Linh and Maggie Share Their Best Coloring Tips

Cosmetology students are the future of our industry–and we know that you simply cannot learn everything there is to know about hair in beauty school alone! So when the hair industry’s biggest power couple, Linh Phan (@bescene) and Maggie Hancock (@maggiemh) held a class specifically for students, BTC had to show some love.

We spent the day with Linh and Maggie at their “Back to School” education class at Henkel’s Academy of Hair in Los Angeles, where they taught some of their signature techniques and answered questions about color, Instagram and what it takes to make it in the hair industry. Scroll down for a serious lesson in awesome hair. 

Want to learn from Linh and Maggie in person? Click HERE to purchase your tickets to THE BTC SHOW where they’ll both be educating onstage!

Products Used

Blonde

BLONDME® Bond Enforcing Premium Clay Lightener 7+

Schwarzkopf Professional®

Hair Color

BLONDME® Bond Enforcing Premium Lightener 9+

Schwarzkopf Professional®

Hair Color

BLONDME® Premium Developer

Schwarzkopf Professional®

Demi-Permanent Color

IGORA VIBRANCE®

Schwarzkopf Professional®

Hair Color

IGORA VIBRANCE® ACTIVATOR GEL

Schwarzkopf Professional®

Hair Color

IGORA ROYAL®

Schwarzkopf Professional®

Maggie’s 3 Tips For The Perfect Money Piece

• Formula A (Lightener)

  Schwarzkopf Professional BLONDME® Bond Enforcing Premium Clay Lightener + 7-volume BLONDME® Premium Developer

• Formula B (Root and Mids)

  Schwarzkopf Professional IGORA VIBRANCE® 7-55 + IGORA VIBRANCE® 7-57 + 6-volume IGORA VIBRANCE® Activator Gel 

• Formula C (Ends)

  IGORA VIBRANCE® 9-7 + IGORA VIBRANCE®  9-55 + 6-volume IGORA VIBRANCE® Activator Gel 

For her coloring segment, Maggie demonstrated her foilayage technique using Schwarzkopf Professional’s new BLONDME® Bond Enforcing Premium Clay Lightener, and students couldn’t hold in their questions. Here’s what we learned:

1. Breaking Down The Benefits Of A Consultation

Discussing expectations with your client before applying any lightener will set the service up for success. Here are some of Maggie’s key points for the perfect consultation:

• Discussing expectations with a client allows you to touch and feel the hair, so you know what you’re working with! Once the section size is determined, Maggie suggests taking the section and pulling it tight to where the client parts their hair. “This will allow you to see exactly where the money piece will fall naturally,” she explains.

• Another good reason to get your hands in some hair without product is to examine what the client has going on. This will allow a better game plan on where to apply the lightener.

2. Achieve The Perfect Placement With The Client’s Everyday Style

From partings to face-framing layers, Maggie breaks down how to work with the client’s everyday style and still achieve a bold money piece.

•  Always work with the client’s natural part. If the client wants versatility with their styling, paint a money piece using a center parting.

• If the client has a widow’s peak, avoid bringing lightener all the way up to the scalp, Maggie advises. This will evade bringing unwanted attention to the client’s forehead.

• Notice if the client has any face-framing layers. If they do, don’t worry! To ensure a seamless blend, Maggie suggests taking each layer in sections and back combing the ends up. This will create diffusion and allow the money piece to connect perfectly from top to bottom when styled.  

3. Techniques For A Blended Blonde

Create a seamless blend with the right backcombing technique and a bit of blending.

• Maggie’s go-to technique for creating diffusion: backcombing. She prefers to backcomb with a metal comb. Why? “A metal comb has less give than a plastic comb,” she explains. “It really gets into the hair and the backcomb will stay while I’m painting.” For extra slip insurance, Maggie will clip the backcombed hair in place before applying any lightener.

• When it comes to saturation, Maggie likes to fully saturate her money piece section all the way through from mid to ends. But up towards the top, she paints her lightener on the surface only, gently feathering the product up towards the top. She also utilizes the Schwarzkopf Professional ColorMelter, to further blend out the money piece. “Think of it as a beauty blender for makeup but for the hair,” she explains.

Linh’s 3 Tips For A Flawless Creative Color 

• Formula A (Lightener)

  Schwarzkopf Professional BLONDME® Bond Enforcing Premium Lightener + 7-volume BLONDME® Premium Developer 

• Formula B (Base)

  20g Schwarzkopf Professional IGORA Royal® 10-21 + 20g IGORA ROYAL® 9.5-22 + 10g 9.5-1 + 10g IGORA ROYAL® 0-11 + 20-volume IGORA ROYAL® Oil Developer

• Formula C (Ends)

  35g IGORA ROYAL® 10-0 + 1g IGORA ROYAL® 6-23 + 1g IGORA® ColorWorx® Blue + 20-volume IGORA ROYAL® Oil Developer 

Unless you’ve sworn off Instagram, you can’t scroll through any hair feed without seeing some of Linh’s work. From bleach retouches to achieving a deep shadow root, Linh gave us his best tips for creating custom fashion tones.

1. Prevent Swelling During A Retouch With Cotton

When a client comes in for a retouch, the top priority should be keeping their hair healthy throughout the entire service. Damage happens when the lightener begins to swell and expand into the hair that is already lightened. Ultimately compromising the rest of the hair, Linh explains. So how does Linh prevent swelling? Apply cotton to each section, he explains. Not only does it help with swelling but it will also keep the sections neat and the application clean.

2. Create The Perfect Color Melt With A Wet Application

To avoid a harsh line between the shadow root and the rest of the color, Linh applies his shadow root color first and on wet hair. “It expedites the application time,” he explains, “and allows me to blend the two colors together better than on dry hair.”

3. Achieve A Deep, Rich Shadow Root

To avoid having a shadow root that is too translucent or has hollow spots, Linh applies Schwarzkopf Professional IGORA ROYAL® permanent color with developer to ensure the color thoroughly penetrates the cuticle. “Permanent color results in a more natural look,” he explains. “It’s almost like the color comes out of their head that way.”

Don’t let the idea of permanent color scare you (or your client). Just because it is permanent doesn’t mean it doesn’t fade, Linh explains to the class. If the client wants to completely remove or change their fashion colors, Linh advises having them come in about 8-weeks from their initial appointment and providing a bleach-wash at the bowl to remove any lingering tones.  

Click through to see more from Linh and Maggie’s class!