Sometimes it doesn’t take much.

I’m in love with multi-tonal tape in hair extensions, they blend so much better than single solid colors on my highlighted clients and even on my clients who think of their hair as being all one color.

No one has single color hair unless they color it black and run it through every time. Choose your extension colors accordingly and you will be amazed by the results.

This really speaks for itself.

With a soft prexisting ombre and fine ends this client felt she was spending too much time with her hair and it was not flattering her face the way she wanted it to.

Our response? A new darker richer color and a big chop. Look at how bouncy it is now!

By using a combination of two colors of highlights we get a smoother blend than if we used one solid color. Her highlights are with traditional lightener and 20 volume peroxide (and Olaplex), while her “lowlights” are actually still lighter than her natural color using a formula of 9N with 10 volume peroxide.

The result is that the overall color becomes lighter and brighter every time due to the lightener, but the lowlight color maintains depth and dimension throughout the ends while also preventing a solid bright line on the regrowth and giving a more blended effect as the color grows out.

Silver tones, true silver tones, are one of the hardest colors to achieve on human hair. It requires a complete removal of pheomelanin and eumelanin.

Pheomelanin is what gives hair the warm gold/copper/red tones. All humans have some pheomelanin in their hair. Eumelanin is what gives hair it’s darkness, it’s typically a black/brown shade.

Pheomelanin is more stubborn than eumelanin so it breaks down more slowly when lightened/oxidized. Because of this, most dark hair pulls a reddish tinge during the artificial coloring process.  Lightening pheomelanin results in the hair going through shades of red, then orange, then yellow, and finally white.

Eumelanin is easier to remove which is why traditional highlight colors and blondes are more easily reached. If there is residual pheomelanin underneath a toner can be applied to cancel out the warmth. Unfortunately, when the goal is white or silver tones there is no amount of toner that can cancel the warmth left by pheomelanin.

For this client we have been slowly processing her highlights with double ash lightener and following up with Liquid Color from J Beverly Hills in a shade called “Soda Blue” but as we go lighter we are going to continue to need to adjust the formula to match the undertones that pull through. Luckily this client is a dear who understands these colors are not one session things and she’s been enjoying the kind of subtle “oil slick” coloring pattern we’ve been achieving in the interim.

This is one of my favorite methods to use when applying lots of long hair quickly. Beaded wefts require no heat, no glue or adhesives, no timing consuming sewing, nor painful braiding. They don’t work for every client and that’s okay!

Being a hair extension specialist means taking the time to find the right solution for every client. Every head is different and hair extensions are a big decision so they really aren’t “one size fits all” nor should they be.

I have been cutting/coloring/extending up a storm on my Instagram story over on @ChrissyDoesHair and I would be delighted to see more of you over there, but I’ll also be posting some of my favorites here as well with longer descriptions of the work.

This client typically receives partial highlight services, flipping back and forth between balayage and foil techniques seasonally to capture different moods. Over Summer she was kind enough to sign up as a model for a series I was working on for It’s More Than Hair, where we did a set of custom color tape-in hair extensions. She loved the color effects so we’ve been able to keep up with some of that without those extensions as well. This works because he natural hair is already pre-lightened, but extensions are a great option for adding color to darker hair without needing to apply bleach.

At the appointment shown here we left most of her length on the front and cut off a few inches from the back to produce a more dramatic A-line bob. Note to clients and stylists: please some calling these asymmetrical bobs, asymmetrical means the sides do not match in length, A-line means there is a noticeable angled slope coming down at the front from a shorter section in the back section of the head.

These times may change as people call in.

Please call the salon directly to move or create an appointment.

703.440.8073

Thursday 10/4 — FULL

Friday 10/5 — extremely limited afternoon time available

Saturday 10/6 — FULL

Sunday 10/7 — limited afternoon and evening time available

Monday 10/8 — midday time available

Tuesday 10/9 — extremely morning and midday time available

Wednesday 10/10 — extremely afternoon and evening time available

Thursday 10/11 — limited morning and evening time available

Friday 10/12 — afternoon and evening time available

Saturday 10/13 — ONE afternoon spot available

Sunday 10/14 — ONE morning spot available

Monday 10/15 — teaching in Philadelphia

Tuesday 10/16 — extremely limited midday time available