An example of a tertiary colr would be blue-violet or yellow-orange (gold).

All HairColor is tertiary, however, it's extremely important as a colorist to train your eye to identify the dominating primary or secondary color within the haircolor. Once a colorist can identify the dominating color and fully understand the Law of Color, even the most severe corrective work becomes a system of logical steps.

To control or correct any color, simply add the complementary color. To control orange, add blue. To control yellow, add violet, and to control gold(yellow-orange), add blue-violet. These rules are called the Law of Color.

continued in next post.....




Replies: 99
Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 8:34am

Can someone STICKY this post for people who might have questions about HairColoring?

In order to fully understand the Art of HairColoring, the first step is to understand the basic law of color.

Optically, color is a reflection of light. When a beam of white light strikes a prism, it is seperated into six different colors that can be seen with the naked eye. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet.

Those colors can be divided into 2 groups.

Primary Colors : Yellow, Red, Blue

Secondary Colors: Orange, Violet, Green....these 3 colors are made by combining 2 primary colors in equal amounts.

In addition to the 6 colors there are Tertiary Colors.

Tertiary Colors: Made by mixing primary colors with their neighboring secondary colors. An example of a tertiary colr would be blue-violet or yellow-orange (gold).

All HairColor is tertiary, however, it's extremely important as a colorist to train your eye to identify the dominating primary or secondary color within the haircolor. Once a colorist can identify the dominating color and fully understand the Law of Color, even the most severe corrective work becomes a system of logical steps.

To control or correct any color, simply add the complementary color. To control orange, add blue. To control yellow, add violet, and to control gold(yellow-orange), add blue-violet. These rules are called the Law of Color.

continued in next post.....



Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 8:49am

The most important detail for a HairColorist to remember is when a natural haircolor is the desired end result, a balance of the complementary or counteracting colors is necessary. The color brown is what your results will be every time you combine two colors directly opposite from each other on a color wheel.

Primary Colors: Red, Blue & Yellow - By mixing any 2 of the promary colors we create the secondary colors.....Orange, Violet & Green.

Blue is opposite Orange, Yellow is opposite Violet, Blue-Violet is opposite Yellow-Orange & Red is opposite Green.

Natural Haircolor contains the 3 primary colors. The primary colors mixed in varying proportions create brown. Therefore, all natural haircolors are a shade of brown with a dominating tone.

For Example:

A blonde is simply the lightest brown - with a dominating yellow

A redhead is brown with a dominating orange

Black hair is the darkest brown with dominating blue.

Remember that all haircolor is brown. It is important to understand the presence of primary & secondary colors in haircolor, then to combine that knowledge with the basic law of counteracting or complementary colors. The result is a logical formulation choice, with the optimum haircolor result for each client.

Mixing opposite colors the result is a neutral brown.

Violet neutralizes Yellow

Blue neutralizes Orange

Blue Violet neutralizes Yellow Orange

Colors that lie opposite each other are commonly referred to as counteracting or complementary colors.....

To be continued....



Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 8:56am

Continuing on here I'm going to talk about THE LEVEL SYSTEM....

A level system is comprised of two areas: numbers which denote the degree of the lightness and darkness, and letters which denote the shade of tone of the color.

I am going to use Goldwell as an example for the purpose of this post. Other color lines might vary in levels but the principal is the same.

Goldwell uses a European level system to determine the depth of color (measurment from dark to light) with Level 2 being the darkest and 10 being the lightest blonde. Every haircolor, natural or color treated can be categorized between those levels 2-10 when using Goldwell Color.

Goldwell Levels

  1. -
  2. Black
  3. Dark Brown
  4. Medium Brown
  5. Light Brown
  6. Dark Blonde
  7. Medium Blonde
  8. Light Blonde
  9. Very Light Blonde
  10. Extra Light Blonde

Continued on next post....



Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 9:17am

Shades & Tones - Goldwell Master Palette of Color

Many people can have the same level of hair, without having the same haircolor. For example, one head of hair might be a natural level 6 with red highlights, and another may be a natural level 6 with no red or warm highlights. Goldwell uses a lettering system to determine the shades and tones found in the hair. The letter relates directly to the base color within the shade. These shades each have a special function, explained below.

N - Natural Tones - The base of the natural series is a natural brown made from a combination of yellow, red and blue at each level. Therefore the darker levels have more blue, and the lightest levels have less blue, causing tellow to be more dominant. However they still appear as lighter and darker browns. The natural tones fulfill a very special task; they give optimum grey coverage.

A - Ash Tones - The base of ash is blue. Blue is used to counteract orange. Alone, the ash tones will not cover grey, but they can be mixed with the natural series (N) for grey coverage. Whenever maxiumum control or orange is desired, the strength of a blue-based ash will counteract the orange, creating natural looking brown. The use of a blue base gives the best control of orange tones without producing an undesirable greenish cast, common with green or blue-green based ash tones.

NA- Natural Ash - These shades are a combination of the natural and ash tones. They are combined in an approximate 2 parts N to 1 part A seires. The NA series cuts down on mixing and controls unwanted warmth, while covering up to 60% grey.

P - Pearl Tones - Pearl tones are a blue-violet based series. They are responsible for controlling the common problem of unwanted gold or brassiness in blonde hair. Gold is a tertiary color of a yellow-orange base. Yellow-Orange and Blue-Violet are directly opposite each other on the Color Wheel. This means they counteract each other, creating a natural, neutral or beige tone. The pearl series are used when lifting to Levels 8 - 10 to prevent color from being too warm.

NP - Natural Pearl - These are a combintion of the N Series and P Series 2 parts N 1 part P. These shades cut down unwanted gold tones, while blending grey at lighter levels. The NP Shades are also useful for low-lights, or tint backs when the other controlling colors could be too mattening.

G - Gold Tones - The base of the Gold Series is Yellow-Orange. Gold tones will not optimally cover grey alone. The gold shades are fashion colors with iridescent tones of gold. They add brightness and vibrancy to almost any shade.

GB - Gold Beige - 2 parts Gold to 1 part Beige. Levels 9 & 10 GB are excellent for use as toners. The GB series privides a natural looking golden-blonde highlight. When lifting 2 or more levels and using the GB series the gold will become much more predominant.

B - Brown Tones - This is a brown based color with more warmth than the N series and is more of a fashion brown than the natural tones. The brown tones typically are used to brighten up natural haircolor without a dramatic chance. These shades are brown with a minimal amount of red & gold added for shine. These brown tones should be mixed with the N series for optimal grey coverage.

K - Copper Tones - The base of copper is orange. They add rich auburn tone, to any base level. The K tones look natural, much like a natural redhead would look. The copper tones should be mixed with the N series for optimal grey coverage.

KG - Copper Gold tones are 2 parts copper 1 part gold. The KG tones are strong, exciting fashion tones which deliver vibrancy and brightness, The copper-gold tones should be mixed with the N Series for grey coverage.

RB- Red Brown tones 1 part red with 2 parts brown. It is ideal for adding reddish brown highlights to dull hair. The RB shades should be mixed with the N series for grey coverage.

R - Red Tones with a small amount of blue added to prevent the finished result from becoming too warm. The end result will be a rich, cool based red ideal for clients with olive skin tones.

V - Violet tones are violet based and an ideal toner after bleaching to control unwanted yellow. The violet tones should be mixed with natural tones for grey coverage.

Continued on next post....



Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 9:26am

Forumulation Guidelines....

Before you color your hair you need to properly analyze your hair. This will help you select the proper shades and proper techniques for haircoloring.

  1. Consider the texture of the hair - Fine, Medium or Coarse. Typically coarse hair can take longer to color while fine hair will color quicker.
  2. Consider the Health of your hair - Normal, Resistant, Porous, Permed, Previously Tinted, Lightened or Bleached. Never perform a chemical service on your hair if it's damaged as it could only damage it more
  3. Consider yourself - Eye Color, Skin Tone, Preference, and Personality.

After completing the evaluation use this blueprint for Forumation to determine your formula. This blueprint process never changes. You can follow the identical sequence on virgin hair, corrective work or tint-back procedures.

  1. Identify the existing Level or levels in the hair - Determine the existing level. It is important to know the existing level and base shade, so a starting point can be determined and if the target color can be achieved in a single or double process.
  2. Determine the Target Level of your desired color. Answering this will determine the proper developer to use for the optimum results. 10 Vol - Tones, 20 Vol 1 lvl of lift, 30 vol 2 lvls of lift, 40 vol 3 lvls of lift. 40 vol with Blonding Cream 4 lvls of lift. Blonding Cream typically gives 1/2 - 1 level of additional lift to developer.
  3. Determine the Target Color - Choose a desired shade....gold, red, brown, etc.
  4. Determine the grey percentage - to allow for maximu coverage.

To be continued on next post.....



Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 9:44am

Natural Underlying Pigment

To develop a better understanding of how natural underlying pigment will influence color results, haircoloring can be categorized into two categories: Addition coloring or Subtraction coloring.

The easiest type of formulation is addition coloring. This is because targeting the same elvel of going darker, the removal or natural pigment if very minimal. Therefore, the warm underlying pigment is not exposed. Simply use the standard 20 Vol. Topchic Lotion with your desired shade. If your target color is more than 2 levels darker than the existing level, it is considered a tint-back procedure and pre-filling may be necessary.

Subtraction coloring refers to haircoloring which requires the diffusion of the natural pigment before depositing new artificial pigment. Anytime hair is lightened, some of the natural pigments are diffused. When hair is lightened from darker levels, the dominance of blue pigment is removed, exposing a blend of other primary colors (red & yellow) which together make orange. At the lighter levels, more red and yellow are removed. Also at lighter levels, yellow dominates over the red, thus creating the tertiary color yellow-orange or what is commonly referred to as gold. Lightening hair always contributes warmth to the end result. Considering this, a logical choice can be made as to whether to use the natural underlying pigment to add warmth and brightness to a fashion color, or to control the natural underlying pigment using a counteracting or complementary color. It is necessary to use some counteracting color is a natural tone is desired.

The following chart shows the natural underlying pigment which is exposed at each level. If the target color is a warm or fashion tone, no control is necessary. The underlying pigment will contribute brightness and vibrancy to the final result. If a natural tone if the desired color, simply use the appropriate counteracting color to control unwanted warmth (orange or gold). The result will be a more natural target color.

Underlying Pigment Chart....

  1. -
  2. Black (none exposed)
  3. Darkest Orange
  4. Dark Orange
  5. Medium Orange
  6. Light Orange
  7. Extra Light Orange or Dark Gold
  8. Medium Gold
  9. Light Gold
  10. Extra Light Gold or Yellow

Yellow may appear as the underlying pigment on Level 10 when the hair is bleached. In this case use 10V (violet) as the controlling color.

For levels 2 - 7 the controlling color is Blue (Ash Series) & for Levels 8-10 the Controlling color is Blue Violet (Pearl Series).

Additional Tips...

Remember that counteracting color used for control is determined by the Underlying pigment at the target level you are trying to achieve....not the starting level of the persons hair.

Consider that the darker the existing natural level (starting point) is and the more levels or lift you are targeting, the greater the proportion of counteracting or contol color you will need. Never let the controlling color you are adding exceed more than 25% of your color formula. If that does occur it will become a dominating color and the results will be disasterous.

That's it for now folks.....more lessons on ligtening the hair soon.....

REMEMBER! NEVER! NEVER EVER!!! Put haircoloring over previously colored hair. It will not lift the artificial pigment from the previous haircolor you did on your hair and the end result will only be darker and you will be disappointed and discouraged.

G'luck



Posted By: KellyH
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 9:46am

Thanks so much, Claude! This is some awesome information!

Hopefully, some of the newbies won't have to go through trial and error like so many of us do-it-yourselfers have.



Posted By: Rebekah
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 1:00pm

I have a question regarding the underlying pigment chart?

Say a person has a lightest golden brown virgin hair color?  What would the underlying pigment be?  A Light orange/yellow or orange/red...

How about a lightest ash brown hair color?  What would that underlying pigment be?

Thanks for any info!

Rebekah

%! ied Dq @ 8 B` b .,($$ (--%%%,%4bp #.


Posted By: kooky
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 2:48pm
WOW!!  Thank you Claude!!  I'm going to really digest this one for a while.

Just one quickie,  your write "...never put hair coloring over previously colored hair."  Do you mean strip it or bleach it first?  (like for a correction or more specifically to lighten a level or two?)

Thanks so much for all the info.  It is reeeeeeeeeeeeal helpful!


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 8:48pm

Originally Posted By: kookyT $& b ( P ``a

No I mean lets say you are already coloring your hair and you want to lighten your hair to a lighter color. You can't just put a lighter color on your already colored hair because haircoloring does not lift the artificial pigment from your previous haircolor service. The end result will be that the color will not lift and it will only get darker regardless of the color you put on it. If you hair is previously colored the only way to lighten that haircolor is bleaching to lift that artificial pigment out of your hair.



Posted By: maria
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 8:56pm
Hi Claude:  Thanks for the great information.  You consolidated information that took me a long time to gather through reading multiple posts and scanning lots of sites.  What a super resource for all of us.  I look forward to your answer to Rebekah's question - she and I have seem to have similar base virgin hair colors.  Thanks, Maria


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 9:02pm
Originally Posted By: Rebekah<4@ (!4@ `a` d

Rebekah Ash can be as light as Pastel Ash Blonde but if it's light ash blonde on the Goldwell Chart that is a Level 8A. The underlying pigment of level 8 is Medium Gold. To control that you'd want to use a little 8P to prevent the color from pulling too warm.

For Golden Brown that is Level 8 or 9 and the underlying pigment is medium gold to light gold so the controlling color would be 8P or 9P depending on the target level color desired. You would use the same level P series to control that unwanted warmth.

Anytime you ad a controlling series to your formula it is to help you achieve a more natural looking haircolor. That controlling series should never equal more than 25% of your color excluding the developer. For example if you are using 40ML's of hair color and 40 ML's of Developer....the controlling series shouldn't be more than 25% which in this case would be 10ML's of the 40ML's of haircolor. That's 25% and anymore than that will be too controlling. The other 30ML's would be your target color as an example let's say 8A was the target color.

Hope that answers yer question.

When using controlling series you need to use the controlling series for the level you are coloring the hair to and not the existing level of the hair originally. For example going from a Level 6 to a Level 8 you would use 30 Volume Developer for 2 levels of lift....plus the target color for example 8A....then because you are lifting 2 levels or more you need to add a controlling series of color to the formula so it doesn't pull warmth and for levels 8-10 the controlling series is P Series so you would use 8P up to 25% of your color formulation to prevent that unwanted warmth and brassiness.

Claude38768.8803703704


Posted By: Rebekah
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 9:50pm

oops!  

Rebekah38768.9139699074 %! ied Dq @ 8 B` b .,($$ (--%%%,%4bp #.


Posted By: Rebekah
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 9:54pm

 

Originally Posted By: Claude<#P $ %` ``,

So let me see if I understand this correctly.  I want the color to be a level 8 ash, but I'm having a problem at the level 8 level of pulling a little too much gold, so I want to use a little bit of violet to counteract the ash and make the color look more natural? 

Hope I have this correct.  Thanks so much for your comments, I really appreciate the informative post by the way! 

I know of someone who has a level 7 ash colored hair.  She wants her hair a level 8 neutral blonde.  Her formulation is 3 parts ash to 1 part violet.  Her color looks quite natural. So it does seem to work.

I believe my hair is an ash level 6.  If I wanted a natural looking ash level 7 hair color, I'd need to use a level 7 ash with a 1/4 of violet to counter the underlying pigment that will be exposed at level 7 when lifting with 20 vol.  Is this correct?

Thanks

Rebekah   

%! ied Dq @ 8 B` b .,($$ (--%%%,%4bp #.


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 10:30pm
Originally Posted By: Rebekah<4 . #0$  @2

So let me see if I understand this correctly.  I want the color to be a level 8 ash, but I'm having a problem at the level 8 level of pulling a little too much gold, so I want to use a little bit of violet to counteract the ash and make the color look more natural? 

Hope I have this correct.  Thanks so much for your comments, I really appreciate the informative post by the way! 

I know of someone who has a level 7 ash colored hair.  She wants her hair a level 8 neutral blonde.  Her formulation is 3 parts ash to 1 part violet.  Her color looks quite natural. So it does seem to work.

I believe my hair is an ash level 6.  If I wanted a natural looking ash level 7 hair color, I'd need to use a level 7 ash with a 1/4 of violet to counter the underlying pigment that will be exposed at level 7 when lifting with 20 vol.  Is this correct?

Thanks

Rebekah   

[/QUOTE]

The Blue Violet counteracts the underlying pigment so the color isn't too warm. It counteracts the underlying pigment that will be exposed when you lighten the hair. For level 8-10 the controlling series is Pearl.

For lower levels 2 - 7 the controlling series is Ash because the underlying pigment is darker in color. Going from a Level 6 to a Level 7 is only 1 level so you wouldn't really need a controlling color unless your hair is very porous and pulls warm...then a pinch of Ash because you are only going to a Lvl 7 wouldn't hurt.

The controlling series to counteract the underlying pigment of the hair.

Claude38769.3013194444


Posted By: Longhairdreams
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 11:24pm

Great job claude

I vote this thread to be sticky



Posted By: Rebekah
Date Posted: Feb 20, 2006 at 11:34pm
Thanks Claude  %! ied Dq @ 8 B` b .,($$ (--%%%,%4bp #.


Posted By: aubergine
Date Posted: Feb 24, 2006 at 11:57am
Claude thanks for this thread - very useful.  I'm sure you can ask a moderator to get this sticky'd on a different board.


Posted By: pasdebourre
Date Posted: Mar 3, 2006 at 3:14pm
Thanks so much for this thread -- I have been wanting to learn more about hair color.

One question: is your color's level defined by the formula your colorist used or by what your color turned out to be? For example, my colorist used a Goldwell perm formula in 5a, which I understand to be a light ash brown, but the resulting color is a very dark ash brown that is almost black on the tips. So is my level the Goldwell 5a or 3a?

Thank you again for the time it took to post all this helpful information for us novices.


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Mar 5, 2006 at 10:37pm

Originally Posted By: pasdebourre ``* 0` $`` d`2

OK well first things first....your natural haircolor has a specific level if your using Goldwell it would be from Level 2-10 with 2 being the darkest and 10 being the lightest. The tint of the hair is letter that is next to the number indicating the level of the color. Tints can be Ash, Copper, Gold, Gold Beige, Brown, etc hope that helps to give you the general idea.

Well Goldwell 5A is technically listed as Light Ash Brown but Goldwell's level system goes from 2-10 so as you can see that 5A is very dark. In the goldwell colors Level 5 is where you begin to see black shades in the haircoloring until you get very dark Level 2 which actually looks like shoe polish black and probably not something you'd ever want to put on your hair. When your stylist applied the haircolor did they do your roots first then pull everything thru from midshaft to ends for the last 15-20 minutes of processing or did they apply it right thru the hairstrands? Sometimes the ends of the hair are pourous and absorb color more quickly which is why you pull it thru after you've done the roots throughout the whole head first.

Hope that helps to answer your questions.

G'luck



Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Apr 3, 2006 at 9:58am

Miffny2007-11-23 06:11:54


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Apr 3, 2006 at 11:21am

Originally Posted By: Miffny! @, %$@ $$d` ``

OK well first of all the white blonde is not a good sign. That means that the pigment was lifted past the so called safe range of pale yellow and even though you toned it and it looked ok for a few days it washed right out. That is because there is not enuff underlying pigment in that hair to even allow the color to grab plus the cuticle layer of the hair is badly damaged and blown open and the haircolor just washes right out. You could try a gold filler there to put that underlying pigment back into the hairstrand but once the hair is damaged that bad from my experiences no pigment is going to hold in that hair.

As for pulling warm the highlift series is meant to give maximum control without having to mix in more control like P-mix.

Decribing your hair without actually seeing it is difficult because you've done so many chemical processes to your own hair. Being a natural level 6 is ok to use with the Highlift Series. Instead of using 11N or 11p which are more suited for Levels 7 & 8 you should try using 11A. Like I said without actually seeing your hair it's difficult for me to tell but you shouldn't need to add P-mix ro any controlling color into that formula as the highlift series is formulated to give maximum control. Remember the 11 series are not colors they are just tints. I would also toss in a little blonding cream ash but don't exceed 25% of your color mixture with the blonding cream. If you doing 40mls of color use 80ml of 30 volume 30ml of 11A & 10ml of blonding cream in the formula. Using that formula on virgin regrowth your hair should result in a 9GB.

When it comes to Redken I will tell you my nutshell summary of this color line....

Redken Color is a horrible color line the gels not shades EQ. It isn't true to color it fades a ton and levels 5 and darker go 1 level darker than what the color really is. The end results typically have no sheen to them and they are very drab and they coat the hair to the point that it makes it hard to refresh the ends of the hair. It's not good at all it's cheap because it's a cheap hair coloring system. When it comes to haircolor you get what you pay for. Goldwell is second to none when it comes to color lines and I've used them all. Those people who think Redken is good is because they are comparing them to the boxed stuff they've used and personally if I had a choice...boxed or Redken I'd hafta give it some serious thought. REDKEN STINKS!

Hope that info helps you out....G'luck



Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Apr 3, 2006 at 11:49pm


Thanks so much for the advice
Miffny2008-05-04 12:54:09


Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Apr 4, 2006 at 10:21am

Miffny2008-05-04 12:55:33


Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Apr 4, 2006 at 7:08pm


Will keep you posted
Miffny2008-05-04 12:56:33


Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Apr 7, 2006 at 11:25pm
.

Foils for me Smile
Miffny2008-06-01 14:45:25


Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Apr 12, 2006 at 10:47pm



Miffny2008-05-04 12:57:36


Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Apr 19, 2006 at 7:30am
foils are the way to go for me wih the occasional tint toner with 10 or less % .
Miffny2008-06-01 14:47:22


Posted By: jesusluvsu
Date Posted: Jun 8, 2006 at 11:34pm
i was wondering if it was possible to us e an ash blonde dye to lighten and conteract the orange in light brown hair?
 
also if you want a color that has a blue violot tone would that b a ash color
jesusluvsu2006-06-09 12:25:43


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jun 18, 2006 at 9:38am
Originally Posted By: jesusluvsu( t`" '$b$ ``` a$
 
It is possible to use an Ash color to counteract the orange in light brown hair however it will not lighten it. Color over previously colored hair will not lighten it. It will only reduce that orange or brassiness. Also you better make sure that Ash you are using is a Blue Based Ash. I know Goldwell uses Blue base for their Ash color however several companies like Redken, CHI, Paul Mitchell all use a green base to their Ash series so please make sure you have it right otherwise you will have green mixed with orange and that might be one of the 64 colors in a box of crayola's but it will look like crap on your hair and you will not be happy. Then your looking at BIG BUCKS at a salon to have corrective color work done.


Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Jun 18, 2006 at 9:47am
Getting back blonder again without bleach I am seeing a great hairdresser who has managed to lighten the darker tinted hair (goldwell 11Ash previously) with Wella Koleston 12A(blue based)he slightly overlapped & the darker lightened up so that was 5 weeks ago as I let my re-growth go a week or two longer if not more now.Also no pain at all.


Posted By: Scntillatedseed
Date Posted: Jul 14, 2006 at 3:21am

Oookay, hair colouring's a lot more complicated than I'd of thought.  Well, here goes anyways.  I was curious as to what tones and shades I can go to that would look good on me(i'm a natural Asian black) but I coloured my hair a few months back to a dark brownish colour.  And I highlighted my own hair a little more than a month back(not very noticable). 

I was thinking of putting a medium reddish brown with a section of strawberry blonde in my hair or strawberry blonde high-lights, but I'm not sure it'd work with my skin tone and secondly i have no idea how to do it myself.  I do have a warm skin tone which is the reason i'm going with the warmer colours.  A good idea I think?
 
I woud like to know how I would get to to what I want with the haricolour i ahve right now.  Knowing the colour codes would be very helpful as well, since I can get some of the professional dye's and bleach from a friend. 
 
 


Posted By: Chardonnay
Date Posted: Jul 14, 2006 at 10:39am
Hi Claude.  I hope you can help me here.  Over 6 months I did colorfix twice after not doing color for months.  Then over the past 3 months I have done 3 bleach baths leaving on only 10 mins each time.  I think i started with a lvel 5.    My color is now light orange on top and a bit darker as it goes down the shaft.  I just want to get rid of the orange now.  Is there any demi I could use and should it be ash?  I was going to try clairol demi in 10G but I am not sure what that would do to the orange.   Later I plan to just add a few lite blond streaks b/c i have some grey in front which looks white!  I was hoping for the light golden blonde look somewhere between 7-9 and it doesn't have to be perfect.   I am most concerened with getting rid of orange with as little damage as possible.  I would prefer to stay with demi, but if not possible will do permenant.

Thanks so much!!


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jul 14, 2006 at 11:13am
Originally Posted By: Chardonnay! @, %$@( "`a`( 
 
To neutralize that orange it needs to be a blue base ash. There are some color lines that are Green Base Ash....don't use those...make sure it's blue base ash.
 
Using 10G on Orange hair is only going to make it more brassy. 10G is a Yellow base....add Yellow to Orange and that's kinda what the result will be. You need to neutralize that orange with a blue base ash.
 
G'luck


Posted By: Chardonnay
Date Posted: Jul 14, 2006 at 3:20pm
Thank you Claude!  The ash demi won't darken it will it?  I like the lightness of the color just not the brassy orange.


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jul 14, 2006 at 9:46pm
Originally Posted By: Chardonnay ``* !$@ `a`d!
 
Do a test strand first before you do your whole head.....5 min possibly....rinse it, dry it see how ya like it. If it didn't tone it enuff put it back on for a little longer. As long as you are not a lvl 7 and using a lvl 5 or 6 ash it won't darken it. If you lvl 7 use a lvl 7 ash to tone it. What you are doing is changing the tint to get rid of the brassiness.
 
G'luck
Claude2006-07-14 21:48:12


Posted By: Chardonnay
Date Posted: Jul 14, 2006 at 9:55pm
Originally Posted By: ClaudeT@%@ $d` ``
 
Do a test strand first before you do your whole head.....5 min possibly....rinse it, dry it see how ya like it. If it didn't tone it enuff put it back on for a little longer. As long as you are not a lvl 7 and using a lvl 5 or 6 ash it won't darken it. If you lvl 7 use a lvl 7 ash to tone it. What you are doing is changing the tint to get rid of the brassiness.
 
G'luck
[/QUOTE]
 
You're brilliant!  Thank you. I will try tomorrow. 


Posted By: Afakeleg
Date Posted: Jul 16, 2006 at 2:07am
seems like a lot of people now what theyre talking about here, so i wanted to throw my question in... i have light orangish hair from dyeing it a light blond about a week and a half ago. i HATE orange. so i bought bleach today. probably the wrong move, but i used to bleach it white when i was younger and dug it.. though i am worried.. what if it just turns pale yellow, and what if i FRY it because i just dyed it?


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jul 16, 2006 at 9:01am
Originally Posted By: Afakeleg0!d`" $ @$ ! ``d &
 
Bleach will get that color out but it will also lighten the haircolor. Hair is in it's most fragile state when it's white which is lighter than you should ever bleach your hair. You certainly won't be able to color it back and have much success of any color holding in that hair once you bleach it past the pale yellow stage. If you just want to get rid of the orange or brassiness try using a blue base ash as your current color level to tone it. Try a test strand...leave it on 5 minutes rinse, dry and check it out. If you need to do it longer then you can if not then do the rest the same time and the brassiness will be gone.
 
Will you fry your hair with bleach? Anything is possible....if you don't know what you are doing please goto a salon and have a professional do it. You can get chemical burns on your scalp if you use bleach improperly or have a allergic reaction to it due to the strength. You could even incur breakage at or near the scalp if you leave the bleach on too long and permanently damage the cuticle layer of the hair strands so they break off...then your going to have hair that can't maintain a good balance of moisture in the cortex of the hairstrand and you will end up with dry, frizzy, brittle hair that will eventually break off.
 
My advice is seek a professional if you are attemping this....YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! There are important factors that play into the hair's health before, during and after a bleaching process such as the hair texture, and hair density......also the current overall health of the hair before the process is important as well. A professional can properly evaluate this as it is what we are trained for.
Claude2006-07-16 09:04:52


Posted By: Afakeleg
Date Posted: Jul 16, 2006 at 3:53pm
Thanks Claude... ok I've been looking at Wella Colo Charms permanent conditioning gel. ... I want the orange out but would aslo like it.. pretty much as light as I can get. ... they have 4 ash (palest/lightest) blondes I can't decide between. 2 are violet/blue based ... one is violet based.. and the other is blue based... i know you said blue based, but would violet/blue be better?


Posted By: Afakeleg
Date Posted: Jul 16, 2006 at 3:58pm
oh and one of the violet/blue based is a level 10, the other violet blue is 12, the blue is 12 and the violet is 11 ....  i keep thinking ill go for the frosty ash, which is blue based and a level 12 .... my second choice is palest ash blonde, which is violet blue based and a level 10. i guess im just not sure which one to get


Posted By: Scntillatedseed
Date Posted: Jul 18, 2006 at 3:53am
Hi Claude, I have dyed brownish to black hair, how would I get to an auburn red with blonde streaks? 
 
Since I did dye my hair, getting to auburn and blonde would be a bit of trouble right?  Would I have to bleach first, and then put on the colour-- and then if I want high-lights I'd have to bleach and add the colour again if I want another colour on top of the yellowish orange, bleached hair right? 
 
If for example I wanted auburn red, figure the number would be about 45B and for the blonde it would be about a 8b or RB, if I wanted warmer colours correct?
 
Scntillatedseed2006-07-18 04:29:38


Posted By: Chardonnay
Date Posted: Jul 18, 2006 at 9:26am
Originally Posted By: ClaudeT@%@ $d` ``
 
Do a test strand first before you do your whole head.....5 min possibly....rinse it, dry it see how ya like it. If it didn't tone it enuff put it back on for a little longer. As long as you are not a lvl 7 and using a lvl 5 or 6 ash it won't darken it. If you lvl 7 use a lvl 7 ash to tone it. What you are doing is changing the tint to get rid of the brassiness.
 
G'luck
[/QUOTE]

Hi Claude. I tried a strand test and it seemed to be ok.  but then when I did the rest of my hair for 5 mins, it didn't seem to do anything to the orange.  It is not the light orange is so bad, it is just wrong for my pale white skin.   I want something more beigy or golden tone.  I used  clairol demi  10A. 
Any other ideas?
Thank you so much!


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jul 18, 2006 at 9:46am
Did you mix all the color...do a strand test let it process for how long then put the rest of the color which was already mixed on your hair? What was the time in between? Color oxidizes as it sits....which is why it might not have done anything. What is your current haircolor level? I'd need to see a picture to better help you.


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jul 18, 2006 at 9:54am
Originally Posted By: Scntillatedseed! @, %$@ ```d
 
You would hafta use bleach since your hair is previously colored. So you want 2 colors...auburn red then blonde highlights....well you can do a 2 step process and throw in some foils with bleach to lighten the areas to be red....then tone them to the red or auburn color with a semi-permenent auburn then dry the hair with your new red highlights then go in and do more foils with bleach to go blonde....you might need to tone the blonde slightly because as bleach lightens the hair pulls warm with something like a 9N for a few minutes.
 
I dunno what 45B is what color line are you using?
 
I would think maybe a 6RB or 7RB which is Red Brown and then 9GB or 10GB which is Gold/Beige for the blonde highlights after lightening to tone it.


Posted By: Chardonnay
Date Posted: Jul 18, 2006 at 9:58am
Originally Posted By: Claude!d (,% @( `` `(
 
I only mixed enuff for the strand test and left on for 5 mins like you said.  It is so hard to tell with my hair but it seemed to 'darken' it a bit so I thought it worked.  So then I mixed a whole fresh batch and proceed to do just the bangs and the top where it is most orange.  While it may have toned it down a teensy bit it is still bright bozo orange.  maybe even a little lighter.
 
  http://community.webshots.com/photo/2867705700061604204mdhRip">
 
The color is more orange than the light in this picture shows
Chardonnay2006-07-18 17:56:40


Posted By: lucy2
Date Posted: Jul 25, 2006 at 10:18am
I have been coloring my naturally dirty blonde hair for over 18 years using Clarol Torrids 101B Breathless blonde w/ a 40 vol processor. This color turns a bright violet / blue on my hair, so does a good job at toning down brassiness.
The problem is, as I get older, my hair is getting a bit brassier, especially in-between colorings. Also, my hair is very long -- to my lower back, so ends are brassy since I only get my roots touched up.
My hair is very healthy, especially for being long, and I don't want to screw it up, but I really want to do something to lighten, brighten and counter the brassiness. The purple tinted shampoos really don't do much for me.
I read that I need to use a toner, and purchased a pale blond clairol toner that says it counters yellow / brassy undertonds, &  requires a 20 vol processor. I was on the verge of using it, but noticed that under the toner name, it said it was a yellow based toner. Now I'm nervous, since I feel certain that I need a blue-violet base.
I was thinking of mixing my color (the clairol torrids), processor and some conditioner and running it all through my hair, but it sounds like you feel that this is a bad idea? Help! I really want a nice, creamy pale blonde, and it's getting downrighty goldy!


Posted By: Butterflies
Date Posted: Nov 15, 2006 at 2:00pm
 
I've been using Redken for about 4 years in my pryer salon. The owners of the salon were not that good in teaching the color line. So I'm still not very confident with Redken.

  I wanted to know if Goldwell is easier to understand or learn than Redken , as I've heard better things about Goldwell.

Butterflies2006-11-15 15:13:09 (! Ca


Posted By: Autumn42
Date Posted: Nov 19, 2006 at 4:59am
Would like information to put more honey, beige etc into my hair.  At the present ive used the violet base color and its just to white.  How do I get some little darker tones and not turn green or some other odd looking color.  Few weeks ago used a base gold color and looked terrible.  Thanks for any help.


Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Nov 19, 2006 at 8:01am
Goldwells GB colours are just beautiful I filled my friends white over bleached blonde hair with the gold beige it looks fabulous not a brassy gold but a clear golden with enough beige to give it a pretty pastel hue.I used 9GB .Also comes in darker GB's 5-7-8 being the darker tones & -9-10 & 11 GB's being the lighter.
Miffny2006-11-19 08:05:58


Posted By: sofine
Date Posted: Jan 15, 2007 at 12:05pm
Hi Claude!
I'm a newbie and use the Goldwell Topchic color line on my own hair. Your "Intro to Color" posts have help me tremendously! My former stylist used to do a glazing after color (all Goldwell line, but once using Redkin glaze), which really seemed to lock in the color and help my fine hair stay "healthy". But, I cannot seem to find an online source to order clear glaze and since I'm not a "professional" stylist, I don't seem to have accesss to all resources. Any advice and also, any thoughts on glazing in general?
Thanks!!) A


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jan 15, 2007 at 8:17pm
Use a sahmpoo for color treated hair like L'ANZA. Their Magic Bullet hair therapy really helps to preserve haircolor. Or you could try something like CHI's Silk Infusion as well. Anything to smooth down that cuticle and prevent it from drying and breaking off will help preserve the haircolor but all haircolor is artificial and it will fade regardless of what you do.


Posted By: sofine
Date Posted: Jan 16, 2007 at 11:30am
Thanks for the info. Have you used clear glaze treatments after haircoloring? My former stylist said it's basically a hair color formula, but it's clear. Loved the result on my fine, straight hair. I'd like to try it at home but not sure what it's called within the Goldwell line (Topchic number?). I've tried some over the counter glazes (like John Frieda color glaze) and it's terrible. Makes the hair feel brittle but at the same time is difficult to rinse and leaves scalp greasy. Ugh...help!
!) A


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jan 16, 2007 at 5:46pm
Originally Posted By: sofine ``* $b" `a ``&
 
I'm pretty sure the Goldwell Clear Glaze is a Colorance called Colorance Clear which is their semi-permanent line of color. It doesn't do much more than a shine serum like Paul Mitchell Super Skinny or Chi's Silk Infusion. I actually think Chi's Silk Infusion is superior and also far less expensive.


Posted By: sofine
Date Posted: Jan 16, 2007 at 6:48pm
Thanks! I'll try the Chi. Have you ever used Goldwell Trendline Spun Shine Extreme? Or Pureology Nano Glaze Styling Cream? I just ordered these products, hoping for "glazing" results.
!) A


Posted By: sofine
Date Posted: Jan 16, 2007 at 6:49pm
Thanks! I'll try the Chi. Have you ever used Goldwell Trendline Spun Shine Extreme? Or Pureology Nano Glaze Styling Cream? I just ordered these products, hoping for "glazing" results.
!) A


Posted By: LLJones
Date Posted: Mar 5, 2007 at 12:59am
I just wanted to post and say it is great to see your first posts Claude.  I've been using Goldwell for the last 20 years and am a GTA for the company also.  Your formulations are bang on and your advice is great.   


Posted By: ariana79
Date Posted: Mar 6, 2007 at 8:05am
Claude, do you know of any other companies that do the blue based ash in addition to Goldwell?
 
I have some #4 hair extensions that have an orangey/reddish tint to them  and I wanted to add some ash colored highlights. Is this something I can do at home or would you suggest giving it to a professional to color?
 
TIA


Posted By: Foxyloxy
Date Posted: Mar 7, 2007 at 12:13am
Ion has blue based ash. !,$ (!


Posted By: HANNELIE
Date Posted: Mar 7, 2007 at 3:43am
HI CLAUDE
 
Your so good with hair colouring, which colour best suits green eyes and tanned skin?  I have been struggling to get the right haircolor to bring out my eyes but I do not seem to get it right?
 
ANy suggestions??Confused


Posted By: ariana79
Date Posted: Mar 7, 2007 at 7:06am
Originally Posted By: Foxyloxy#d ( # B,0! ``` $
 
Thanks foxy, I'll check them out


Posted By: Slipknothartgir
Date Posted: Mar 26, 2007 at 5:51pm
This is really cool. Thanks for posting this.I can learn alot about color from it! ) Pif` Pe`d


Posted By: Animelover
Date Posted: Mar 27, 2007 at 6:17pm
I also want to thanks Claude for this sticky.

Soo, I want to throw in my ticket too,

 I have dark semi-coarse hair, (like a 4A-4B, I am not sure) and I would like to know the proper steps to color to a light blond or highlights of different blonds. Should lift your hair once and then return again in like a month to lighten it again? In other words, how long is the time process to the desired color of blond for black coarse hair?


Also, what do you think is the questions we should ask a colorist to give you confidence you know what they are doing?

Thanks in advance
!%! Ahd A`qre ! < b .


Posted By: deelberger
Date Posted: Apr 20, 2007 at 7:03am
So I've had my hair colored in the past by someone who I have no contact with at this time.  I went back to my natural color over time (which is a dark brown).  I wanted to color my hair using the same Goldwell Topchic products that were used on me in the past.  Once I found a supplier of the Goldwell, I had to figure out what colors were used.  I tried to go by memory, and bought 5K (Mahogany Copper) and 6SB (Silver Brown).  I mixed 1 ounce of each color with 1 ounce of 40 Vol (developer).  What I got was sort of a bugundy red...which isn't bad...but it's not the color I was going for.  I found the paper that the person who colored my hair in the past wrote down what colors to get (7K and 7A)  This is exactly what the paper says:

7K
7A
40 ML - 40 Volume

30 ML 7K
120 ML - 7A/7NA
40 ML - 40 vol.

Procedure:  Applied base to ends
Process time:  30-35 mins.

Results:  Beautiful!!!  This is your Color!!!!

My question is this - since I've already colored my hair using the "wrong" colors, can I use the 7K & 7A now and get the desired results????

I've read through all of your posts and have to say I'm more confused now than ever...lol.  I never knew that hair colorists had to be chemists.  I have a whole new level of respect and admiration for all colorists out there!!!! 

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!!

Deanna Berger
Springfield, MA


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Apr 20, 2007 at 7:42am
Originally Posted By: deelberger# @&$% ` $ `a `a

In closing let me just say that it's best to leave haircoloring to a licensed professional. Yes it's expensive but it's why we are paid what we are paid. Haircoloring youself can lead to disasterous results if you don't know what you are doing you can create serious damage in your hair that can't be repaired.

To give you an example of this...I had a client yesterday who's hair was so knotted I couldn't get a comb thru it without a snag. I noticed the haircolor and said to her do you color your own hair. She replied YES I DO! Every 4 weeks. I asked her when you color your hair with the boxed stuff do you pull it through your hair even your previously colored hair. She said...Yes of course just to refresh the color.

OK now the answer was obvious to me because I'm a professional. Putting permanent haircolor through previously colored hair is like pouring salt on an open wound...especially every 4 weeks.

What she should have done was put a matching semi or demi-permanent on her mid-shaft to ends and not a permanent haircolor that she was using to do her roots.

Everytime a permanent haircolor is pulled through hair approx. 3% of the disulfide bonds in the hair which accounts for 33% of the hair's tensile strength and elasticity is permanently broken. She has been doing this for years every 4 weeks and 3% of 33% might not seem like much but multiply it by 13 times per year and she has lost over 10% of the tensile strength and elasticity of her hair not to mention that the effects of the weather (heat, sun, cold not to mention swimming and other things that damage the hair) even had a more damaging effect than on a normal head of hair because of what she had done.

These are the things you don't know you weren't trained for and why things like haircoloring should be left to a trained professional. Damage can't be repaired it can only be mananaged until it grows out and can be cut off.

Also remember if you mess up your own haircolor then you are looking at corrective color work and that typically starts at $150 and goes up from there....it's big bucks to fix a big haircoloring mess....so take that into consideration before you try coloring your hair yourself at home.
Claude2007-04-20 07:44:24


Posted By: deelberger
Date Posted: Apr 20, 2007 at 7:56am


So I've had my hair colored in the past by someone who I have no contact with at this time.  I went back to my natural color over time (which is a dark brown).  I wanted to color my hair using the same Goldwell Topchic products that were used on me in the past.  Once I found a supplier of the Goldwell, I had to figure out what colors were used.  I tried to go by memory, and bought 5K (Mahogany Copper) and 6SB Silver Brown is a new shade of Top Chic colors by Goldwell...I haven't used them personally (Silver Brown).  I mixed 1 ounce of each color with 1 ounce of 40 Vol (developer). The mixing ratio for Top Chic Color by Goldwell is 1:1 so you should have used 2 ounces of developer because you were using 2 ounces of color. Also 40 Volume Developer would give you 3 levels of lift so is it safe to assume your natural  color was a level 3? Was this color put over previously lighter colored hair? Try to give me more information and I will try to help you best I can.  What I got was sort of a bugundy red (Not enuff developer so you didn't get good lift)

You're right about the formulation...I should have used 2 ounces of 40 vol (and I was told to do that and didn't! DUH)


30 ML 7K
120 ML - 7A/7NA This formula seems odd to me with 150ml's of color and only 40 ml's of developer. The Ash & Natural Ash colors are controlling colors...they are only used to offset some of the underlying pigment. With this formula and using this much Ash or Natural Ash you hair would have a blueish tint to it so I don't recommend using this mixing formula.
40 ML - 40 vol.

Typo on the 120 - it's actually 10 ml - 7A/7NA

K
7A What is the mixing ratio of 7K & 7A? It shouldn't exceed 40 ml's total since you are only using 40ml's of developer. 40 Volume will give you 3 levels if lift so to achieve somewhere near a level 7 with 40 volume you should be a natural level 4. Typically with Goldwell the controlling colors which in this formula is Ash should never exceed more than 25% of your color portion of your formula. So if I'm mixing this I wouldn't used more than 10ml's of Ash and 30 ml's of 7K with 40 volume developer if you are going for 3 levels of lift. If you put more than 25% of Ash or another controlling color like a Pearl or Natural Pearl if you are lifting to a level 8 or higher because if you do it will become the dominant color and the hair will take on a blue tinge if your using Ash or a purple tinge if your using Pearl.

I used on my natural color, which is a dark brown and my hair doesn't lighten easily.  I cannot go blonde at all, because even when leaving 40 vol developer on for several hours, I still get a yellow hair color.
I definitely am not going for the blue/purple tinge!  That's for sure.

So if I mix 30 ml of 7k and 10 ml of 7a along with 40 ml of 40 vol. then I should get my desired color?  Even with the coloring that I've already done (using the 6sb and the 5k)?  It's almost as dark as my original hair color.

Thanks so much for your help!  I was thinking nobody would answer me!

You're awesome!!!Clap

Deanna Berger
Springfield, MA


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Apr 20, 2007 at 8:24pm
If your hair is previously colored putting more color over previously colored hair will NOT lighten it. Color will not lighten artificially colored hair. The only thing that will lighten artificially colored hair is bleach. Now if you do some foil highlights then you can always used Goldwell Colorance 9GB or 10GB to tone the highlights if they are brassy. The mixing ratio for Goldwell Colorance is 2 parts developer to 1 part color.


Posted By: BrunetteGal
Date Posted: Apr 22, 2007 at 4:40pm
Hi Claude:
 
Please help me. You sound like a haircolor genius.
 
I have below shoulder length hair. Natural color---dark brown hair. It is in excellent shape.
 
For a few years. have used Clairols Nat. Instincts to cover a little gray. Was using dark brown, but color deposit made it blackish. Switched to medium brown--a bit better.
 
Nowm more grays on my head and they are not keeping the color.
 
I want to go to Nice n Easy--permanent color. Do I use their Medium Brown, like they suggest?
 
Or would that lighten my hair too much?
I just want to be a normal, dark-haired gal, with grays that are covered. Please help, I can't mix colors, etc. Too complicated.
 
THanks much, Claude.


Posted By: charo
Date Posted: May 14, 2007 at 1:35pm
Hi Claude, I need help.  I have natural med brown hair w/ red tones in it.  I have been highlighting it for YEARS now.   I have been anywhere from a full head of white highlights to a few gold, I have also dyed it back to dark brown, got bored, then tried red highlights, didn't work (got cool aid red, yuck), so went back to regular highlights.  I started getting really light again and couldn't take the roots, so I had her put in lowlights, which at first were great, but now 3 weeks later, it washed out, and I don't like the highlights, they look yellowy and very fake now and I have roots already!!!  I know it's summer and the thing is to go lighter, and blond does look better on me, but was wondering what you thought of if I should go back to the dark brown for the summer, and give my hair a break, and then slowly put some gold ones in, or try the red ones again.  Help, is there anything you can suggest since you seem to know sooooooo much regarding colouring.  THANKS!!!


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: May 16, 2007 at 7:54am
Brunette Gal I never used boxed haircolor so I can't really help you there. I did a little research for ya and Clairol Natural Instincts is a Demi-Permanent Haircolor. What that means is it's deposit only and has no ammonium in the color to raise the cuticle to allow the color to penetrate the cortex where the natural haircolor is. It will typically blend gray hair but not cover it. The gray hair will actually take on a translucent tint of the haircolor you are putting in the hair but it will not alter the haircolor in the cortex of the hair.

Gray hair is unpigmented hair...it has no color! To achieve good gray coverage you need to use a permanent color to put that color into the cortex of the hairstrand. Now gray can be slightly complicated only because you want it to look good. Stay away from ash browns because the gray unpigmented hair will take on a gun metal gray appearance because of the ash color not having any natural pigment in the gray hair to mix with to give it a natural color. You should stay towards

Basically you need a color with a little bit of warmth in it to prevent the haircolor from making that gray a gun metal gray. Now I don't know boxed stuff but your best bet is Neutrals or warmer but definately stay away from ash. If you are not lightening your current haircolor you should be fine.

If you provide me with more info such as your natural color and your desired color, etc I can try to better help you.

G'luck


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: May 16, 2007 at 8:07am
Originally Posted By: charo! @, %$`( ``d

It's hard for me to suggest what to do with your hair without actually seeing it. Highlights look great but what stylists fail to tell you is that upkeep of those highlights is costly. Typically every 10-12 weeks they need to be redone. If the highlights are yellowish or golden that can be toned out by going to a salon and having them toned. Typically depending on hair length it should cost you anywhere from $25 - $40. Toning can take anywhere from several minutes to 15 minutes or possibly longer...every person's hair is different. The lowlights probably washed out because they used a semi permanent color. For lowlights they probably should have used permenent color and 10 volume developer.

If you want all one color you can tint back to your natural color however that is an involved process and considered corrective color which typically is more expensive as several steps are involved in returning the hair to all one color....typically starts at $125 ish and goes up from there.....

Hope that helps to give you a little more insight as to possible solutions. It sounds to me that you unhappy with the color of the highlights so toning might help you there.

G'luck


Posted By: charo
Date Posted: May 16, 2007 at 10:39am
Hi Claude, thanks for your response.  I think i'm going to have her put a toner in, she didn't do that last time, and yes she did use a semi=perm color for the lowlights.  As far as going back, the last time i did it, she just put semi-perm color on top of my highlights and did it that way 2x's.  Could that be a reason i'm not getting the color i want, as you said there are a few processes she's suppossed to do???  thanks agian for your responses!!!


Posted By: mrs_miagi
Date Posted: Jun 29, 2007 at 4:55pm
Dear Claude,

My natural color is a level 2-Darkest Brown. My desired color is med brown with a golden tone.

Based on what youve said and my other research,  I was thinking a level 3N and a 5G. BUT I am worried  about red brassiness since RED is my contributing pigment. Should I use level 3 with a green base to neutralize the red? Or will that green base interfere with the yellow base in the 5G. Making it orange , and requring a blue base to neutralize the orange.

EEEEK. what do you think??



Posted By: BrunetteGal
Date Posted: Jun 29, 2007 at 7:13pm
Thanks so much, Claude, for taking the time to try and help me here.
 
If only, I didn't have any gray. Gray hair complicates the coloring process.
 
How about L'Oreal's 'Natural Match' hair dye?? That's a new dye that is permanent and yet has no ammonia. Has a little peroxide. The box says you are able to lighten one shade. Penelope Cruz does the ads for Natural Match. I don't know how it enters the cortex without ammonia, but apparently, it sticks there somehow.
 
My natural haircolor is dark brown, a neutral shade. Thanks for advising me to stay away from the ash tones. It's not as dark as Cher's raven locks. My natural color is like Penelope Cruz's when she isn't lightening it.
 
But because of all the so-called color deposit, my hair had turned very dark like Cher's. I'm Mediterranean, and I can pull off that hue, but, I'd like it a shade lighter. I still want to be dark-haired, just not black or dense-colored.
 
I have tried Robert Craig's permanent color in a box, that also boasts no ammonia/no peroxide. It sticks to the hair shaft thru polymerization, whatever that means. It works well---no red tones. But, the grays don't all take and doesn't last more than 3 weeks.
 
The good news-----I have nice, dark, long hair. I just want to lighten a tad. I want my dark hair to not be so dense in darkness.
 
Hope that makes sense. Hey, I could have worse problems with my hair.
 
Thanks Claude. I appreciate your kindness.
 
 
 
 


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jun 29, 2007 at 9:29pm
Originally Posted By: mrs_miagi!`` $ ` $``$

When I think of Medium Brown I think Level 5 or 6. You mention level 3N and 5G. Now depending upon your mixing formula typically to get a level 4NG which would be a combination of the two color you would use 2 parts 5G to 1 part 3N as the darker color is the more dominant color so therefor to get a true level 4NG you would mix 2 parts of the lighter color to 1 part darker color. Now what color line are you using because different color lines have different formulations....2 parts lighter to 1 part darker is a general rule but that is not always the case it depends on the color line.

you only need to address the underlying pigment on the level you are lightening to. If you are a natural level 3 and lifting 3 levels to a 6 then you would need to factor in some control (when I say control I mean control the brassiness and the underlying pigment by putting in a blue based ash into your overall color formula but typically not more than 25% of the actual color portion of the color formula....you follow what I'm saying?)

Typically the volume developers....
10 Volume - 1 level of lift or to change the tint
20 Volume - 2 levels of lift
30 Volume - 3 levels of lift
40 Volume - 4 levels of lift

This will only lighten virgin, untinted hair.

If you don't put any control into your color formulation you will end up with what we call more of a fashion shade....because the underlying pigment red, orange or gold contributes more to the overall color because a controlling color like a blue base ash for levels 7 and under and 8 and up a pearl or blue violet base to control the gold. You typically hafta factor in a controlling color when you are lightening 3 levels or more. If you forget to do that you can always go back and tone it with a toner.

hope I'm not confusing you.



Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jun 29, 2007 at 9:37pm
Originally Posted By: BrunetteGal ``* 0B $$`` A

In closing I guess if you can't afford a salon goto a beauty school where a licensed professional color expert resides and explain that you want corrective color work done and ask if the teacher is famaliar with doing it.

G'luck


Posted By: goflyrm
Date Posted: Jul 8, 2007 at 6:55pm
wow sounds like a VETERAN is in the house........!!  great to see you are here any way........i  need help!!
 
Ok currently have R-1 Extreme copper aubern  used a 20 volume. i had roots grown in and i decieded that i want a J-Lo hair color so i went to local beauty supply and they advised me to us an Loreal 8.1 Medium ash blonde..with a 30 developer...but i need to use shamppo for roots only then color then apply color to entire head.......So i did all this now i have this color on my roots and this colr on my ends. red....... How do i even it out ?? I folded the ends up so you can see the difference in color ..


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Jul 9, 2007 at 7:20am
Originally Posted By: goflyrm4#t ",%$`" ,``` a

Virgin regrowth and the previously colored hair should have been treated differently...which means you should have used 2 different color formulas. Color will not lighten previously colored hair. So whatever your previously colored hair was combined with the new ash color and that is what you have. It probably only changed the tint of the haircolor and not the lightness. This is corrective work and not something I'd suggest doing yourself. Goto a salon it's expensive and get it fixed...typically starts at $150 and goes up from there. Attemping it yourself when you are not experienced with color let alone corrective color is just a waste of your time and money. Also you run the risk of severely damaging your hair. Damaged hair CANNOT be repaired...it can only be maintained until you cut it off. Hope you understand what I'm trying to say to you.

G'luck


Posted By: altunann
Date Posted: Sep 19, 2007 at 2:03pm
HI,

You are a font of information! I have a specific question I'd like to ask. I just bought Redken's Color Fusion and Developer to try to use myself. My hairstylist has been using 2 parts fusion(Cr7) and 2 parts Developer( 20 volume.) Since the fusion comes in a tube, how do you mesaure the "2 parts?" The tube is divided into 1/4 marks.

Sorry for the stupid question.

Thanks!
Ann ,


Posted By: LureMinerals
Date Posted: Sep 29, 2007 at 5:46pm
Thank you SO MUCH for this!  I used a color a few months ago, and now i cannot find it anywhere, mainly because I cant remember who the brand is, but the color was UL63 (I think), or UN63 does that sound familliar to anyone?  I am such a dummy, I should have written it down!


Posted By: LureMinerals
Date Posted: Sep 29, 2007 at 5:57pm
Re: my post above ... Actually i think it was called UNL 63
anyone know if that number sounds familiar for a hair color; (or what brand it could be), i even looked on google grr :)


Posted By: OhLaLa
Date Posted: Oct 3, 2007 at 7:05pm
Hi Claude, or anybody.. please! I use Goldwell Top chic haircolor and i ran out of developer... i need to do my hair yesterdayWink..my question is..can i use any brand of developer? are they all basically the same? In my opinion, manufacturers will always try to tell you ,it is best to use THEIR products over others - marketing it is called I think...lol ..in truth any quality developer (same vol), will work in exactly the same way- it strips the hair to allow the colour to take.!! am i right to think so?
A quick response would be appreciated!!!
tysm! Michelleplease


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Oct 3, 2007 at 9:58pm
Originally Posted By: OhLaLa<"d`$ #$@(!!

Yes it's all the same....just double check the ammonium concentrate.

10 Vol - 3%
20 Vol - 6%
30 Vol - 9%
40 Vol - 12

Goldwell is a cream color so you should use a cream developer.


Posted By: OhLaLa
Date Posted: Oct 4, 2007 at 12:31am
tysm Claude for responding..youre awesome!!score010


Posted By: skydreem
Date Posted: Oct 16, 2007 at 12:25pm
Hi KellyH
 
I like your hair Clapcolor phase 1,  how can i achieve your hair color, looks beautiful.
 
thanks!


Posted By: zaxwrit
Date Posted: Oct 24, 2007 at 2:26pm
Claude, thank you so much for posting this wonderful information. Big hugs!


Posted By: Lauren543
Date Posted: Oct 25, 2007 at 9:04am
Hi Claude
 
I usually bleach and tone my foils, but fancied trying a high-lift tint instead and have heard good things about Goldwell.  I'm a natural level 6, tend to pull warm when I lift the colour.  I was thinking of trying the 11A or 11P, but my question is whether I use 30vol or 40vol developer?  I vaguely remember being told that using 30vol for a longer amount of time helps to control warmth, is this correct?  Or do I need the 40vol to get the required lift (highlights are level 9/10 I guess) 
 
Thanks


Posted By: Momof6
Date Posted: Nov 15, 2007 at 1:21am
Confused     Thanks for such great information.  I have a problem that needs to be fixed.  I used hair remover then a permanent haircolour (hi-lift) tonight and it didn't turn out....very uneven colour because of the remover kit.  Can I color it again tomorrow to try to correct or minimize the uneveness &/or stipes.  Originally color blonde which went to black (for halloween...daughter wanted to be Betty Rubble)...used permanent color (I know, bad decision).  Tonight's process turned it into a deep brown/auburn, with sporatic stripes of lighter orange and black.  We have a BIG family reunion with pictures next week and I need to get it fixed.  What should I use? and would it be advisable to just go to semi-permanent next....will probably have it cut in the next day or two to get the ends cut off , but would like to fix color first.  Would appreciate any help possible...as SOON as possible.  Thanks!!! %, A !


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Nov 15, 2007 at 7:36am
Originally Posted By: Momof6
Can you color it again? Well the problem is you folks don't understand that consistantly coloring your hair puts it at great risk for permanent chemical damage....and the end result is chop it short. Damage can not be repaired it can only be managed until you grow it out and cut it off. Now is your hair damaged....only a licensed cosmetologist can properly tell and since I can't get my hands into your hair I can't tell.

Some symptoms of damaged hair are the following. Can't get a comb thru your and it tangles very easily. The hair takes forever to dry even when blow drying it. The hair feels like cotton candy. Also if the hair has no shine and just looks dull. Breakage throughout the hair.

Seek professional advice from a master colorist. You are attempting things that require experience to be done safely. Yes you will pay BIG BUCK$ upwards of $250 however if your hair is worth it to you then that's how your justify it.

I've seen women totally destroy their hair over the years by attempting things themselves thinking hey I can do this or I'm not going to pay $80 for haircolor only to end up making things worse then paying 2 or 3 times as much to properly fix it.

Putting black or even semi permanent black onto someones hair is the worst thing you can do. From there the only thing you can do is color remove the oxidized pigment then from their to lighten it you need to bleach the hair up....from their depending on the health of the hair you may only be able to lighten it up 2 or 3 levels otherwise you run the risk or serious damage to the hair...then from their it needs to be tones to removed the brassiness which is the underlying pigment that gets exposed from lightening the hair. You really need to be an experienced colorist to do stuff like this. I can't stress this enuff.

Oh and when you goto a salon....goto a good one....avoid your chain salons...Fantastic Sam's Regis, Hair Cuttery, etc. They are typically newer stylists and lack the color experience to do a proper job. Seek a master colorist at a private salon....call them, tell them what you've done and ask about cost.....they can ball park it for ya. Don't be shocked if it's $200 - $300 though.


Posted By: PerfectBrunette
Date Posted: Nov 16, 2007 at 12:34pm
Hi Claude,

I've been reading your column and truly enjoying it. Thought I'd ask your advice too if you don't mind. My natural haircolor is a dark ashy blond to light brown (between level 6 and 7). I colored is with a l'oreal casting colorspa in neutral dark blonde (a semi permanent color) and this made it a little lighter in color. (That is the only hair color process I've done to it. It is otherwise virgin hair.) Now the color has washed out and my hair looks kind of brassy and the color washes out my skin tone a little. I was considering dyeing my hair a nice light golden brown color to get it the same shade as my natural but not so mousy.

Anyways, I went to an Aveda salon yesterday to consult with a colorist. She is supposedly not very experienced coloring with Aveda because she is an intern but I was told she trained with the master colorist. She said I needed a richer warmer color for my light olive skin tone. She suggested putting a level 7 neutral shade over my hair and said this would help it look richer. I was confused by this. How would putting a level 7 make my hair color richer when I was already slightly darker than a level 7. I asked her about this and she said my hair needs pigment and that it was very fine and it's a good idea to add pigment to fine hair. She said if I wanted to go darker, we could use a level 6 and she wrote 6N on her paper. This confused me because the pictures we looked at together were about a level 5 light to medium brown with subtle warm tones. So, I have three questions:

1) What does she mean by "add pigment" to my hair?

2) Should I trust a stylist that just went through her Aveda color training but doesn't have a lot of experience using that training?

3) Would I be asking for trouble to just do it at home? After all, I have dyed my hair at home many times before (although I usually went lighter)and have read alot about hair color on the internet. I'm not exactly a hair color virgin and I've heard going a shade darker is supposed to be an easy process.

Also, I asked her about doing a semi-permanent and she said we wouldn't get as good of results so I was wondering why that is. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!



Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Nov 17, 2007 at 7:49am
Originally Posted By: PerfectBrunette! @, %$@$  `@ 


Posted By: PerfectBrunette
Date Posted: Nov 20, 2007 at 1:43am
Claude,
You are totally awesome! Thanks so much for educating us. I have another question if you don't mind. What do you do if roots are more orangey-yellow and ends are more yellow gold when choosing a correcting toner? For example, I used a hair color remover and my roots are orange-yellow and my ends are just gold. I want golden beige tones all over. What would you do to even out the color and impart the gold beige?


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Nov 20, 2007 at 7:23am
Originally Posted By: PerfectBrunette ``$$$ 0"` @@`

Well if that is the case and lets say your hair is a level 9 but you just did your roots and they only lightened to a level 7 or level 8.  Now you can't just put more color over the darker color as you know by reading my "introduction to color" that color will not lighten previously colored hair.

The only way you could lighten the roots would be to use bleach with something like 10 volume developer. I wouldn't use anything more than 10 volume since you are only looking to lighten it very slighty. However bleaching can be tricky if your not a hairstylist. You can have a friend help you but you should apply the bleach on the darker root area however....stay about 1/2" away from the scalp until you get all the bleach applied to the darker root area. If you apply it right on the scalp to first 1/2" of hair the heat from the head will process the bleach quicker and you will end up with lighter roots because of the heat from the scalp.  This is why you should go back and reapply at the first 1/2" of hair as the rest of the hair lightens.

Bleaching can be tricky it's best to have it done by a trained professional.

Then after the hair might need to be toned with a semi-permanent color like Redken Shades EQ 9N for 5 minutes or so to remove the brassy or yellow gold tones and it will impart a softer beige tone to the blond hair.


Posted By: PerfectBrunette
Date Posted: Nov 20, 2007 at 12:16pm
Oh I don't mind that my roots are slightly darker. I think this looks natural. I just want to tone the whole head without bleaching since I don't want to lighten my hair. And I don't have any color left in my hair. I took it all off with a color remover called Color Oops. This stuff works wonders because it takes off any artificial color you put in your hair while leaving your natural pigments intact. I will try your advice and tone with a semi permanent for 5 minutes. Hopefully that will do the trick. Thanks again! 


Posted By: PerfectBrunette
Date Posted: Nov 21, 2007 at 12:27pm
Claude, you've been so helpful. I have another burning question if you don't mind. Is there a way to tone orange tones while keeping the gold tones in my hair?  


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Nov 21, 2007 at 9:23pm
Originally Posted By: PerfectBrunette ``$$$ P$0&da @`$

Well you could use something like Redken Shades EQ 9N leave it on for 10 minutes or so then rinse it out and see. Ya can't just put pure blue based ash on the cut the orange because the blue would mix with the gold and that would change....GREENCry

So something with a blue-violet base like Redken Shades EQ 9N should cut both some.


Posted By: Miffny
Date Posted: Nov 23, 2007 at 6:25am
Hi Claude hope you are well just stopping by to say my hair is almost the exact colour I now have 1/2 head blonde foils (20 vol Blondor takes me down to a lovely clean blonde) with a Wella gold/pearl toner 10 vol 10 minutes to break up the darker base &  give palest beige hues to the blonde, my only gripe are the silvery white greys that appear in 10 days after.

My hair is in great condition but I would love some darker beige blonde foils am thinking of Goldwell's colorance in a 7GB I'd love to paint some on myself as the salon is costing me a fortune, but I have no breakage so I guess it's worth the $$$.

Also do you have any views on Shades EQ as in do they run  as I had some alpha parf (hate the stuff just mo) lowlights done in August & they ran into the blond making it look murky even though the foils were filled.


Posted By: beccibaxter
Date Posted: Nov 26, 2007 at 4:56pm
first of all let me say thankyou for having this forum!!!!
 
ok so i have naturally dirty blonde hair which i coloured a sort of beige blonde for about 13 years,well i got bored with it and today i coloured it with schwrzkopf live platinum blonde with built in pre-lightener.it said to leave it on for 30 minutes maximum which i did,but not to leave it on for less than 30 minutes.which i didnt.
anyway i left it on for 30 minutes exactly then rinsed it off and conditioned it as per instructions and it looked fine wet.when i dryed it its gone quite yellow,not very yellow just a bit bright.it doesnt really suit my skin colour as i am very pale.its too brassy for me.also behind my ears its gone brown!!!!!!!!!!!!in patches.
so how can i tone down the yellow and get the white blonde i wanted,i know i cant bleach it again as i dont want to wreck my hair,its currently in great condition.
i dont really understand about 10`s etc as i live in the uk so we only get as far as i am aware the diy products,such as loreal etc.
so what do i use to get rid of the yellow?and get the whiter blonde?
 
aaarrrgggghhhhh help me.


Posted By: Claude
Date Posted: Nov 26, 2007 at 8:40pm
Originally Posted By: beccibaxter$!p`$ '$ ``` $

You could throw some Redken Shades EQ 9N onto your hair for 5 minutes or so to tone it...that should cut the yellow enuff for ya.


Posted By: caroline69
Date Posted: Nov 29, 2007 at 6:22am
Im so glad i found this forumSmile So much stuff i didnt know about colouring.
 
Claude or anyone else who can help...I have light brown hair that is a bit too goldy brassy looking. It is natural. Im forevor trying to get rid of the gold. I thought id try Goldwell's Colourance 5A light ash brown. From what ive read i need a blue base ash?? Is this goldwell light ash brown blue based?
 
Thanks:)



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