Chapter 10 - How To Apply The Blonde Toners

The popularity of the blonde colors makes them a profitable and important service in any fashion-minded salon. The blonde colors such as Silver, Ash, Platinum, Beige and the new Chiffon series are glamour colors which appeal to fashion conscious women everywhere.

The blonde colors are perfect for the woman who wants extremely light and delicately colored hair. The lighter silver tones Silver, Ash and Platinum are flattering to women with complexion changes which accompany gray hair and advancing years. The beautiful Beiges and new Chiffon colors are high fashion news.

Selecting The Toner

Although proper pre-bleaching is so very important for the Blonde colors, the final results depend on the correct selection and application of the toner.

Frequently in choosing a Blonde Toner, color selection must be left to the operator's judgment not the patron's, because the result is dependent upon the pigmentation of the hair and how far it can be decolorized. This is especially true in the first or second treatments when often some red or gold pigment still remains. When this happens, the toner must be deeper and not as silvery as the customer would like. The color of her choice might result in a shade with a greenish cast or the color might not take at all. It may be necessary to give a few additional bleach treatments before the hair is ready for the color the customer wants.

Pre-Bleaching For The Blonde Toner Shades

Toners are tints which are extremely light and delicate. By themselves they do not penetrate and deposit color as quickly or as easily as the deeper shades of tints. Therefore, they are completely dependent upon the proper preliminary bleach which must leave the hair light and porous enough. Some toners require more pre-bleaching than others. The following table will give you the stage of pre-bleaching necessary for each Blonde Toner.

Pre-Bleaching Required For Clairol Creme Toners

Toners Requiring Pre-Bleaching To Gold Stage (Stage 5)

Strawberry Blonde; Rose Beige; Buttercup Beige.

Toners Requiring Pre-Bleaching To Yellow Stage (Stage 6)

Extra-Lite A — Blonde; Extra-Lite B — Blonde; 9-A Light Ash Blonde; Moonbeam Blonde; 10-B Dark Ash Blonde; Champagne Beige; Silver Beige; Honey Chiffon; Peach Chiffon.

Toners Requiring Pre-Bleaching To Pale Yellow Or Almost White Stage   (Stage 7)

Ivory Chiffon; Pink Chiffon; White Beige; Platinum Beige; Extra-Lite Platinum; Silver Platinum; Smoke Platinum; Extra-Lite Silver Blonde; Silver Smoke; Silver Blu.

THE BLONDE SHADES

The Creme Toners come in six groups of colors:

1. Ash Blonde
2. Silver Blonde
3. Platinum Blonde
4. Neutral Blonde
5. Beige Blonde
6. Chiffon Blonde

Salon Formula Toners

There is a group of Salon Formula colors for each of these six classifications. All Salon Formula toners come in two types, Creme and Regular, except Beige and Chiffon which come only in Creme Formula. The Creme Formula is a liquid until the developer is added and it then becomes a creme; the Regular Formula remains a liquid even after the addition of developer. Both types give the same final results. The Creme has the advantage of being easier to work with as it does not run or dry out.

You will find that during the application and development period, these toners have quite a different color than the final shade, depending on their base color. For example, Ash Blonde during development has a brownish shade; Silver Blonde a bluish cast; Platinum a violet cast. But these tones disappear when the color has fully developed and you will find the anticipated color has been achieved.

Salon Formula* Ash Blonde Toners
 
1. 9-A Light Ash Blonde                       Lightest in series
2. Moonbeam Blonde                           A shade between light and medium
                                                            ash blonde
3. 10-B Medium Ash Blonde                A shade between medium and dark
                                                            ash blonde darker than Moonbeam. It
                                                            does not contain the blue or silver of the
                                                            Silveror Platinum Blonde Toners.

S.f. Silver blonde toners

1.  Extra-Lite Silver Blonde                   A light, delicate silver. The lightest
                                                            in the group.
2. Silver Smoke                                    A medium, silver shade. Makes the
                                                            hair silver-gray.
3. Silver Blu                                          Deepest silver shade. Leaves the hair
                                                            silver-gray with a bluish tone.

S.f. Platinum blonde toners

1. Extra-Lite Platinum                           Lightest in the series. Light, pearly
                                                            platinum.
2. Silver Platinum                                  Medium pearly shade
3. Smoke Platinum                                Deep pearly platinum

*S.F. will be used as the abbreviation for Salon Formula

 S.f. Neutral toners

1. Extra-Lite A-Blonde                         Pale, neutral blonde. No red, gold
                                                            or ash tones.
2. Extra-Lite B-Blonde                         Produces delicate golden tones
3. Strawberry Blonde                           Light, delicate, reddish, golden
                                                            Blonde

S.f. Beige toners

1. White Beige                                      A white, white blonde
2.  Platinum Beige                                 Delicate platinum blonde
3.  Champagne Beige                            Delicate baby blonde
4.  Silver Beige                                     Silvery, golden blonde
5.  Rose Beige                                      Pinkish, golden blonde
6. Buttercup Beige                                Rich, golden blonde

S.f. Chiffon toners

1.  Ivory Chiffon                                   A delicate flaxen blonde
2.  Honey Chiffon                                 A very light honey blonde
3.  Peach Chiffon                                  A pale peach blonde
4.  Pink Chiffon                                    A soft, sheer pink blonde

Silver Drops In Blonde Toning

Silver Drops, a concentrated drabber, is not used as a toner by itself but may be combined with the Salon Formula Creme Toners to produce even drabber effects.

Preview Your Selection Of A Toner

In order to preview the effect of the toner on the hair as well as to determine the length of time to leave the tint on, take a strand test.

To make this test, mix a small amount of the toner with an equal amount of Clairoxide or Pure White Creme Developer. Apply this mixture to the pre-bleached strand and allow it to develop. Test frequently for color. The time it takes for the desired shade to develop will determine the amount of time for the treatment itself.

How To Apply Blonde Toners
Mixing The Toner

In a plastic applicator or glass or plastic dish, mix 2 oz. of Clairol Creme Toner with 2 oz. of Clairoxide or Pure White Creme Developer. (If Regular Salon Formula is used, mix ¾ oz. of toner with ¾ oz. Clairoxide or Pure White Creme Developer.)

The Blonde Toners - First Application

 
Mix 1 bottle Clairol Creme Toner with equal amount of Clairoxide or Pure White Creme Developer.
 
4. Allow color to develop from 15 to 45 minutes. Make frequent strand tests to check color development.
 
2. The hair must be pre-bleached thoroughly and evenly for best results.
 
3. First, apply the toner to the root area. Then immediately work balance through the entire head.
 

5. When strand test shows desired color has been reached, rinse the hair thoroughly and shampoo with Clairol Shampoo for Bleached and Toned Hair.
 
First Application

Preliminary

1. Patch test must be given before application. Also take a strand test for color and timing.
2. Towel dry hair after it has been highly pre-bleached and the bleach thoroughly shampooed from the hair.

Application Of The Toner

1. Section hair in four equal parts.
   
   
2. Apply toner to root area, starting at the crown, with plastic applicator, swab or brush. Immediately work balance through entire head of hair. However, if ends are damaged, do not apply to ends until later. Keep partings very small (⅛ to ¼ of an inch wide). It is important for the success of your toning to make partings narrow.
   
   
3. Test frequently for color by drying a small portion of the hair. Reapply toner to tested strand. It will take from 15 to 45 minutes for toner to develop properly.
   
   
4. Work any remaining tint through entire head to form a soap cap when the desired shade has been reached.
   
   
5. Test for color.
   
   
6. Rinse and shampoo when color is even from scalp to ends.

Retouch Application Preliminary

1. Patch test must be given before application. Also give a strand test.
   
   
2. Pre-bleach new growth only.
   
   
3. Towel dry hair after bleach has been thoroughly shampooed from hair. Hair should be slightly damp when toner is applied.

Application Of Toner

1. Section hair in four equal parts.
   
   
2. Apply toner to roots only with plastic applicator, swab or brush. Keep partings small—⅛ to ¼ of an inch.
   
3. Test frequently for color. Reapply toner to test strand. It will take from 15 to 25 minutes for color to develop.
   
   
4. Blend color through with comb when desired shade has been reached.
   
   
5. Work remaining tint through the entire head to form a soap cap. With deeper tones on very porous ends, dilute balance of toner with shampoo before working through.
   
   The Blonde Toners Retouch Application
   
   


I. Part hair in four equal sections. Apply toner to root area. Use applicator nozzle to make ⅛ to ¼ inch partings.

2. After 5 minutes, make first strand test. Continue testing until color on root area matches color on strand.

3. Blend by combing through strand. Work balance of toner throughout the head. When all color development is even, rinse and shampoo.


6. Test for color.
   
   
7. Rinse and shampoo when desired shade has been reached.

Tips On Blonde Toning     

1. The frequency with which retouches should be given depends, of course, on the rate of hair growth. As a rule, retouches on blonde colors will be more frequent than on ordinary tinted heads be cause the contrast between the blonde color and the new growth is so great, especially where the hair is naturally very dark.
   
   
2. The blonde colors require special care. Because of the intense bleaching to which the hair is exposed, it is usually left porous. The color may be easily lifted by improper shampoos and improper treatment. For better color wear, it is advisable to use only Clairol Shampoo for Bleached and Toned Hair.
   
   
3. Do not use ordinary creme rinses, or heavy pomades and lacquers. Clairol Hair-So-New is ideal to use  on blonde hair after the shampoo.
   
   
4. During the summer months, the hair should be kept covered to protect it from the sun.
   
   
5. Hair toned with the blonde colors should be frequently reconditioned. New improved Metalex is recommended for this. (See Chapter 15.)

Corrective Work On The Blonde Toners

Because of the highly skillful technique involved in Blonde Toning and because of the great change that is made in the hair, problems are bound to be encountered by even the most skilled technicians. Most of these problems can be overcome by the proper precautionary measures.

Here are some of them:

1. BREAKAGE—This is caused by overlapping the bleach or leaving the bleach on too long for that particular texture of hair. This condition can be corrected by a series of reconditioning treatments with Vitapointe or Metalex. More attention in the future should be paid to the application of the bleach itself.
   
   
2. OVER-SILVERED HAIR—This is due to one of two things: either the hair becomes too highly bleached and all shades go too dark or the Silver color selected is too dark. To avoid this, use one of the lightest toners in either the Ash or Silver series or dilute the tint selected with Clairol Shampoo for Bleached and Toned Hair or additional developer. To correct a head of hair that has been over-silvered, use any of the following methods:

a. One application of Metalex without the use of heat. This should remove the necessary amount of silver. If, however, it fails to do so, a heat cap should be used.

b. Shampoo the hair with a mixture of Salon Formula Strawberry Blonde diluted with an equal amount of Clairol Shampoo for Bleached and Toned Hair. (Do not use peroxide).

c. Shampoo with mixture of equal parts of Miss Clairol Sun Bronze, Clairoxide or Pure White Creme Developer and shampoo.

d. Shampoo the hair with a mixture of equal parts of Buttercup Beige, developer and Clairol Shampoo for Bleached and Toned Hair


3. SPOTTING—If portions of the hair become too drab, it may be because these spots have been over-bleached. You can avoid these drab spots by using a filler before application of the tint.

This filler may be Salon Formula Strawberry Blonde used without developer or Buttercup Beige with developer. The filler is applied directly to the over-bleached spots and the toner is then applied directly over it in the usual manner.

Gold spots can be caused by under-bleaching. This can be corrected at the next retouch by spot bleaching these areas until hair is evenly bleached.


4. DARK TEMPLES—If temples become too dark, it is either be cause the hair is more porous in this section or because the application has been too slow. Dark temples can be avoided by testing the porous areas frequently. As soon as the temples have drabbed sufficiently, gently towel-dry the hair at the temples and hairline. This will retard the action of the tint in these areas.
   
   
5. DARK ENDS—Ends are extremely porous and take color very quickly. To avoid this, dilute the tint with an equal amount of shampoo before carrying it through the hair.
   
   
6. TOO MUCH BLUE—In many Silver Blonde treatments on salt-and-pepper hair, it is found that too much blue develops. This is caused by improper selection of color

When the hair is more than 25% gray, a pure Silver color should not be used. It should be mixed with Ash Blonde to keep the gray hair from turning blue.

The percentage of Silver and Ash in the mixture depends entirely upon the amount of gray in the hair. The amount of Ash Blonde should increase in proportion to the gray in the hair.

A strand test should be given to determine the exact proportions of Silver and Ash:

75% gray—3 parts Ash Blonde (Salon Formula 9A) to 1 part
Silver (Extra Lite Silver Blonde)
50% gray—Equal parts of Ash Blonde (Salon Formula 9A)
and Silver (Extra Lite Silver Blonde)
25% gray—2 to 3 parts Silver (Extra-lite Silver Blonde) to 1
part of Ash Blonde (Salon Formula 9A)

Correction Of Uneven Bleaching

If any gold spots remain after the hair is bleached, they must be removed by spot bleaching. There may be times, however, when you will not find it practical to spot bleach the hair before applying the toner; the head may be too sensitive for further bleach applications or there may be little time left for the spot bleaching. In these cases the gold spots may be overcome during the application of the toner. The following method should be used:

1. Mix small quantity of the selected toner and apply to the gold spots first. Allow to develop from five to ten minutes. Then make frequent strand tests until you see the gold is almost gone.
   
2. Now prepare a fresh mixture of the same toner used on gold spots and apply to the entire head in the conventional manner.

Sometimes it may be necessary to use two different colors to even out the gold spots. Should the gold spots be very heavy, it may be necessary to apply a color one shade deeper than the one selected for the entire head. For example, if the hair has been bleached sufficiently for Silver Platinum, the spots should be tinted first with Smoke Platinum.

It must be remembered that this is only a temporary treatment and the gold areas will reappear. At the next treatment the strand should be bleached evenly throughout to eliminate the gold spots.

 

 

 

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