Guides for colorists: developer, color types, toners and color safety.
Most permanent hair color lines mix 1 part color to 1 part developer, but not all: Pravana ChromaSilk and Rusk Deepshine call for 1:1.5, Framesi Framcolor 2001 calls for 1:2, and most high-lift series use 1:2. Follow the brand in your bowl, not the one you used on the last …
To tone hair after bleaching, lift the hair to the right level first, then apply a toner opposite the leftover warmth on the color wheel: violet for yellow, blue for orange. Mix it with the developer its maker names, at the maker’s ratio, and time it by the maker’s directions. …
Pop-up hair foil comes pre-cut in a dispenser, so you grab a sheet and go; a roll lets you cut each sheet to the length the section needs, which helps on long hair. Embossed foil has a raised texture that the makers say grips hair and slips less, while smooth …
Every colorist knows the client whose temples still show through after a full permanent service. Resistant gray hair is slower to take color than the rest of the head, so a formula that covers the crown can leave the hairline see-through. The fix is rarely a stronger developer. It is …
Every blonding service starts with a choice of lightener. Powder, cream and clay can all lift the same hair, but they mix and process differently, and not all of them belong on the scalp. This guide compares powder lightener vs cream (and clay), explains what lightener does inside the hair, …
Gray retouch clients keep many color books full, and 10 minute hair color was made for them. Express permanent lines promise gray coverage after 10 minutes of processing, which frees chair time for walk-ins and back-to-back appointments. But every brand mixes, times and lifts differently, and using one line’s rules …
Every professional color box carries a code: 7/0, 8-00, 5NN, 010/36. The first number is the level, how light or dark the result will be. What follows is the tone, the color you see at that depth. Read both and you can predict what a shade will do, how much …
Every colorist knows the look: a brown line along the forehead, color on the ear tips, fingertips tinted after a root touch-up. The dyes that bind to hair also bind to proteins in the outer layer of skin, so stray color stains fast. Here is how to get hair dye …
Walk down any color wall and you will see the same words over and over: permanent, demi-permanent, semi-permanent, toner, gloss, glaze. They are not marketing fluff. Each category works differently on the hair, and choosing the wrong one explains many color complaints, from gray that shows through after a week …
Most clients who have colored their hair for years never think about allergies. That is exactly why the allergy alert test, also called a patch test or skin test, matters. Sensitivity to hair dye can develop after many uneventful services, and a reaction on the scalp, face or eyelids is …
