Love of hair colour and all things Natural.

Back2myroots : A place to share thoughts and grow idea's. B2MR

Our Love with Hair colour:

Be it organic based all natural or synthetic our love of hair Colour is never ending so we need to be well informed.

Here are some facts and useful basic information.

                                                               Primary Colours: Pure Colour.

These are pure Colours they cannot be made by mixing others Colours together.

We use colour. To describe people and emotions. e.g Green with envy, feeling  down feeling Blue, seeing Red, Red with anger.

Colour surrounds us constantly changing sky. Blooming flowers.

A world with out colour would be a very dull world indeed. We even use colour to describe how we feel warm cold excited tranquil.

We use hair colour. To describe people. We have all been guilty of Stereotyping people because by hair colour. Their look. 

                                                

The Big debate.  Gentlemen prefer Blondes! Blondes have more fun! or do they just get noticed quicker? or as suggested in some circle,  'Just get dirty quicker'!

The Fire associated with red heads hot head out spoken, head strong! or is it self confidence?

The Brunette. Safe Approachable. Natural, health. Inwardly content? maybe.

Throughout the ages we have explored different products some natural some chemical to dye and stain our hair be it short term or longer lasting.

Examples of these would be as follows:

True vegetable Dyes: The are derived from Herbs. Plants . Flowers. Vegetables and Bark.

As a note. These natural alternatives. Do not contain Alkaline be that Ammonia. MEA or products produced from grain Alcohol added to them.

They are true natural infusions or rinses they will enhance hair colour and add shine.

Advantages. Natural stain will not enter hair shaft may build up over time. Disadvantage will not cover Grey hair.

TIP Vegetable rinses and Infusions should not be used on Chemically treated hair!

Henna as a Colour

Red Henna comes from. The dried leaves of the Privet [lawsonia alba] grown in Asia and northern Africa.

Natural henna comes from the crushed root.

Natural henna is sometimes mixed with compounds of Metallic salts to produce a range of different colours. Hair coloured with metallic salt henna cannot and should not be coloured with any other products with formulation that have contained Ammonia. Hydrogen Peroxide.
if in any doubt  do a strand test. Strong dis coloration. An unpleasant smell no colour change. Uneven results down hair shaft. In some case applying permanent colour over the top of Metallic salts can cause a high heat reaction!

Henna can make appear shinny with more body and natural red hues depending on natural base level!

Henna Can over time build up on hair make it brittle it is not possible to chemically remove henna.

{Again before attempting any new colour strand test is essential!}

  

                                                            SEMI-PERMANENT COLOUR

                                                                 Rich dark Chocolate Brown!

Semi permanent Colour will make the same hair depth as the Natural base shade, good for changing tones gold,red, copper, Burgundy,

It works by depositing relatively small colour Molecules in the hair [Red molecule is the largest of all] these products generally have a Ph around 8 to 9 so they do open the cuticle a little, over time can build up and stain ! But in normal case they fade with shampooing as it's only a partial deposit.

Used a a good introduction with clients to colour. {remember results will vary given hair type, condition, clients colour history, the chemistry of the product, sadly some colour companies mislead us} 
  

Advantages:

Useful for enhancing hair colour or refreshing tint applications. adds shine and Gloss.ideal for bold fashion statement . Safe to use on Permed hair .

Disadvantage:

Wash out four to six weeks depending on frequency of washing. Result can be patchy uneven, cannot lighten hair. Over time may build up causing longer term staining.

Permanent Colour: 

Permanent hair colour affords us the ultimate service: allowing us the choices of infinite shades full Grey coverage. These dyes lighten the hairs natural melanin and tint at the same time. These Dyes will only become effective when mixed with hydrogen peroxide a topic i will cover down the road but at this juncture i will advise the level of peroxide one chooses can and will effect the colour you choose and final result on so many levels! normally comes in  strengths of 10. 3% 20.6% 30.9% 40.12%Volume  Hydrogen Peroxide comes in levels up to 100% nothing more than 40% is recommended for hair application.

[At this point i think things will get to technical if i out line how this process works contact me to discuss}

Problems to watch out for:

Colour fade  this is generally due to the cuticle being raised or damaged. allowing the colour wash out and fade.  This can be result of over processing porosity and Ph of the hair. 

Another huge mistake many make when doing permanent colour is a root-regrowth application and then combing through that same formulation after a period of time to the mid-lenghts and ends. this leads to muddy colour and over processing one should always colour balance.{ topic for future discussion}.

                                                               Rich reds are possible.

Hair resistant to colour:

Strong white or Grey or cause thick  hair the cuticle scales packed close together. In this instance we might need to pre-soften one school of thought is to run 10 vol 3%through the hair leave for 20 mins rinse cool water prior to applying colour.

I think That given that 10 Vol 3% alone could still give some lift and given that Grey hair still holds pigment I might suggest an alternative.

Having chosen you desired natural target level mix as a pre-soften solution 1 part N series{target level} with 1.5 or 1 1/2 times water leave for 20 mins. after this apply your target colour directly  over this  application. {proceed as normal root application colour balance.}

                                                
                                                        Natural Blonde looks with highlights

Advantages :

permanently changes hair colour,

Can lighten and tone at the same time,

100%Grey coverage,

wide choice colour, versatility,

Disadvantages:

requires Client commitment to regular process,

Colour fade especially if hair is or becomes over processed.                                                                         

Risk of skin allergy irritation : {always do skin test}

In my next blog I will talk about peroxide hair Lift, exposing different pigment in the hair, becoming part of the colour equation,

Many colours can be added to create texture and dimension,

Cool red, natural blonde, beige, we just need to consider the head of hair we are working on.

Finally in these days of hot straitening irons, craving for the sun, Chlorine build up we have to be super careful.

Condition protect cover up !

Our Love of Hair and home colour.

Back2myroots : A place to share thoughts and grow idea's. B2MR

Welcome to BACK2MYROOTS B2MR

Home Hair Colour: THE PIT FALLS,

I have been inspired to touch on this huge subject . Offer some advise and share some experiences gained from so many great years in our industry.  It's very cool.

I will try and cover some subjects from the every day challenges to the creative over the top looks oh and some of the hair nightmares we get to fix and advise on! We all need to do understand how things happen and why ! 

Misuse of products. Miss information. Inpatients and not following guide lines and instructions. We can all be guilty of these things at some point in our career!

I have already posted topic's on this blog site on Bleaching. Lift deposit. Toning . Damage .Condition  but have decided that as topic's they can always be re visited.  Reviewed in depth so will post more individual topics over the coming days. 

In the hopes of guiding and providing information that helps avoid pit falls.

                          

                                      A list of topic's that may well be added to:

Bleaching/ Decolourizer/ Lift deposit?/ Toning.

Metallic salts in hair colour.

Re dying hair/ with Drug store colour / Roots Application/colour Balance.

Removing Colour/ Stand tests/ Condition.

Using Pigment / Under tone pigment friend or foe: 

Bleaching Root application.

I also think at this juncture. That it is worth mentioning that. 
Not all home colours be they permanent tints or fun fashion shade are what they claim to be. It's buyer beware. If  your wondering should I colour my hair will it hold colour a very simple test.

Take a strand test. Remove a small amount of your processed hair and drop it into a glass of water. If it sinks fair chance it will not hold colour and is over processed healthy hair will float. If you have a history of colouring and bleaching it on a regular bases. It may feel slimy when wet sort of stretchy time to give it a rest!! it's toasted! will not hold colour.

Many Products: 
Claiming to be .Ammonia free have something else doing the same Job MEA , Grain Alcohol derivatives. Other products that manipulate the ph of the hair.

They in some cases can contain trace elements of metallic salts. This is why it's essential to do a stand test. prior to applying bleach a chemical reaction can occur creating heat. 
     

                              In worst case this heat can melt over processed hair

To determine if hair has been colored by a metallic dye, mix 1 oz. of 20-volume peroxide with 20 drops of 28% ammonia. Submerge 20 strands of hair in the solution and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. If the hair lightens rapidly, the hair contains lead. If there is no reaction after 30 minutes, the hair contains silver or bismuth. If the solution starts to boil and emits a foul odor, the hair contains copper. Hair that has no metallic salts on it should lighten only very slightly.
 

I hope that this information is helpful and that the topic's  covered do help with some of the issues that can happen when colouring and re colouring hair. Without knowledge of the products chemistry or formulation the risks of a chemical reaction or poor results or indeed allergic reaction can be a risk.

Although I offer sound advise. Every head is different the  history on any given head is different so information and advise offered is only guidance. Although I am a qualified  professional i cannot guarantee results on any given head.

If in doubt get a professional consultation it should be free and without commitment. 

All of the topic's and articles posted are to try and share knowledge and experience .Hoping to inspire and raise standards.

                                                 http://www.back2myroots.co.uk/   

On a bad day you could end up like this! anyone guess how this 

was done or why?  Mike B2MR

Hairdressing. The service Industry it's strains and demands

Back2myroots : A place to share thoughts and grow idea's. B2MR.

Salon service. The creative skills and talents that motivate and challenges us can also expose weakness and challenges of trying to offer and sustain the highest levels of service possible to an ever more demanding public can have a toll on us all owner's and stylist's.

What can we do to address these issues. Should we take the time to honestly address them?

sharing thoughts idea's

Lack of. Communication. Harboured resentments. Not feeling appreciated. Work place frustration.

The are all feelings we can all have at some time in our professional career and indeed personal life.

These are issues that can be very destructive if not honestly addressed by both salon owners managers and stylist's. It can erode team spirit. Contribute to ill feeling be the cause of self esteem issues. These are the things that if not addressed can reflect in ones personal and work life. In the long term it will effect the quality of the work you produce.

What are they? Fear and Ego. Ego feeds and protects fear causes resentment, it really is unhealthy and very destructive. You may not be aware of this but it can cause issue with owners managers staff mates and interaction with clients! Yikes.
We have to all us honestly take a look at these issues learn a little humility. A pill that is not always easy to swallow.

Dealing with it takes honesty and strength.  Reaching out asking for help and support from others takes even greater strength.
Changes and improvements can be made if all concerned are committed to change and addressing issues openly.

It is my opinion that these two flaw's are the biggest danger to personal and so your salon growth.

If your prepared to do the work by reaching out and being honest, Then take a look at the list below take a long hard look then put pen to paper!  It's an honest self, looking inward getting to the bottom of
Who we are. What we do. Why we do it.

1.  Know what happened to us.

2.  Know how we felt as it happened.

3.  Understand the legacy of those experiences:  The ghosts, the monsters and the demons.

4  Come to understand what it is that we want now.

5.  Finally answer the question:  Do I have or we have. The courage to do what is necessary to make it all work? Make it improve.

No rush. It's a journey but getting past the demons of Fear and Ego. Will I promise help you become. A better person. A better stylist, more content, with the healthy degree of humility and understanding. 

Why did? How did this topic come up?  

Firstly it dawned on me that . We share thoughts and topic's on many aspects of our profession. But how often do we take the time with.  Staff. Team mates . Employee's. Owners all to just honestly sit down and communicate. How we feel. What are our fears goals aspirations?

Have I had these feeling? Yes. It takes honesty time reflection communication and honesty.To think about. What we want. Who we are. It takes being prepared to take responsibility for. Who we are .What we do. Learning to live with the consequences of our actions. Considering how. What we do and say can and will impact others.

Mike B2MR
      

Multi media. Education resource uses in Hairdressing.

Back2myroots : A place to share thoughts and grow idea's. B2MR

The Internet  and professional groups for sharing and learning

We live on a vast planet ever evolving and changing yet it's so small. We all of us are also constantly evolving. The  business the profession the training the skills all like the planet constantly changing and evolving. In so many cases the day today issues we have in the salon with our clients are unilateral.

Service offered. Standards of skill. Education. Training. Staffing. Client retention.

Same issues yet level's of accepted qualification vary from. Region to region.State to state. Province to Province . Country to country. 

What is global accepted is the exchange of views skill knowledge over the internet . A sharing between like minded professional of knowledge and views. 

Over the last months whilst working to build up an internet presence and indeed a  Net work of contacts. I have had the good fortune to connect with some wonderful like minded motivated true professional.

What amazes me is two fold. 

One the ease of communication on a global scale. With E-mail.  Text. Skype. Video.  It is now possible to by pass the time zones and share thoughts, idea's, net work. share a vision on a international scale.

It is very apparent to me that some of the huge issues that exist here in the UK within our Industry are alive and well every where.  Why did? How did this topic come up?

  

Firstly it dawned on me that although it's such an amazing networking tool It's emotionless so one has to be careful with the tone of what they write. Also any information shared should be considered before posting not knowing who might read or apply any views thoughts or idea's shared!

Then it dawned on me that so many young stylist's training hairdresser's and indeed Tutor's could gain so much from joining and being active in some of the industry professional groups. That share thoughts idea's and topic's. By having a open honest conversation about issues that arise in the Salon. Be they Service related or skill .Issues of. Image. Communication. Consultation. Or just group issue's and topic's raised.

We all need to constantly work on. Self adjustment . Self assessment on what needs a little honest attention. Are you up for this challenge? 

Find a professional group become active ask question's join discussion's learn grow connect. This goes beyond some of the daily media interaction that we all now use on a daily bases.

Face book. Twitter. Email .Text. It is more focused than these medium's it's you choosing a group to share with lean from. 

This is not written to promote any specific group so I am not posting any links I would however suggested that even if training consider starting to build a professional profile of your. Skill. Qualification.Certification.Training. This may just over time help you and others  as skill and professional qualification become more accepted and Industry recognised. By professional bodies and salon owners.  

For new stylists and trainee's these sights are a great way to access professional help.ask questions get real hands on answer's on anything Industry related. So go on re search a group  build a profile and  a net work Tutor's and educators. 

Build a profile and stay current with industry thoughts views and topic's share it with your students!

Check out a Linkedin as a place to start. Mike B2MR  

Our hair career. Time to look in the mirror.

Back2myroots : A place to share thoughts and grow idea's. B2MR

How often as stylist do we take the time to look in the mirror?  Do a personal inventory on ourselves this  is the time to honest reflect on where we are at where we want to get to.

Are we reaching our full potential? Are we offering the best service possible? Do we need a refresher a little update maybe learn or improve on a skill.

Products tools techniques constantly change so must we.  Staying in the safety of zone of what we know never pushing the envelope can and will lead to stagnation boredom!

Sometimes we need to remind our selves of our dreams our goals. What  was it we really wanted to do?  What were the heights we wanted to reach? All easy to forget pushed to the side as other things come into our lives and take president.

The skills we have to have for. Success in our industry to maintain our profession image. We are in the service industry first and foremost make no mistake about this one.

Service. Our communication skills. Our listening skills. Our attention to detail. How we project and represent our selves. Honesty. Humility. Style all key assets to success.

Skills: Product knowledge. Hands on techniques .Creative vision.

All of these skills and talents are. Who we are. What we do! From time to time we forget. That to stay at the top of our game we need to invest in our selves.

A little maintenance are we offering the highest standard of service possible are we getting a little complacent {it takes a big person to say yes!}  are our skills up to date product knowledge!

is it time to seek a little professional help.

Maybe a colour refresher class maybe learn a new razor cutting technique. Want to improve on those up do looks. Maybe just talk about ways to improve the salon day to day running the client experience sales!

How can you find help?  Days can be structured to suit what ever you want to cover. A fresh set of eyes and new perspective on things can open up a whole new exciting era of change.

If reading this you think hey this is me then send that e-mail pick up the phone lets chat let take a journey together.

My web site has all my contact information and full bio on me anything is possible all you have to be is willing!

                                     http://www.back2myroots.co.uk/

Thank you Mike B2MR

Loving that Blonde hair colouring.

Back2myroots :  A place to share thoughts and grow idea's. B2MR

                                                 Creating a Natural Blonde:
                                                               from a Natural level 6 to 9

When we think about lifting hair from a natural level to create a lightened natural blonde look. Many things have to be considered to avoid disaster. Be it with home colour or in a salon for a professional service, it is not just a question of buy the box see the shade slap it on! Even though some advertising might suggest this!
First and foremost you have to consider the Natural level of your hair is it? will it be possible to get the level of blonde you want? If you hair is darker than a level 6  a real light blonde will not be attainable with just box colour! You will always be fighting issues of Orange and Yellow orange Pigment.
At level 5 and Darker you may have to consider lifting your hair with a bleach decolouriser if this is the case toning will be required.

If your in the salon it's consultation time. Assessing the hair and discussing the target colour and finally  discussing and reviewing  long term issues and maintenance.

Also be it salon colour or home colour the following should always be considered with honesty. Past history is a key factor you cannot lift colour with colour going copper to Blonde from a box is not an easy option certainly would not try it at home!!!!

In this example as apoint of discussion lets use a level 6. We have to consider the natural hair pigment that is going to come into play through the lifting process.

In this case lets look at a  target Natural level 9 touching on 10 {As i have stated in the past to go from a level 6 to 10 with high lift tint permanent colour is expecting a great deal from the product!}

When thinking this process through and considering the pigment we are going to expose it will help us get a realistic target shade and save the risk of shocks from unwanted or expected tone maybe that unwanted orange or yellow undertone.

There is a science to colouring hair it can seem scary mainly because it looks complicated but trust me it's a great little exercise to do,  a method to learn and trust.

As we all know hair colour is always a balance of shades and tone: lift and pigment exposed:

Everything starts with our Red, yellow, Blue { then moves into balance of } orange, green.violet.

So lets take a look:

Levels. As we can see on the section of the colour wheel  as we travel from level 6 to level 9-10 we travel from Red orange to undertone to yellow:

lets take a look at lift:

Level 6  when we lift this level we expose  {Red Orange} R.O

R+R+Y  {to balance} B+Y+B balanced shade.

Level 7  when we lift this level we expose  {orange} O

R+Y  {to balance}  B balanced  shade.

Level 8  when we lift this level we expose  {orange yellow}  O.Y

R+Y+ Y  {to balance} B+R+B balanced shade.

Level 9  when we lift this level we expose   {yellow  orange}  Y.O

Y+R+Y  {to balance} B+R+B balanced shade.

Level 1O when we lift this level we expose  { yellow} Y

Y  {to balance}  R+B  balanced  shade

Having taken the time to think through the degrees of lift what we will be exposing we need to think about the pigment we need to replace to have the perfectly balanced natural shade.

So Lets think about Balancing:

level 6 lacks B+Y+B so to balance we need  Ash+ Beige  {ash being blue}  {gold being yellow} 

level 7 lacks  B          so to balance we need   Ash              {blue}

level 8 lacks  B+R+B so to balance we need   Ash Violet   {blue Violet}

level 9 lacks  Y+R+Y so to balance we need   Ash Violet   {Blue red Blue}

Level 10 lacks R+B    so to balance we need    Violet          {red blue}

Now we have to come up with our formula to create a natural tone the perfect natural blonde.

Lets work in Grams 30 = 1 oz

So looking at the above chart we need to count the units of each missing shade.

7 Blue. 3 Red 1 Gold.

The perfect Balance of shades to make a perfect tone:

15 Grams of  Ash { in this case 100A}

10 Grams of Violet{in this case 100V}

5   Grams  of Beige {in this case 100B}

This formulation equates to the required pigment = 7Blue. 3 Red. 1Gold [yellow}

As we know Ash = Blue   Violet =Red+ Blue Beige= Blue+Yellow:

If we look at the above shades chosen for a toner they perfectly balance out the pigment exposed to give us a Natural Blonde no gold no yellow but not dull a perfect balance!
Allow yourself the time to think the process and the formulation through prior to application.

Enjoy spend some time thinking about tone shade pigment finding that perfect Balance. Consider lift tone deposit. The target colour.

Remember it's not a race it's a process always remember the law's of colour trust your colour wheel:

Mike B2MR

Re visit lift deposit/shade and tone

Back2myroots : A place to share thoughts and grow idea's. B2MR

PEA IN YOUR HAIR COLOUR:


A re visit to a topic that I have covered a number of times but one that I think generates much attention raises many questions.
Recently I came a cross some advise suggesting the following:

When doing High lift Blonde if you have an issue with. to much Natural gold pigment being exposed during the lifting process add a pea sized amount of 1N!
Whilst i can understand the thinking behind this... I would class this type of advise One. For advanced colour technicians. Two  as a last resort. I would like to explain why.

First and foremost I advocate when working out a formulation to either weigh or measure product so it can be repeated or accurately changed . Oh and save's product wastage.
So advise like pea size is rather unquantified. How big is any given pea?  It's a little like formulation i see in some instances with a squidge!  How much is that? How much is a squeeze? You get the idea.

So moving on High lift Blonde is designed for lifting Natural hair level 6 to 9  if target colour is a desired level of natural looking Blonde. Any level Darker than a level 5 will not give desired lift and you will have unwanted pigment issues. You may need to lift with a Bleach decolourizer then tone.

When lifting with a normal High lift Blonde formulation from a level 6  with a target colour of a natural level 9 .
We have to lift  through level 6 into level 7 and 8 then lifting or controlling pigment at our level 9

In terms of pigment exposed this is as follows.
level 6  Red/orange
level 7  Orange
level 8  Orange/yellow
level 9 Yellow

These are the pigments we expose and expect to see when lift from a level 6 with a High lift formulation
Normally with a High lift the mixing ratio is 1 part Colour to 2 part 40 vol Developer.

The higher level of developer is to achieve the required lift with a development time for lift and deposit of 50 Minutes. [ heat does not accelerate this formulation or timing]
As we can see from above information if we have an issue with unwanted gold pigment being exposed we have an issue with either the natural level we started from or the formulation/timing.

To Much Gold suggest's not enough lift. What we can do ? Is a Natural controlled blonde shade attainable? Of course it is. We have to look at our formula an address the issue of Pigment exposed and how to control it. Consult your shade chart and your colour wheel.

Yellow Orange would denote or present as Gold hue so to control one would need a Blue /violet formulation to address and or tone .This can be seen both on the basic colour wheel above or the provided pigment correction chart. I would agin suggest if Gold pigment is the issue then you have
only lifted then hair to a level 8 exposing the pigment at that level.

Easy to solve give it some thought think the process through it's all about balance of pigment.
Consider this.
Level 8 has a Yellow/Orange pigment showing as Gold or Y+RY= Gold
Level 8 pigment lacking to restore balance and tone             B+BR= Blue/violet.

How does this work for it's a basic colour equation.We all know that our primary colour are Red/yellow Blue it's a balance of these shades at any given level that give us our natural levels or N series.

When we lift hair exposing pigment  we strive to restore that balance of R+Y+B= N natural! yes it's that easy. Do have questions  about this ? feel free to post

In closing the suggestion of 1N pea sized! would be because of the pigment making up that said shade being that Dark at IN  It is a predominately. Blue based shade with Blue Red Blue. This agin gives us Blue violet tone. But in a rather unorthodox way! It is also worth a mention that with some of the new products that are colour additive accelerants are used they will increase the process time. But it's worth considering. If the process will the speed up. Will it allow for full pigment development needed to control pigment exposed in the lifting process? Just a thought.

I do hope this is helpful as always before trying anything suggested o line take some time to think it through ask questions. Discuss with fellow professionals.
Mike B2MR
                                                            http://back2myroots.co.uk/