Choose your Special Blondes shades carefully, opting for 12/03 or 12/07 for a caramel blonde, and 12/11 or 12/89 for ash blonde highlights through brunette hair. Sensitive scalps can become irritated during close-to-root bleach application, so if you’re opting for highlights that start near the scalp, ask your colourist to apply a skin protector first. If you visit a Wella salon, they can treat your sensitive scalp to the Marula Oil Blend Scalp Primer; a comforting protector that nourishes delicate skin without altering or diluting your colour formula. 2. WellaPlex No1 Bond Maker Mixed with Your Lightener Pro bleaching products typically have more lifting power to them," explains celebrity colorist Matt Rez. However, he advises against using them at home and instead says to ask your stylist if they can lighten your hair with a particular brand.

Treat freshly highlighted hair to a wash with the ColorMotion+ Color Protection Shampoo, followed by a rinse using Blondor Seal + Care. The latter helps to neutralize the pH level of each strand, so you don’t have to worry that the colour might continue to develop. John Pulitanois a stylist and the co-owner and creative director of Headcase Hair, a salon in Sydney, Australia. If you're getting a cut the same day, most stylists will wait until after the bleaching is done to cut the hair. This allows them to cut off any damage that may come as a result of the bleaching, and ensure the hair looks its healthiest. For the ideal consistency and results, mix shades with Welloxon Perfect. Just make sure you change the mixing ratio from 1:1 (used for traditional Koleston Perfect shades) to 1:2. You can lift natural hair up to three levels lighter with a 9% developer, or achieve up to five levels of lift with a 12% developer. You're also able to combine mix tones with Special Blonde shades to create truly bespoke colours. Adding other blondes from the Koleston Perfect collection lets you counteract unwanted tones (like excess warmth) or achieve a more precise match for your client's hair goals. To reduce it further while creating a lift in the hair, we recommend using Blondor on your clients. If your client is wary because they fear damage, there’s an easy workaround. Try BlondorPlex, which is a hair lightener-meets-bond strengthener. We’ve infused it with our WellaPlex No1 Bond Maker, which strengthens the internal hair bonds during the lifting process. You can use it for balayage, highlights, ombre or all-over coloring, and it will give your clients up to 97% less breakage. Just make sure you rinse with WellaPlex No2 once the color has developed.According to Geary, pro-level bleaches contain high-quality ingredients that help colorists achieve their clients' desired results while protecting the hair's integrity. "Professional lighteners include clay, cream, or powder formulas and come in different strengths, achieving anywhere from six to nine levels of lift," she tells Byrdie. In between your highlights, add accent lights through the warm base tone with a darker shade of blonde. Every fourth weave should be this accent shade, applied under the recession area for a hint of depth. Step 3: Gloss and Glow Half Head Babylights: Half head painting and babylights are a match made in hair heaven. By combining micro-fine highlights with partial placement, you get a subtler, more seamless effect. Try combining with chunkier highlights for extra, volume-boosting dimension.

The best products for bleach damaged hair that’s toned or coloured combine nourishment and colour maintenance. That’s why we recommend lathering up with the ColorMotion+ Color Protection Shampoo. It will care for the shade you worked so hard for, while treating strands to a dose of bond-strengthening WellaPlex with every wash. If your scalp is feeling irritated, try alternating this shampoo with the INVIGO Balance Senso Calm Sensitive Shampoo. 2. Always Apply Conditioner Create base lights that set the tonal direction for your blonde creation. These will be scattered all over the head, from root to tip. Vary the size of weaves and microlights, and paint at a diagonal angle. Step 2: Add Accent Lights Want blonde hair without the bleach? Enter the Koleston Perfect Special Blondes palette; a collection of high-lift colours that combine lightening and toning powers in a single step. With 11 permanent hair colour hues to choose – from golden to platinum blondes – the palette is perfectly varied, giving you access to a range of natural-looking blonde shades that work on all base hues. Start applying hair lightener where your client craves the highest level of lift. For example, if you know they want some brightness through the front, begin sweeping on their half head highlights here. These are the sections that will end up having lightener on them for longer, so they’re likely to lift higher, creating an ultra-radiant effect. Consider also adding one or two ribbons on the bottom layers of hair. If they tend to wear their hair up, just a couple of light, lower streaks will create a more seamless effect. 4. Perfect with Toner Pollution is one of the most perilous shade faders. That’s why we rate our antioxidant-powered ColorMotion+ Color Protecting Shampoo for in-between-appointments care. Combine with the ColorMotion+ Color Reflection Conditioner for shine-boosting moisture.Before your client heads out of the salon, swishing their half head highlights around, recommend they curate a care kit that will keep every ribbon looking fresh. These are our maintenance must-haves: While at-home treatments and salon dye jobs provide the same general result, the latter tends to have a fairly better outcome—especially when it involves bleach. This is partly because stylists are trained and experienced in how to correctly mix and apply products. Turning brown hair blonde without bleach may sound like a monumental challenge, but thanks to Koleston Perfect’s Special Blondes portfolio, the process can be done. The 11 blonde hues give you lifting and toning in a single step, so you can dial brunette hair up to even platinum shades – without the need for a pre-lightener. Matt Rez is a celebrity colorist who has worked with Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber. He is also the inventor of the midlight technique and brand ambassador for Redken.

Suggest your clients use a colour-depositing mask once weekly to refresh their salon hue. The Color Fresh Mask combines hydration with a hint of a tint in 11 shades. Whether their partial highlights are blonde, red, brunette or a bolder colour, the treatment will top up their tone in just 10 minutes. Tell them to use it in place of their usual conditioner. The techniques above are designed for lightening hair that has never been colored before. But what do you do if your client’s hair still has remnants of a previous toner or lightener? Using a tint will not be sufficient if your client has previously colored their hair. If you want to reduce oxidative color depth and tone, you can try Color Renew, which is a gentle alternative to persulfate products (pre-lighteners). This will reduce oxidative color while respecting the natural hair melanin. Kristen Flemingisthe hair color director at 3rd Coast Hair Salonin Chicago. She has over 15 years of professional experience and was named a top colorist in Chicago.Choosing the best lightener and developer is challenging," says color specialist Jodana Geary, "and you may end up with an unwanted result that compromises the condition of your hair." Additionally, the lighteners used at salons aren't what you'd find on the drugstore shelf. The No-Bleach Blonde techniques above are all part of the Signature Blondes collection, and they’re perfect for no-compromise clients who are reluctant to use bleach on their hair. However, a customer's lightening options don’t stop there if they’re looking to reduce damage. Signature Blondes also features services that make use of Wella BlondorPlex; a premium hair lightener-meets-bond strengthener, which we've infused with our WellaPlex No1 Bond Maker to reinforce internal hair bonds during the lifting process. The best way to prepare hair for bleaching is to avoid heat styling or chemical treatments for a week prior, to ensure the hair is in a fairly natural state. You'll also want to moisturize ahead of time, as bleaching is an incredibly drying process. As for whether hair should be clean or dirty prior to bleaching, that is up for debate—though most stylists agree it's best not to wash your hair for a day or two prior, to ensure your natural oils are intact before stripping the hair.