Box Color, Part 2

So, I've been experimenting with box color. Some of it, I've done on swatches, and some I've done on mannequins. It's been an interesting experience, so far. One Mannequin was originally a level 5 (which most usually are) that I had lightened up (with bleach & 20 vol) up to a level 9, then toned one half with 6NG (neutral gold) and the other half with 6BV (blue violet). My next experiment was with Clairol Natural Instincts---their demi permanent line of color, stating in the directions that it would give great color and coverage in just 10 minutes. Okay....I decided to lowlight the mannequin rather than do an all over color. While her hair is possibly a shade or two darker (the color was 12 light golden brown---more like a level 6 or 7 when I got done), the over all effect was what presented itself...meaning it almost looked like I had just applied the color all over instead of adding shots of dark color. And the top of her head didn't appear to "take" at all...could be because it literally didn't sit on the head as long as the rest of it had. I also used a new (to me) foiling technique, called the Sandwich technique: where, instead of folding the foil into an origami paper packet, you lay on foil down under the hair, paint the product onto the hair, then sandwich the next layer of foil on top of the saturated hair, with no folding. Having never done this procedure before, it took me a full 75 minutes to do a full head of foils, instead of 45 minutes... I'll get the hang of it, eventually. Anyway...After the prescribed 10 minutes of processing time (from when the last foil was finished), I pulled out all the foils and rinsed the hair. Against manufacturer instructions, I also shampooed and conditioned the hair...a big no no according to the directions, but, it's habit. This is where the pigment spread all over the hair, leaving an over all darkening of the hair, instead of selected pieces. The product was also quite liquid-y, which made it tricky to work with inside the foils. Overall impression?? Don't care for this product. I let the hair dry over night, then got ready for experiment number two! Experiment Number 2: over all color, using Clairol's Perfect 10 permanent hair color. Again, a 10 minute hair color. This one comes with a special applicator tip, kind of comb-like, to apply the color with. This tip actually has 14 strategically placed holes in it, meant to aid in the complete application of the color. Uh-huh. I used the same mannequin, expressly to mimic what people tend to do with their hair before they finally give up and come in for us to fix it. The color I used was 4G--medium golden brown. The experience: It was a tad tricky to get the right rhythm down for squeezing the product out and running it through the hair at the same time. The hair was already compromised, which made dragging a comb-like tool through the hair more difficult. Over all, it took me 10 minutes to apply the color, then 10 minutes to process. When I rinsed it off, I noticed a greenish tinge to the water as it was rinsing through the freshly colored hair. Which tells me the color had extra green pigment in it to tone down the gold effect. A lot of color lines do this. It does not always make for a pretty color. End results: the applicator tip actually prevented you from getting right down to the root to apply the color. I made sure to follow the directions, as a customer coloring their hair at home would. Some spots saturated darker than others, depending on how much I squeezed out of the bottle at that time. And, the ammonia scent was quite strong...something I don't normally experience in the salon. Over all: Again, not impressed. Experiment Number 3: I took out a different mannequin...this one had her natural hair color, a level 5. I decided to use an ultra light neutral blonde color (which is a high lift color) on her dark hair. It actually did what was predicted on the back of the box: Lighten the hair up to two full shades lighter. The ammonia scent was unbelievably strong. I actually wound up with a headache from it. And clients put themselves through this!! Because the mannequin head has no body heat, I covered the head with a processing cap, then placed under a regular table top lamp to simulate body heat. It was neat to watch the color oxygenate. End results: Her hair was visibly lighter...enough that she could support a really nice, rich red color. Which probably won't happen, as I'm planning on using another blonde hair color on it, just to see what it does! For all of these color products, they all came with a tube of special glossing conditioner, meant to be used once a week instead of your regular conditioner, to help keep the hair healthy and shiny. This is not a product I would use, nor would I recommend using it. The conditioner actually dried my hands out!! What I am learning: the results I've seen have been fairly predictable, for a professional colorist. I can see where the average customer would be disappointed in the product, though. Between the intense aromas, the cumbersome applications, it all isn't worth the $8 it cost for each box of product! (most cost $7.97 apiece...I will be getting others, in different prices, using coupons when I find them, soon!!) Stay tuned for more exciting experiments!! (one of these days, I'll figure out, again, how to upload my pictures!!)