Whether you’re aiming for true blonde, want a touch of sun-kissed highlights, a pastel ombre or a high dose of vibrant color, your hair color will most likely require a bit of blonding. When we chat about blonding, we are referencing the act of lightening your hair color with the use of bleach to create a new tone. So no matter what hair color you’re after this season, we’ve got a ton of great tips to get you there.
The Top Blonding Tips
Whether you’ve been a colorist for decades or are just beginning, spotting new tips is a great way to look at hair color in a different light or learn something completely new. From adding new services to serving up inspiration, we’re highlighting a few expert blonding techniques that are super helpful in the salon!
Know When to Use W’s vs. V’s
Whether creating balayage or applying lightener in a foil, you can place lightener in a variety of ways to change the finished look. The most popular are V and W placements. The placement of lightener in a V shape will create more lived-in looking finish with added depth. The outer placement of lightener will create lighter ribbons while keeping interior contrast. W placements will have less interior depth and plenty of lightness throughout. You might want to alternate between V’s and W’s as you see fit to add more depth or lightness.
Saturate The Foil First
No matter the look you’re creating, it is key to make sure the section of hair you’re working with is completely saturated. By having complete saturation of product this means you’ll achieve a consistent, even lift. A foolproof way to do this is by adding a dab of lightener to the foil or balayage board before placing your section on top.
Mix Smaller Amounts of Lightener
When you mix lightener and its designated developer, a chemical reaction occurs to activate the product. Due to the fact that lightener is strongest during the first 20 minutes, it can be more efficient to mix smaller bowls of product to ensure even lift. This can even help you cut down on wasted product.
Use a Lightener with Built-In Bond Protection
In addition to a perfect tone, clients are also looking for a healthy finish, which is why you should be using a lightener with built-in bond-building technology. Wella Professionals BlondorPlex provides up to 9 levels of lift and comes equipped with Bond Builder Technology to create up to 97% less breakage*. In addition to this, it contains anti-yellow molecules to cut down on orange/yellow undertones, leaving you with a more neutral base. *When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex, versus Blondorplex alone.
Consider A High Lift Service Instead
Blonding with a lightener is one of the quickest and easiest ways to achieve a vibrant lift. However, there are times when using a permanent hair color like Wella Professionals Koleston Perfect is ideal. Wella Professionals Koleston Perfect’s Special Blonde collection has the ability to lift up to 5 levels and tone the hair color in one step. For all other levels and shades, Wella Professionals Koleston Perfect can achieve up to 3 levels of lift and includes uncompromised color performance with Metal Purifier ME+ dye technology for true-to-tone color and protection from damage.
Experiment with Foil Length
Many of us were taught to apply lightener and then fold the hair in the foil into neat sections. However, not all hair lengths and densities can fit in the same size foil. Instead of folding your foils, cut your foils to the length of your client and place another foil on top to create a seal. This will cut down on uneven lift, spotting and slipping foils.
Always Finish with A Glaze
Whether you need to update the tone or add shine, a Wella Professionals Shinefinity Treatment is key to getting a perfect finished look. This zero lift, zero damage glaze treatment creates translucent demi-permanent true-to-tone results for up to 6 weeks and offers up to 250% shinier hair.* *versus untreated bleached hair
Suggest Proper Home Care
Balayage or babylights, highlights or high lift — no matter which blonding service you performed, suggesting proper aftercare to your client is key. Wella Professionals Color Motion+ Shampoo and Conditioner is an excellent addition to your daily wash routine. Formulated with WellaPlex, this duo will help build strength from the inside out and provide up to 8 weeks of color protection.
Wella Professionals ColorMotion+ Shampoo ($25.00), Wella Professionals ColorMotion+ Conditioner ($25.00).
Wella Professionals ULTIMATE REPAIR Shampoo, Conditioner and Miracle Hair Rescue Wella Professionals ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue — enhance the look and feel and encourage healthier-looking hair. The shampoo and conditioner create soft, shiny results while the addition of Miracle Hair Rescue repairs hair damage in just 90 seconds*. In just one use, hair is visibly transformed to reveal 99% less breakage**, 12x smoother*** results, and shine that lasts up to four washes. * When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Step 3 ** When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Step 3. Instrumental test versus non-conditioning shampoo. *** Vs. non-conditioning shampoo.
Wella Professionals ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue ($95.00).
Get to know Wella Professionals Shinefinity
Wella Professionals Shinefinity is a glossing treatment that improves tone while creating a shine you can feel. In addition to creating unbeatable shine and beautiful true-to-tone results, you can look forward to the following with Shinefinity:
- 37 Demi-Permanent Shades that are intermixable for endless color options
- Offers up to 250% shinier hair*
- Up to 50% smoother hair**
- Up to 50% softer hair**
- Tones that last up to 6 weeks
- Innovative formula regulates the pH of the hair to ensure it doesn’t fall below 6.5 for balanced, optimal color results.
- Can be used on natural hair color, after lightening, or in addition to grey coverage services.
- Pick from 2 developers: Bowl and Brush Activator or Bottle Activator
- Pick from Cool, Warm, Naturals, or Booster color palettes or the just-launched Signature Naturals collection featuring 5 shades ideal for counteracting warmth or creating root shadows.
- Use Shinefinity to create shine, refresh color and highlights, add tone, enhance dimension, or correct color.
- 1 Shinefinity tube sold every 10 seconds in the world.
*versus untreated bleached hair
**Instrumental testing vs. our regular demi
