We know they won’t admit it but many of our clients have dyed their own hair at home with box colour from the chemist. Some have a narrow escape, achieving a half decent result but many end up back in the salon chair, upset and cursing themselves for trying to cut corners in the first place. We’ve also seen many clients who have had their hair over processed with bleach and other chemicals by inexperienced stylists leaving them with no choice but to cut away the dead ends in a bid to start again. Our experienced stylists are well versed in colour correction, having completed arduous colour technician training under the watchful eye of salon director Alessio. In our first blog of 2018, we look at the most common hair dye disasters and how the stylists at La Medusa can swoop in and fix them, like real life hair super heroes!
If you’ve had a run in with an inexperienced stylist or you’ve bleached your hair at home then you may end up with hair like Barbie. This straw-like mess will be hard to manage and be harsh against any skin tone. To correct the colour we will apply ash tones to cool down the yellow using a hair bond repair product like Smartbond. Smartbond, and similar products like Olaplex and Wellaplex work by strengthening your hair from within as you colour it. Hair fibres are made up of Keratin chains and these are linked by bonds. Using Smartbond will strengthen these bonds to improve the quality, feel and look of the hair, making the colour process less damaging. To keep the yellow at bay we recommend using a purple shampoo at home. Violet tones sit opposite the colour wheel from yellow which means it will help to neutralise the banana yellow tones, System Professional Silver Shampoo works very well and will give your hair a boost of moisture which it will need after the drying-out effects of chemicals like bleach.
Over-use of bleach with toner or purple shampoo can result in a grey/green colour which certainly isn’t on trend. Adding warmer tones like honey, peach and rose gold will warm up your hair colour and will instantly give you a softer looking complexion. Find a picture of the hair colour you want to achieve or our stylists will advise on the best colour for you, judging by the existing condition of your hair and your skin tone. Switch to using a colour-loving shampoo like SP Color Save to preserve your colour for longer.
If you’re on a quest to go from dark to blonde then the chances are you will experience some brassiness before you achieve the desired tone. We are not miracle workers, and as most good stylists do, we see value in preserving the health of your hair over making empty promises. Celebrities like the Kardashians spend hours and hours in the salon running up an astronomical hairdressing bill, and if you look closely, their hair is in awful condition. There is hope for ridding your hair of unwanted brassy tones; we can lift your hair with a gentle mix of Wella Colour Renew which gently removes colour with zero damage with Blondor and Koleston Perfect and Smartbond to lighten the colour and then take it back down a few tones with a slightly darker tint for a more even, healthier result. Stubborn brassiness is one of the most common colour woes we see in the salon, and the gently-does-it approach is the best course of action. Expect 2 or 3 visits to the salon with lots of deep conditioning treatments in between if you want to banish the brassy blonde!
Hair dye can take to different parts of your hair better than others. This can be the result of a build up from home box colour and many will reach for the box colour again to cover up the problem, creating a disastrous cycle of hair damage which is hard to stop. When it comes to patchy hair colour, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to achieving even colour. It takes a highly experienced hair colourist and a touch of wizardry to correct the issue. We recommend breaking up the blotchiness with a free-hand highlights technique which creates a soft, natural result giving an overall blended effect.
You wanted a rich auburn shade and ended up with raven black hair? We’ve seen it many times before and luckily, with the application of freehand highlights to scatter lighter colour through the mid-section of your hair, you can achieve a multi-tonal gorgeous result, lifting the overall tone and creating a colour which is more flattering and gentle against your natural complexion. Like lifting brassy tones from your hair, you may need to make 2 or 3 appointments to lift the hair to the desired tone.
If you’re in need of our colour correction service then call today to book a consultation on 01491 576116
