Steps
Starting Point: Decades of permanent black hair color with natural gray regrowth.
1. Color Removal: Cameron begins with two rounds of RUSK Color Elimin8.
Pro Tip: Do not skip the full five-minute rinse. Cameron recommends massaging the hair while shampooing to help remove any artificial pigment.
2. Then, he lifts a test strand with Formula A before committing to lightening the entire head.
3. Once the test strand proves to be strong enough, Cameron uses Formula A to execute a full platinum card up to the line of demarcation.
4. Then, he uses Formula B to do a reverse balayage, adding lowlights throughout while blending the grays at the roots with Formula C.
Cameron’s Formula Note:
Although LUMI10 is typically used with accelerator developer for full coverage, Cameron uses 5- to 10-volume developer for gray blending and root melts on gray clients, depending on the client’s gray resistance and desired coverage. This allows the gray to appear softer and act more like natural highlights.
5. After the existing lightened hair lifted to a Level 9 that faded down to a raw Level 7 on the ends, Cameron re-lightened the ends with wet balayage while the melt processed using Formula A.
6. Process and rinse. Cameron shares, “Once I rinsed, I used Joico High-Lift Series [Formula D] to help lift and tone the stubborn ends.”
7. Process and rinse.
8. Apply Formula E as a gloss. “I used permanent to tone because the hair needed tone all the way back down to the cortex to neutralize and to 'fill '; Demi-permanent color would have been too sheer, resulting in hollowness," Cameron explains.
9. Wash and style as desired. Cameron’s Go-To Treatment: Joico K-PAK Professional Hair Repair System.
