6 Genius Color, Cut and Style Strategies from L’Oréal Professionnel

L’Oréal Professionnel Artist, Balayage Expert and all-round Balay-mama Nancy Braun returned to the BTC COLOR, Cut & Style 2016 stage this year (Early bird hotel deals are AVAILABLE NOW for COLOR, Cut & Style 2017 in AUSTIN, TEXAS!), and she brought along a couple of good friends. L’Oréal Professionnel Artists Travis Parker and Pepper Pastor joined Nancy to present techniques focused on topics that took the name of the show to heart—namely color, cut and style. Here are top takeaways from their “Painted Style” program.

This is How Nancy Does Red
“When haircolor is this beautiful,” declared Pepper, “you don’t want to style it in a tight bun.” That’s why she created this half-up style with vintage flair. The color she is referring to is a rich, gorgeous red by Nancy, who revealed her formula:

Base: L’Oréal Professionnel Majirel ½ 6.34 + ½ 7.43 + 20-volume developer
Midlengths and ends: L’Oréal Professionnel Richesse 7.43 + 6-volume developer

These are Nancy’s Favorite Blondes
Butter and vanilla. Ingredients for Aunt Emily’s world famous sugar cookies? Yes, and also the two most-requested blonde shades in the salon. Nancy does them both with balayage highlights, including heavy face-frame sections, and both shades feature cool, smudged roots for believable depth.

Butter Blonde

Base and lowlights: 7.23/violet gold (permanent color at the base and demi-permanent lowlights)
Balayage highlights: L’Oréal Professionnel Blonde Studio Lightener + SmartBond Additive + 40-volume developer 

Vanilla Blonde

Balayage highlights: L’Oréal Professionnel Blonde Studio Lightener + SmartBond Additive + 40-volume developer
Base: L’Oréal Professionnel DIALIGHT 10.21 + 6-volume developer

Tension and Diffusion
One of the most important, yet overlooked, aspects of balayage is the amount of tension used when applying lightener. “Hold the hair with as much tension as possible,” Nancy advises. “The more tension, the flatter the painting surface, and the more evenly you’ll be able to apply the color.” Also, if you find that you’ve applied the lightener too thickly, use the sharp point of a tail comb or a nail file to softly diffuse the build-up along the strand.

Visual Disconnection
Short haircuts for women can be tricky. If they’re executed improperly they can be too masculine and sadly unflattering. Here’s Travis’ advice: “When doing short hair, add a bit of a visual disconnect but maintain soft blending to keep the look feminine.” Another tip—avoid hard or blunt lines in all perimeter and hairline sections.

Backcomb With Intent
When backcombing an area for volume, hold the hair taut and execute short, downward strokes down to the base, advises Pepper. Backcomb to the tallest point of the style, and work with sections that are no wider than your comb.

Backcomb for Cushioning
Backcombing creates a cushion for the rest of your style. One of Pepper’s favorite backcombing aids is Tecni.Art True Grip Texturizing Powder. “Dust it into the roots,” she advises. “You’ll get a powdery grip and the backcombing will be firmer.”

See more from L’Oreal at COLOR, Cut & Style!