How-To: Desert Blonde
Can you believe this gorgeous blonde started out as a color correction?! Ashlee Norman @ashleenormanhair, a Valencia, Calif.-based independent traveling educator for balayage techniques, demonstrated this look at a recent class. It took a lot of work, but the transformation is beyond beautiful—shades of sand and sun evoke an incredible desert feel. Get her how-to and pricing info!
To start the transformation, Ashlee razor-cut her model’s hair from a short layered haircut into a shattered square one-length. She uses her #starknotbalayage technique for this look, which uses circular sections that causes all color to be applied diagonally. “This makes the finished result more organic, because the brightness cascades from high to low, from front to back,” Ashlee shares. “Much better than using horizontal section patterns that create artificial horizontal transitions in the graduation of color.”
Pricing: Ashlee said that if her model had been a client, the bill would have been about $385: $95 for the haircut, $195 for balayage and $95 for prelightening. Alternatively, if she were charging by the hour, the price would be $400 for the four hours of labor.
Who Did It
Products Used
COLOR FORMULAS 
FORMULA STEPS
1. Prelighten Formula A for 20 minutes.
2. Apply Formula B as you would a base color, but feather it out deeper at the crown to create an organic halo effect. Freehand lowlight (applied between balayage highlights outside of the foil) with Formula C and balayage with Formula D—Ashlee uses her signature #starknotbalayage pattern. Process for 45 minutes, then shampoo.
3. Break the base for 5 minutes at the midlengths, ends and hairline with Formula E. Shampoo again and apply and complete Service Color Post-Treatment to stop the hair processing and start balancing the hair’s pH level.
4. Shadow tone the roots with Formula F and shadow tone the midlength, ends and hairline with Formula G for 5 minutes.
5. Rinse and condition with Magma Blondor Blonde Seal & Care.
