5 Common Blonding Mistakes & How To Avoid Making Them
Solutions To The 5 Most Common Blonding Mistakes
Nothing ruins your day quite like rinsing out a newly blonde client and seeing uneven lift and pockets of yellow. Tired of questioning what went wrong with no answers in sight? Keep reading because we’re sharing five of the most common blonding mistakes colorists deal with PLUS a solution for each one with the help of five blonding experts!
Products Used
Mistake #1: Overlapping lightener.
Solution: This is a major no-no, especially when working with previously lightened hair, because you risk damage and dried out strands. If there are dark pieces of hair in your weave, Michelle Hoyt (@michellemethod) says to pick them out and just lighten those instead of dragging lightener through everything in the foil. “It takes a little longer but the integrity of the hair is most important,” she advises. Another way to ensure the integrity isn’t compromised during the lightening process is by using the right products. Michelle’s go-to is the Oh My Blonde line from Itely Hairfashion because of its E-Plex™ Bond Repair conditioning properties. “The BLONDE SEALER during the rinsing process was the softest product ever,” she shares. “It made my client’s hair feel like butter.”
Mistake #2: Using the same bowl of lightener after an hour.
Solution: We get it, using one mix from start to finish is a convenience thing but lightener oxidizes over time which means you’ll probably get uneven lift. That’s why Julie Holbrook (@headrushdesigns) recommends getting a fresh bowl every 30 minutes. To save time, she’ll have two to three bowls of Itely Hairfashion ICONIC BLONDE nearby with the developer on top. Just wait to mix until you need a fresh batch.
Mistake #3: Not applying lightener to all sections fast enough/Not formulating at the appropriate level for your speed.
Solution: The minute lightener touches the hair, it gets to work. So to get fast at the application part, Quothia Wolf (@beautybyqwolf) says practice makes perfect. “Don’t rush, but utilize doll heads and instructional videos to get used to the motion, especially for a bleach retouch.” And until you’re able to pick up the pace, use different volumes of developer for different sections. For example, start with 20 in the back and then mix 30 for one side and 40 for the other.
Mistake #4: Pulling the foils too soon.
Solution: Don’t solely rely on your eyes when checking the hair while it processes, especially when working with blue-based lighteners because they can play tricks on the eyes. Instead, Grace Joo (@colorwithgrace) strongly suggests wiping off some of the lightener while the hair is still in foils to accurately check if it’s ready to be rinsed. Because she does a lot of color corrections, Grace will lighten with ICONIC BLONDE (because it’s easy to apply with its cream consistency) and then she’ll follow with BLONDE SEALER once the hair is ready to be rinsed. “The hair feels so strong after I rinse it out,” she shares. “I also love that they have the BLONDE SEALER to follow up with for longevity.”
Mistake #5: Not toning at the right level.
Solution: A Level 9 blonde is almost always the end goal when going lighter, which means a lot of stylists automatically try and tone with a Level 9. But Marie Negron (@glamhairbymarie) says it’s important to take into account what level the client lifted to when formulating the toner. “Sometimes the stylist is trying to tone the hair with a Level 9 toner when in reality the hair only lifted to a Level 8,” she shares. “In that case, the Level 9 toner isn’t strong enough to neutralize the Level 8 underlying pigments.“
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