Trouble With Ashy Blondes? These Three Things Could Help…

Ash blonde—a complicated color. Does your client want an ashy hue that doesn’t dip into shades of silver, blue or violet? Does she want to go lighter and brighter without a hint of warmth? Does she love it when she leaves your chair, but hate that it fades? Like we said, it’s complicated.

So, how do you deal with all of that and then some? We grabbed a few tips from Matrix artist and balayage extraordinaire Constance Robbins (@constancerobbins), who recently shared her secrets for creating the perfect ashy tone, to help you out. 

When a client wants to be ultra light, but never warm…

• KNOW THIS: Hair will always appear darker when it has an ash tonality, according to Constance. Explain to your client that warm tones reflect light and cool tones absorb it.
• OFFER THIS: First and foremost, an explanation. And then, when you’re sure they understand the logic behind ash tones, come up with a color together. If needed, you can always do a test strand before committing to an entire head of color.

When a client wants ash tones, but has damaged hair…

• KNOW THIS: If the hair is porous/damaged the ash tones will pull really dark on the hair initially, but then they will usually fade out quickly, Constance says. 
• OFFER THIS: A solid home-care plan! Your client will need a purple shampoo to maintain the color. Constance chooses Brass Off by Matrix because it’s strong enough to combat yellow but doesn’t dry the hair out like some other toning shampoos.

When a client insists she wants to be bleached to platinum perfection…

• KNOW THIS: White hair doesn’t come from lifting or “bleaching” to that level. In fact, Constance says, lightening the hair past pale yellow to white means you could be compromising the integrity of the hair entirely.
• OFFER THIS: An ashy shade without the damage! Tell your client you’re going to lift (bleach) her until the hair reaches a pale yellow shade (think inside of a banana), and then tone it to the ashy color she wants.

Want more help creating the perfect ash blonde? Click here to see what advice the BTC Community had to offer!