Brb—swooning over this insanely dimensional bronde balayage from South Shore, Mass.-based stylist Emily Burr (@mayhemilyhair). Emily achieved this gorgeous sombré color melt using a combination of balayage, babylights and foils. She says her client came to her unhappy with her hair’s unevenness, damage and grown-out blue/black roots. “Asian hair, as we know, can be hard to lift,” shares Emily. “But with fine sections and proper saturation, she lifted as well as I could have hoped for, given the circumstances! I wanted to under-promise and over-deliver, and I believe we did just that!” Here’s Emily’s formula for perfectly-dimensional, hair-painted success.
Total process time: 3.5 hours
Pricing: $350 (Emily typically charges $100/hour for color corrections)
The Formulas
- Formula A:
- Matrix V-Light Conditioning De-Dusted Lightener + 40-volume developer + Olaplex No.1
- Formula B:
- Wella Professionals Blondor Freelights + 30-volume developer
- Formula C:
- Wella Blondor Freelights + 20-volume developer
- Formula D:
- Redken Shades EQ 3 part 7NB + a splash of 1 part 6N + 6T
- Formula E:
- Shades EQ 3 parts 9NB +1 part 8V
- Formula F:
- Shades EQ 2 parts 9NB + 1 part Clear + 1 part 9P
Steps
1. Apply Formula A using foils and a babylights technique.
2. Balayage using Formula B on high to low-midlengths and Formula C on the ends. Process for about one hour, checking the ends and removing the foil once they reach a Level 8/9.
3. Apply a soap cap at the sink to begin lifting the existing, unfoiled, Level 1A blue/black hair.
4. Shampoo using J Beverly Hills Blonde Neutralizing Shampoo, then towel-dry.
5. Apply Formula D to the base, Formula E to midlengths and Formula F to the ends, melting all three formulas together. Deep condition using J Beverly Hills Masque Treatment.
6. Prep for styling using Redken Pillow Proof Express Primer, then blow-dry. Apply Kenra Professional Volume Spray 25, then curl using a 1 ¼-inch Marcel Curling Iron. Finish with Aquage Beyond Shine Spray.
