Why Filling Blonde Hair Is A MUST Before Going Darker

Back To Black Transformation: Why You Should Pre-Fill The Hair First

When it comes to the ash blonde trend, your client has been there, done that so she’s ready to try something a little darker (OK way darker). First things first, we gotta fill the hair. Was that last sentence like reading Greek? Questioning why this step even matters? Keep reading to learn why filling blonde hair is a MUST before taking a client darker!

Products Used

Color Depositing

Watercolors Intense Shampoos

Tressa

What Is Filling?

Also known as “tint-back” or “repigmenting,” it’s the process of replacing pigments that were previously removed from or don’t exist naturally in the hair. 

Why Does It Even Matter?

Think of it this way. When hair is lightened, all warmth is removed to achieve a pure Level 9/10. If a blondie wants to embrace the dark side again, the hair needs to be filled first to replace that lost warmth or one of two things could happen:

1. The color will appear uneven.
2. It will fade to interesting colors like green, mushroom brown or even violet.

OK, So How Do I Replace The Lost Warm Tones?

BTC Team Member Jeffrey Robert (@jeffreyrobert_) likes to pre-fill the hair first with Tressa Watercolors Intense Shampoos to start the process of adding warmth back in. The best part? Since it’s a color-depositing shampoo, it’s gentler on the hair and safe to use on clients with extremely porous or damaged hair. Here’s what he does:

1. Apply Watercolors Intense Shampoo Rose Gold and massage it in. 
2. Let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse and apply Watercolors Intense Shampoo Gold next.
3. Again, let it sit before rinsing. Then, apply Watercolors Intense Shampoo Blue.
4. Finish with Watercolors Intense Shampoo Copper. 

“If you have a blank blonde canvas and just cover it with black, which is usually green and blue based, how do you think it’ll fade? Green,” shares Jeffrey. “This is why I added so much warmth before adding the black. It needs that anchor of pigment to last in the hair and to have a rich color outcome.”

Want to learn more about the tint-back process? Click here!