John Simpson Gets Some Balance

Let's “flip” our canvas to a new shade for the season that has durability, even tone and multiple reflection! Sometimes all we need is a little BALANCE! The winter blond may have become too flat or opaque looking, while your brunettes and reds may not be radiant with faded ends. Think two major things: pre work and balancing!  

When challenged with this obstacle, a word of advice is to analyze the situation first and think about where the hair is now, how much “new hair” is present, if there's any gray and where you want the canvas to go. I think of the hair as fabric. The new hair is like vinyl, the middle like wool, and the ends like cotton. If you choose just one color and apply it scalp to ends, this could leave your color flat and muddy. Even with multiple overlays this will just continue, leaving the color off balance.

As we “filp” the canvas we need to think about where the color lives. No matter which brand you choose, in most of these situations placing a base tone or a lowlight on light hair will allow the color to be cooler than the lighter level, therefore making the result cool and non reflective

Don’t set yourself up to fail by missing this simple step. You will keep even the most shear blondes sparkling all through the season by creating the appropriate foundation for the new color to live in. Think “Balance” with a tool like Goldwell Colorance Acid Color to finish the look and achieve the durable finished effect! Keep your work unique, keep your work as individual as the person wearing it!

I hope you enjoyed, it is always a pleasure! Remember that Life is not a dress rehearsal…live it, love it and create it!!!

WWJSD

John Simpson is a Goldwell platform artist and salon partner at Lewis' Hair Salon in Pittsburgh. He won the 2008 NAHA Colorist of the Year award, and was a finalist in 2009.