Get to the ROOT!

by Hair's How

Change is good. That is why hair coloring will always be at the top of the list of requested services in beauty salons everywhere. Seemingly, with today's quality of colorants and wide variety of colors, hair coloring is safe and easy. But the hair grows and the color no longer matches. So let's get to "the root of the problem".

Once a stylist has transformed a client's color to achieve the look of lightened locks, or deep, rich brunette or fiery red or everything in between, comes the day when the client who left the salon feeling beautiful and excited will return with roots. Betrayed by nature, the client strolls in with a thick headband, masking the unsightly darkness or lightness that has taken over.

From the hairstylist's point of view...

Grown out roots worry clients for aesthetic reasons only. Just apply colorant at the root and that's all there is to it! Not so, professional hair colorists view this problem from quite a different angle. If a client needs to have her roots colored, the most important thing is to achieve the ideal balance of newly-grown roots and the rest of the hair. The hair colorist has no margin for error — otherwise the effect of "burning" roots — hair roots that are two or three tones lighter than the rest of the hair. This result will certainly upset the client.

First, second... count off!

Firstly, the hair colorist needs to make the distinction between two techniques: Initial Color Application — this is either the first application of color on virgin hair or just or a slight variant in color on natural hair. In either case the hair at length has been altered. Second Color Application — this is only the coloring of grown roots to the same color as the hair that was previously colored. Please note, when we refer to "roots" this is the portion of hair growth measuring between 1/4" to 1". If the roots have grown out longer, there are other rules that apply.

Crime and Punishment

In order to avoid "burning" of the root, even the smallest details should be taken into consideration.

Right diagnostics

The most important thing in second color application is to determine correctly the tone of natural hair at the roots, the tone of colored hair at length and the color nuance (the shade the hair became after coloring) It is necessary to select the shade for roots which would exactly agree with the hair at length. If the colorist is not sure that the shade for the roots agrees with the shade of the whole hair, he or she should use the colorant one or two tones darker. But what for? The point is that even if the color does not agree to a hair's length, the effect will still please the client.

Artful oxidants

One of the most typical mistakes is the wrong choice of oxidant. For different situations you must use different percentages of oxidant. Thus, 3% solution is used for darkening, 6% for coloring the same tone or a tone lighter, 9% for coloring two tones lighter, in other words, the higher the percentage of oxidant, the lighter it makes the hair. Hair at the roots is more sensitive to coloring, so even 6% oxidant can make the roots 2 or even 3 tones lighter. Therefore, you should apply the oxidant of lower percentage on the roots, than on the ends. During second coloring this percentage can be determined after finding out, how much lighter the hair was made during the previous coloring. If the hair was darkened, use quite a small percentage of oxidant, 1.8% for example. By the technological requirements it is dissolved with the colorant in proportion 2 to 1, but in this case this standard can be disregarded and the quantity of coloring pigment can be increased. This method can also be used during initial coloring: to apply two coloring mixtures on the hair: with smaller percentage of oxidant — on the roots, and with bigger percentage of oxidant at length and ends. There is one more method that suits initial color application: not changing the oxidant percentage, but just wrapping up the ends in foil, increasing the temperature this way. With the same purpose the client can be put in the climazone.

Application technology

The application of a solution on hair has its own professional nuances. Thus, during initial color application, apply coloring mixture first on length and ends and only after, on roots. Many colorists suggest applying colorant on length for 20 minutes, then on roots, and only after that noting the time limit according to the producer's instruction. This method is usually used for coloring hair in copper, red and violet shades. Certainly, this method takes more time, but the result you get is much better. But some colorists think that such method of application is very unsuitable both for the colorist and the client. Thus, it is difficult for the stylist to separate single tresses: as a result he or she can stain the client. Both opinions are true in their own way, and only in practice can a colorist most often determine his own variant of work with colorant.

Special cases

Hair coloring has different techniques depending on the hair type. Certainly, every head is individual, but here we will describe the most labor-consuming.

Working with long hair

If a colorist is working with long hair, it should be taken into account that the ends of the hair are not as porous as the roots — it means that it absorbs colorant more quickly and tends to accumulate pigment. Additional difficulties will be apparent if your client has used home colorants, applying them on length and "cramming" colorant to hair ends. Working with this type of hair, the color should be first applied only on roots (observing all rules of oxidant choice) and timed for perfect effect. After that it is necessary to make emulsification in the sink in order to slightly touch up the color at the ends. In general, long hair can be resistant to coloring, after all it's structure is layered with residue of balsams, masks, chlorine, etc. To obtain your clients satisfaction, try the following formula: — apply 2 parts of color mixed with 1 part of high grade (9 of 12%) oxidant on length and ends of hair; — on roots apply color mixed with 6 pr 3% oxidant in proportion 1:1 depending on the tone depth.

Working with grey hair

There is one more case that differs in every respect. Grey hair. Grown grey roots growing out of red or copper color at length is really an unpleasant sight. But if a creative stylist colors the hair of an elderly client into a stylish color, the grey does not disappear; on the contrary, it will intensively flash. Beginners must remember and professionals must revise that grey hair can be colored only with colorants of natural shades, which offer the best covering. The only possible exception is scattered grey in very small quantities (less than 30%). If scattered grey covers less than 50% of the head, a natural tone is mixed with the color — proportion 1:1. If grey covers more than 50%, then it is necessary to take 2 parts of a natural tone and one part of the color.

How unkempt everything is

If your client has managed to put up with roots over 1.5" — 2" and now has arrived for your expert fix, both initial and second coloring are out of the question. In this case we recommend making minor highlighting with 3 or 6% oxidant on the whole hair first in order to equalize colored and newly grown hair and only after can you color into the chosen shade. Every hair colorist must know the techniques of coloring roots, as long as women and men have their hair lightened or darkened the task of blending root to color will always exist.

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