We caught up with Matrix Celebrity Stylist George Papanikolas to give us the scoop on how to go from Lydia Hearst’s red locks to a new blonde look! Learn about this 8 hour transformation below and how to achieve the new look.
Matrix Celebrity Stylist George Papanikolas on Lydia Hearst's Transformation: “This is a pretty drastic change we did – going from red to blonde. She is a natural blonde so we’re going back to where her base is. The good thing is, she let her roots grow out for the last two months so we had about two inches of her natural to work with. We went with a little more depth at her roots and soft delicate highlights throughout so the grow out would be easier too. Since this change can be harsh on the hair, we wanted to be able to space out time between highlights.
The transformation requires multiple steps to get there though, starting with stripping out the red from her color. That’s the hardest process on the hair. Once we stripped the red, we added back in a dark golden blonde, close to her base, then highlighted and toned over that. Over the next few weeks and months we’ll be refining and perfecting the color. It's a very time consuming process that needs to be babied.
It's also up to the colorist to make a judgment call about how light the hair can go when doing transformations such as this. I don't ever recommend stripping the hair more than twice in one session. If you notice that the texture of the hair is starting to get compromised then you need to stop at that point. Sometimes that means the client doesn't leave with as cool or pale of a blonde as they may have wanted. But the darker tone will be necessary to preserve the integrity of the hair.
Damage is the #1 concern whenever you’re doing a drastic color change. That’s where Matrix BOND Ultim8 Bond Protecting System really allows me to push the boundaries. This system is key to help protect bonds during lightening, deeply nourish and prevent hair breakage. BOND is comprised of three steps that require no additional process time in the salon. Lydia was in the chair for 8 hours so imagine if it was longer! The first two steps are completed in the salon and the last is done as an at-home treatment, which Lydia will do weekly.
In addition to damage, whenever you’re doing a major color change you could have a lot of problems to deal with – from fading to dryness of the hair. I always recommend Matrix Total Results Hello Blondie Shampoo and Conditioner because that’s going to keep it vibrant and in the best condition. I also like to follow up with the Matrix Biolage R.A.W. Re-Hydrate Mask to really hydrate the hair and keep the moisture in."
Highlights:
2 scoops Light Master & 4 oz. 40 Volume MATRIX Cream Developer & 8ml BOND Ultim8 Step 1 Amplifier
Base & lowlights:
Equal parts Color Sync 7N 10 Volume MATRIX Cream Developer