Chris Appleton (@chrisappleton1) is back to blonde. After transitioning to brunette, the celebrity stylist returned to his signature soft platinum shade with a high-impact transformation by LINEONE Hair Educators and celebrity colorists Isabelle McGuire (@isabelle_bomane) and Ilsa Lamberti (@hairbyilsa) of Bomane Salon in Beverly Hills, CA.
Using a full platinum card and layered toning and lowlighting, the duo lifted Chris’s hair back to a clean Level 9 while keeping the result soft at the root and dimensional through the ends. Scroll for the exact formulas and steps behind the transformation. But first, press play to watch their process from start to finish:
The Formulas
- Formula A (lighten)
- Schwarzkopf Professional® BLONDME® 9+ + 20-volume Schwarzkopf Professional® BLONDME® Premium Developer
- Formula B (base)
- Schwarzkopf Professional® BLONDME® Base Breaker Extra Cool + 10-volume BLONDME® Premium Developer
- Formula C (ends)
- Schwarzkopf Professional® BLONDME® 7+ + 20-volume BLONDME® Premium Developer
- Formula D (root melt)
- Schwarzkopf Professional® IGORA VIBRANCE® 7-0 + IGORA VIBRANCE® 7-21 + Schwarzkopf Professional® IGORA VIBRANCE® Activator Lotion
- Formula E (lowlights, zones 1–2)
- IGORA VIBRANCE® 7-0 + IGORA VIBRANCE® 7-21 + IGORA VIBRANCE® 8-11 + IGORA VIBRANCE® Activator Lotion
- Formula F (lowlights, hairline)
- IGORA VIBRANCE® 9-0 + IGORA VIBRANCE® 9-1+ Schwarzkopf Professional® IGORA VIBRANCE® Activator Gel
- Formula G (lowlights, zone 3)
- IGORA VIBRANCE® 9-0 + IGORA VIBRANCE® 9-1+ IGORA VIBRANCE® Activator Gel
- Formula H (lowlights between foils)
- IGORA VIBRANCE® 8-0 15g + IGORA VIBRANCE® 8-11 5g + IGORA VIBRANCE® Activator Gel
- Formula I (gloss)
- IGORA VIBRANCE® 9.5-21 + IGORA VIBRANCE® 9.5-5 + IGORA VIBRANCE® Activator Gel
Steps
- Begin with a full platinum card using Formula A, foiling the entire head with no hair left out using 20-volume developer (working up to 25-volume as needed). Take very fine sections and stagger feathering the lightener away from the root to create a soft, natural regrowth. Lift the hair cleanly to a Level 9, then rinse thoroughly.
- Apply Formula B as a base shift to softly break the base by one Level. Process briefly for controlled softening.
- While the base break processes, apply Formula C to the ends to gently bump brightness and even out the blonde. Process for 10 minutes total.
- Rinse and towel-dry the hair. Apply Formula D as a root melt on damp hair, extending slightly past the highlight line and combing through to seamlessly blend. Rinse and dry the hair completely.
- On dry hair, lowlight using Formula E in Zones 1 and 2, and Formula G in Zone 3, leaving out hair between foils. Lowlight the front hairline with Formula F, applying only in Zones 1 and 2 (two lowlight formulas within a single foil to prevent the ends from over-depositing or turning muddy and adds extra dimension).
- Apply Formula H to the hair left out between lowlights at the root. Comb through every three minutes to drag and blend the color downward. Process the lowlights and root together for 10 minutes.
- Rinse and apply Formula I as an all-over gloss, starting in Zones 1 and 2. Process for eight minutes, then comb through to the ends and process an additional two to three minutes to ensure even saturation and shine.
- Rinse and style as desired.
