Covering Grey Hair to Go Blonde
Do you have clients looking to cover grey and go blonde? Ugly Duckling's innovative 10-Minute Color Gels offer a game-changing solution, combining rapid processing with superior grey coverage.
This guide will equip you with the knowledge to maximize the potential of these Color Gels, ensuring your clients leave your chair with stunning, youthful blonde locks.
After reading this guide, you will be able to cover grey grey hair effortlessly and consistently, in just 10 minutes. And you will be able to get your clients’ hair blonde at the same time - always a real challenge.
Color Consultation and Assessment
To start your color consultation, start off by looking carefully at the regrowth root part of your client hair, near to the root. This part is virgin hair, so this is where you can assess your client’s natural hair correctly.
Step One: Evaluate your client’s natural hair color level
Find the color that most closely matches what you are seeing and use that to determine your client's natural hair color level.
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Step Two: Evaluate your client’s percentage of grey hair
Now you need to decide what percentage of grey hair your client has.
Refer to the cases to help you decide.
Use these as a reference to determine your client's percentage of grey hair.
Less than 20% grey hair
Less than 40% grey hair
Less than 70% grey hair
Step Three: Choice of Color Strategy
Product Choice
If your client’s grey hair is 70% or below, our recommendation would be that you use Ugly Duckling’s 10 minute Color Gels. These give great color coverage, a really natural looking result, and grey blonde hair for those looking to go or stay blonde.
Ugly Duckling's 10 minute Color Gels
If, however, your client’s grey hair is 70% or above, in other words if it is almost totally white, you may like to mix your chosen shade of Color gel with a little bit of Ugly Duckling extra coverage cream color. A mix ratio of around half Color Gel to half of Cream color would be about right.
Which shade should you go for? The shade that you like the most. If you’re looking to go very light blonde, then 10n or 9n would be great choices.
But if you are looking to go medium or dark blonde, then 8n,7n and 6n would be best.
Developer Choice
We know that some brands and some hair stylists say that you should use 10 Vol for grey hair coverage, but at Ugly Duckling we respectfully disagree.
Our recommended default developer strength for grey hair coverage would be 20 Vol. This strength gives a little bit of lift and is helpful for opening up the hair shaft and allowing color pigments to penetrate and work correctly.
All our grey hair coverage products have been formulated to work very well with 20 Vol. and 30 Vol.
If you wish to lift by 3 levels or more, for example if your natural hair is level 6 and you are looking to go for level 10 blonde, then use 30 Vol. You need that extra lift.
Processing Time
If you are using Color Gels, then 10 minutes is enough for women with 50% grey hair or less.
However, if your client has stubborn white hair, or very thick grey hair, then you can add in another 10 minutes.
If your grey hair is above 50%, then go for the extra 10 minutes.
For women with 50% or less grey hair, 10 minutes with Color Gels is sufficient. If your client has thick or stubborn grey hair, or more than 50% grey, increase processing time to 20 minutes.
Step Four: Analyze Mid Lengths & Ends
Up to now you have been basing our decisions off the root area only. But you also need to have a look at the mid-lengths and the ends.
Very likely they may have been colored in the past, and if your client is like many, most probably they would have been colored blonde. Some of that blonde may have faded, or have been poorly done, in which case it may appear yellow or orange.
If that is the case, our suggestion when applying would be to apply your mix on the root area first. Then extend to the rest. The blonde or yellow or orange midlengths will most probably require less processing time than the roots because they would have been colored before.
When applying color, start by assessing the mid-lengths and ends of the hair in addition to the roots. If your client has previously colored their hair, particularly blonde, the mid-lengths and ends may have faded or been poorly colored, resulting in a yellow or orange appearance.
In this case, begin by applying your color mixture to the root area, then extend it to the rest of the hair. The previously colored mid-lengths and ends will likely require less processing time than the roots.
Step Five: Analyse Hair Condition
The last step in your hair color consultation exercise will be to assess the hair's porosity, texture, and any previous chemical treatments to inform your approach.
What should you do if the hair is in poor condition?
First off, if the hair has been chemically treated in the past 1 week we would suggest you ask the client to come back a couple of weeks later. This would include any coloring, perm or hair straightening in particular.
If the hair has been colored with metallic dyes, henna or any staining hair colors, you need to be aware that the hair color may not work. The best thing to do here would be a strand test. Take one strand of hair, cut it off and try coloring it. That will give you the best idea.
If the hair needs conditioning, that is not too serious. Color the hair, then afterwards use Brilliant Blondexx shampoo and mask. These products contain Bond Protect, and will help you nourish and strengthen and smoothen the hair.
Product Selection and Preparation
Choose Your Shade: Select from Ugly Duckling's Color Gel range, considering the desired level of lift and tone.
Mixing Ratio: Combine Color Gel with Ugly Duckling 20 Vol (6%) Developer at a 1:1 ratio for optimal results. You can use a mixing bowl or a plastic applicator bottle, whichever is most convenient for you. The product has been designed to work well either way.
Ensure Proper Consistency: Mix thoroughly to achieve a smooth, creamy texture for even application.
Application Technique
Sectioning: Divide the hair into four quadrants to ensure methodical application.
Target High-Grey Areas: Begin application where grey concentration is highest. This will typically be at the root area. Only extend to the lengths after that.
Efficient Application: Work swiftly and precisely, given the 10-minute processing window.
Saturation: Ensure thorough saturation, particularly on resistant grey strands. Very fine segmentation and generous application of product are the keys here. Each strand needs to be literally drenched, or saturated in your hair color mix.
Processing and Monitoring
Timing: Adhere to the 10-minute processing time, starting from initial application.
Visual Assessment: Inspect the hair at the end of 10 minutes, and extend processing time if you feel that more coverage is required.
Rinsing and Post-Color Care
Thorough Rinse: Cleanse the hair with lukewarm water until water runs clear.
Conditioning Treatment: Apply Ugly Duckling's Anti-Breakage Mask with Bond Protect to fortify the hair structure and enhance color longevity.
Client Education and Maintenance
Home Care Regimen: Recommend Ugly Duckling's color-safe products for at-home maintenance.
Touch-Up Schedule: Advise on appropriate intervals for root touch-ups, typically 4-6 weeks.
For clients with highlights
If clients has streaks of blonde hair and streaks of natural hair all mixed up, this can potentially make your hair coloring more difficult.
You may get a less uniform result when coloring and you need to make your client aware of that beforehand.
You may like to apply first on the darker hair and give it time to lift. Then apply to the highlighted parts.
If the darker strands are really dark, you would beed to bleach the hair beforehand.
Grey Coverage and Toning at the Same Time
If you wish to cover grey and tone your hair a particular shade of blonde, you can mix Color Gels with Blondify.
Blondify is a level-on-level ammonia-free toner which is very intensely pigmented.
So, for example you can combine Color Gel 9N with Blondify 09B Blue Ash Blonde. This can work very well:
This mix will cover grey. It will also tone away yellow and orange.
The second video below shows this technique in use.
Professional Considerations
Strand Testing: We always suggest that professionals conduct a strand test to predict color outcome and processing time, especially for new clients or significant color changes.
Color Correction Potential: Assess the Color Gels' suitability for color correction scenarios involving grey coverage.
Customization: Consider techniques like lowlighting or balayage in conjunction with all-over color for dimensional blonde results.
By mastering the application of Ugly Duckling's 10-Minute Color Gels, you'll elevate your blonde services, offering clients efficient, high-quality grey coverage with minimal processing time. This innovative product allows you to meet the growing demand for quick, effective color treatments without compromising on results.
WATCH VIDEO - HOW TO USE COLOR GEL
Hair by Elona Taki
Hair by Elona Taki
