Hair Color Process

Hair Color Process

Happy Friday, friends!

After changing my hair color a few months ago, I have had an unbelievable amount of questions. From the actual color process to the types of products I use to keep it healthy & keep my blonde from turning brassy. So I decided to do a couple posts dedicated to my hair for you guys. This post is going to be dedicated to my actual color process & what my dear friend/hair colorist did to get the color I have. (Thank you, Kadi!)

Blonde Balayage

Floral Dress (Runs large, size down!)

blonde roots Natural blonde hair

The first round was to recreate a natural looking base color by using a gentle non-ammonia semi-permanent color. We used L’Oréal Richesse. The formula was 1/2 7.01, 1/4 7, 1/4 8.13, and 1/4 6.01. (My natural color is closer to a level 7 (dark blonde))

Because my hair has a tendency to lift on the warm side, and oxidize on the warm side, Kadi formulated on the cool side (that’s the .01, but she added a tiny touch of beige in the formula (that’s the .13) as insurance so that the result wouldn’t be too drab or green.

With hair that was as blonde as mine was previously, it is very porous and can grab tones easily and VERY quickly. As quickly as it grabs it can also fade, so the 6.01 was added for that tiny bit of depth and grounding.

Kadi processed the new base color for 30 minutes total, but she brought it down lower gradually, so that it was on the roots for 30 (where she wanted the most depth), but on the mid-shaft of the hair for only about 15.

The entire time she used her hands to blend and blur the color so that there would be no obvious line of demarcation. The end goal was to recreate a base color that looked like it had grown out for many months.

She left the bottom half of the hair out and protected it with a thick conditioner while she rinsed the base, and then she toned all of the hair with a light beige gloss with a hint of gold. Clients always run away from gold, but it’s a truly flattering tone on the skin. The gloss helped to further blur the line from the new base color to the remaining previous blonde on the ends.

She then dried my hair completely and even styled it a bit before hand painting some face framing highlights. This helps her to place exactly where she wants bright pops of color. No second guessing when the hair is styled like how the client actually wears it.

She then balayaged the ends and around the face, and also some very fine pieces throughout the crown.

Kadi never likes to do any more toners at this stage. She think it’s pointless and usually ruins the dimension that she’s worked hard to recreate.

The goal was to recreate a natural looking base color. A fresh canvas. And then paint deliberate and well-placed highlights so that as my natural color grows in, it will be a similar color to my re-created base, so that I can go many months in between color appointments.

The ultimate goal, where we are now, is to use my natural color as the background, and continue only doing minimal highlights for a very natural, low maintenance blonde!

I hope this helps all of you who asked about my color. Stay tuned for another post on my current favorite hair care products 🙂

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Sheridan Gregory