Glossing Bright Blondes: 4 Things You Must Know

Clients worried about brass & damage? Add this fast gloss & treat duo to your menu! 

Picture this: Your routine highlight client comes in every 4 to 8 weeks for foils (and more foils!)—but they complain about dullness, warmth and dry ends and damaged hair between appointments. We know this situation all too well. But as always, we have a solution. Hint: It will also boost your ticket!

Start booking blondes out for gloss-and-treat services every few weeks. We call this “blonde insurance.” This gets your client back in your chair to maintain their color, and provides the perfect opportunity to add on a treatment at the shampoo bowl. 

#1: The most common concerns blonde clients have (& how to fix them!) 

Our blonde regulars have a few common concerns: Seeing yellow (aka ANY sign of brass), lack of shine or brightness, breakage, damage and the idea of “toning” causing their hair to appear darker. Sounds familiar, right? Here’s what you should do. 

• Between traditional foil and blonding services (let’s say a client comes in every 4 to 8 weeks), book out a “gloss-and-treat refresh” service. 

• The goal of the gloss (more on this later!) is to maintain tones and enhance the perfectly placed ribbons of blondes you have already created. 

• Our bright, foiled clients are worried about breakage—aka the dreaded “chemical cut.” Adding a bond-strengthener like Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate (ABC) Intensive Treatment keeps hair healthy between services. 

• Teach clients how to add fast treatments into their shower routine to ensure that their blonde always looks salon-fresh. 

Repair blondes in 1 step: Here’s how!

#2: Gloss blondes without going too dark or ashy. 

The blondes our clients are requesting this season are bright and sun-kissed, so let’s talk formulation. Avoid formulating a gloss with a gray background, or cooling down the blonde to the point that it looks ashy and loses brightness, aka all of your hard work! 

That’s why Maggie Leet (@hairbymaggie.ocleet), a long-time stylist at Lisa Thomas Salon, says to formulate a gloss that will keep the hair looking natural and bright, repairing and toning in one step.  

Try this formula that Maggie used on her client below👇

• Redken Shades EQ Bonder Inside ⅜ oz. 10GI + 1 ⅝ oz. Crystal Clear + 2 oz. Shades EQ Processing Solution 
• Apply to dry hair and process for 20 minutes. 
• Maggie applies her gloss formula with a brush at her chair (versus a bottle at the bowl) to show the added value and experience to the client. 

PRO TIP: If you want brightness, reach for gold! Adding golden tones to your toning formula will create the most light reflectivity and shine on blonde hair. 

PRO TIP: For this season’s blondes, Maggie adds a lot of Clear into her formulas to dilute the color for a light and bright, natural look. 

Swipe through the before & after!

Redken Shades EQ Gloss ✔️ ABC Intensive Treatment ✔️ Blowout ✔️ Waves

#3: Blonde insurance: Don’t skip these treatment steps.

After the gloss is ready to be rinsed, here’s where the treatment comes into play. Repair hair in a single use with Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Intensive Treatment. It balances the hair pH (from alkaline to acidic), strengthens bonds and gives clients the shiny, luxe hair they want. 

Here’s how it works: 

• ABC can we be used at the shampoo bowl—and sent home with clients to use in between appointments to repair damage caused by chemical processes and color services. 
• This fast intensive treatment maintains hair’s strength and integrity—aka less breakage and smoother strands.
• It’s designed to pre-treat the hair and strengthen the hair fiber before breakage that can occur during the washing process. 

Fix damage in less than 15 minutes. 

1. Working in sections, apply Acidic Bonding Concentrate Intensive Treatment at the bowl.

2. Comb through for even saturation.

3. Process for 5 to 10 minutes (based on hair damage), then wash with Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo. 

4. Apply Acidic Bonding Concentrate Conditioner through the ends and rinse. 

5. Finish with Acidic Perfecting Leave-In Treatment, applying to damp hair. 

PRO TIP: Avoid roughing up the cuticle when drying the hair with a towel at the bowl. To do this, Maggie says to blot instead—lightly grab the hair with the towel, working from roots to ends.

How to price the service:

We’re always thinking of fast ways to EARN MORE behind the chair. This gloss and treatment—aka the “pHERFECTOR service” combines a Redken Shades EQ Bonder Inside Gloss and ABC Treatment—could make you an estimated $75 per service. Hello, potential revenue. 

Try the Acidic Bonding Concentrate Intensive Treatment: click here!

#4: How to introduce clients into treatments (and at-home retail!) 

Always think beyond the backbar and get your client involved early on in the consultation. Walk them through the game plan and educate them. Try Maggie’s example: Say, “Here’s your cuticle, it’s going to get flared open and all nutrients and proteins will get taken out, and the bonds get broken down. This will provide strength repair.”

Here’s how clients can use the treatment at home: 

Start applying the product at the ends and work through the top. Rake through the front and use a wet brush to work it through for even saturation. Process for 5 minutes. Easy, right?

PRO TIPS:

• Offer the treatment charging the full retail price—then, give clients the bottle to take home with them!
• When a new treatment is introduced, run a flash sale and make the retail visible as soon as a client walks in the door, so that’s the first thing they see.
• Remember: If they’re willing to invest in long hours of foiling, they will also invest in maintaining that glossy bright blonde with the right suggestions from their trusted colorist.