Each season there are countless new hair trends released — from cuts to color and endless style sensations. Learning how to decode the look and explain it to your stylist starts with understanding a few basics about hairdressing. As one of the more complex aspects of hair design, we will start by taking you through hair color basics to give you the vernacular needed to get the look you’re after.
Decoding Color Theory
From design to makeup and hair color, the color wheel is a common reference used to understand contrasting and complementary colors. If you’ve ever heard the term “warm” or “cool” tones and were curious what this means, this will help decode the color spectrum. In addition to deciding if you want a warm or cool finish, stylists can use this to counteract unwanted tones ie. too brassy or ashy. For example, if you normally pull too warm you stylist will add either green, blue, or violet to their formulation to counteract unwanted tones. Looking at the color wheel, these shades are often opposite on the wheel.
Lighting Can Make All The Difference
A color that is considered “warm” to one person could actually be “neutral” to another, it all comes down to the way hair color is interpreted and the lighting conditions — natural, LED, or incandescent. Lighting can also greatly impact the way color is perceived on social media as indirect or direct lighting can alter the appearance greatly. This is exactly why you should set expectations together with your stylist using visual cues.
Hair History
Before any color service, it is ideal to tell your stylist everything you’ve done to your hair in the past. From highlights to gloss treatments, straightening services or normal root touch-ups, understanding what is going on with the inner structure of the hair is key to creating a healthy finished style. This is because, the hair structure is made up of various proteins, pigments and minerals that can easily impact the final outcome of your hair color.
What Color To Ask For
Depending on your look and service of choice, your stylist will decide between Redken Chromatics, Color Gels Lacquers, Color Gels Lacquers 10 Minute, and Redken Shades EQ. Whether covering grays, changing your overall color or lifting with highlights or balayage, a service that should always be asked for in the salon is a Redken Shades EQ Gloss. Also available with Bonder Inside to strengthen sensitized hair with citric acid and taurine, a gloss is a must-have at every appointment and ideal for refreshing any hair color or simply adding a touch of shine and condition.
How To Ensure Healthy Results & Cut Down On Color Fade
The key to flawless color starts with hair color but it continues with care. No matter the process or the end result, upkeep and aftercare are two of the best ways to improve the finish and feel of the hair and with the new Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Treatment, you can strengthen even the most damaged hair in 5 minutes. Proving protection inside and out, Acidic Bonding Concentrate Intensive Treatment can be used in the salon or at home as a pre-treatment to strengthen the hair fiber. When used alongside the full range including Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo and Conditioner and Leave-In Treatment, the system leads to 14x Smoother***, 2x Stronger***, and 90 percent more conditioned*** results with reduced color fade.
