How many times have you had someone sit in your chair and ask for NO WARMTH. While this is understandable, it might not be what they actually mean.
Let’s be honest, it takes a lot to trust someone with your hair. It is for sure a huge part of your identity and something you wear each and every day. One wrong color, placement or haircut and wow! So much damage can be done. That is why it’s so important to BUILD trust with your client. I usually say that it takes an average of 3 visits before a stylist properly understands your hair and how it lifts.
Only 17% of clients stay after their second appointment. It is SO important to feel confident and strong going into your work with a new client. They will feel your energy more than see a mistake you made. Your connection to them is going to make a huge difference. That means, you NEED to be as honest as possible about what's achievable in that appointment. So, if they come in saying NO WARMTH, bring out as many pictures as you can of the different types of warmth.
Not everyone means cool when they say no warmth. Most of the time they mean they do not want to see brassiness. Brassy gold/ orange is not flattering on anyone. Unless it’s a very clean lift, raw lift generally is not going to compliment someone’s skin tone. So, how do you incorporate warmth without creating brass?
Let’s look at the different types of warmth that are NOT brassy:
Sandy:
This is a very flattering tone on most people. It is also very versatile for any natural level. To achieve this tone, the key is in the lift. Lifting higher and glossing lower WITH warmth is going to give you a beautiful rich beachy tone that GLOWS. An ideal lift for this tone is a level 9 yellow and a beautiful gloss would be: 08GG, 09GB, 08V ( Redken Shades EQ)
Beige Bronde:
A tone so stunning for a natural level 6 or 7! Creating pops of brightness with this type of tone will give beautiful dimension while maintaining the integrity of the hair. This is a very low maintenance type of tone as it fades gracefully. The ideal lift would be a level 8/9 yellow and a perfect gloss would be: 07NB, 08VG (Redken Shades EQ)
Golden Beige:
This tone is perfect for someone who is a natural level 4 or 5 and tends to fade brassy.. The idea is not to pull them so far into the “ cool” category that their gloss fades within 2 washes. Naturally, this person WILL lift warmer, but giving them a purposeful tone to compliment their natural is the best option. Fighting this will only result in a flat dull finish. The ideal lift would be a level 8 gold. Keeping it warm will help with reflection and shine, thus making it seem brighter. An ideal gloss might look something like: 07NB, 07VG, 08GG (Redken Shades EQ)
The best to do when fighting warmth or brass is drop your level and add warmth. This will ALWAYS cancel more brassiness than using a cooler gloss. This will also provide a true tone vs “canceling yellow with violet”. It’s important to grasp this and learn with each new glossing formula what could be better. Try out swatches and don’t be afraid to step away from your comfort formulas. This is how you learn!!
Join the Formulation Foundation Classroom below for just $29 and learn to execute a perfect gloss every time!
