In the Flesh
Pure Hair Color at its Finest

Fall, 2004 - Tracy Guthrie, National Artistic Leader of ColorWorks Salons, a Washington DC based chain of color specialty salons, has mastered the art of “on purpose” hair color formulations and techniques. Although she has a background in hair design and finishing, it is her distinction as a master colorist that has set her apart as a salon professional and verified her an “in demand” platform artist for Redken 5th Avenue. It has also led her to become a nominee this year for Stylist of the Year for the prestigious North American Hairdressing Awards.

When it comes to her craft, Tracy finds herself easily inspired. Different forms of art effortlessly influence techniques with elements that other artists may use. The bold stroke utilized to paint an abstract in acrylic, the dripping effect of glaze on a ceramic piece or the dance of light across a still life, in Tracy’s mind, all transform into viable techniques for hair color.

For this series of fresh makeovers, Tracy had an undying vision of pure hair color. Taking inspiration from classic life drawing, she chose soft and delicate skin tones to grace the canvas, which allows the focus to remain clearly on the hair color itself. Using an individualized pallet for each model, this master colorist unlocked the true beauty from within each for an absolutely dynamic and artistically unclad visual.

Barely There
To make a bold statement, sometimes a softer touch is simply better. Brandy, Tracy’s first model, started out with a natural (level 6) dark blonde tone with previous highlights and a couple of inches of new growth. Wanting to keep to her natural blonde realm, Tracy opted to give Brandy a much stronger result with a more pastel tonal range. Color that was not too ash or too warm. A delicate hue more like the natural state of a child’s hair. Soft, almost sun kissed color that would set well against Brandy’s pale, yet slightly ruddy complexion.

To achieve this look Tracy started by highlighting with Redken Lift 5/15, which is a non-ammonia lightener that uses a dedicated 40 volume developer. For the technique she followed the shape of the head using diagonal partings for the foil placement. Inside of each foil a very random stitch was used, alternating between very fine slices, back to back slices and an erratic weave that incorporated both fine pieces and bigger pieces. She applied this technique to give Brandy a heavily “blonded” look without creating an evident color placement pattern. On each section she feathered the Lift 5/15 gently away from the scalp to create a soft shadow (also like a child’s hair). She then processed the highlights to a level 10 lightest blonde.

After shampooing and treating the hair, Tracy applied a base softener. This is a process employed to lighten the natural color still existing at the scalp. She used Redken Shades Above Clear. Shades Above is a non-ammonia product with a dedicated 20 volume developer that is used to lift the natural color up to one level. The base softener was processed for 6 minutes.

After shampooing and treating the hair she applied the final formula, which was a glaze used to add the right tone to the highlights and to add shine to the overall look. She used Redken Shades EQ, a no-lift, non-ammonia, demi-permanent color gloss. The formula was 1/2 oz. 09G Vanilla Cream (very light warm blonde), 1/2 oz. 09V Platinum Ice (very light platinum blonde), 1oz Crystal Clear (to dilute the formula to a level 10) with 2oz Shades EQ Processing Solution.

For Brandy’s cut, Tracy reduced much of the bulk around the jaw line and added a lot of texture throughout for a softly shattered mid length style. Using a technique to cut and add texture at the same time, she elevated the nape area above the horizontal line of 90 cutting/texturizing on the surface of each section. In the back and side sections she also elevated above the horizontal line of 90 but cut/texturized on the underneath of each section to preserve some bulk on the surface but collapse the interior so it would not get too wide. Next Tracy blew the hair dry and cut the top and crown once the hairstyle had been finished. Reading the finished hair, she randomly shortened and texturized pieces in the top and crown until a visual balance was achieved.

To style, a small amount of Full Frame Volumizing Mousse was applied from the scalp to the ends of the wet hair. Next she blew dry the hair using a Denman brush. Smooth Down Heat Glide, a thermal protectant, is applied before flat ironing all the way through the strands. Lush Whip, a styling lotion, is worked through for soft separation.

Strip Tease
Camille was in need of some serious color correction. She used a box of at-home black color on her hair that had grown out approximately an inch. Her natural color was a (level 5) medium brown and there was a layer of red under the black home dye job. For the end result, Tracy first stripped out the black then created a brilliant shiny copper-red with some hidden secrets of gold and a few bits of very warm brown for sultry dimension.

To remove the black hair color, she went through the hair section by section and painted on a low volume bleach/lightener (Redken Blonde Dimensions with 10 volume developer) to slowly remove the tint. She was very careful to avoid any new growth area that was virgin hair. She then processed until the hair in the packets was orange.

After shampooing and treating the hair, Tracy did a base softener on Camille’s new growth area. This step was to expose some of Camille’s natural undertone and bring it closer to the color of her ends. She used Redken Shades Above Gold. Shades Above is a non-ammonia color with a dedicated 20 volume developer used to lighten the hair up to one level. This was processed for 10 minutes.

After shampooing and treating the hair she began the dimensional color technique. She first applied Camille’s under layer of color. The section was 1/2 inch deep around her face and got progressively wider to 1 1/2 inches at the nape. The section mimicked her hairline. The under layer formula was Redken Shades EQ 1/2 oz 05G Caramel (medium warm brown), 1/2 oz 03G Cinnamon (dark warm brown), with 1 oz Shades EQ Processing Solution. Shades EQ is a non-ammonia, no-lift, demi-permanent color gloss.

The next step was the accent section of gold. Tracy sectioned out a large rectangle section on the right side of Camille’s head and did 3 back to back slices of Shades EQ 07C Curry (Soft Copper Blonde) and then 5 back to back slices of Redken Blonde Dimensions bleach/lightener with 20 volume developer. Finally she added the surface color, which went onto everything that was not in a foil or part of the under layer. The formula for the surface color was Shades EQ 06AA Bonfire (Bright Auburn). She processed until the bleach/lightener slices were gold, then shampooed and treated the hair.

Last, Tracy finished the color technique by glazing everything with Shades EQ 09G Vanilla Cream (light golden blonde) for shine and to add richness to the lightened pieces.

For Camille’s design, a short, rounded and graduated cut was created that features a bold asymmetrical line. This instills a mod shape to accent her classic features, while the robust copper red contrasts her soft and very pale coloring.

To create this modern cut, Tracy sectioned out a small tilted square area just above the right ear and clipped it out of the way. Next she then took a 1-inch parting around the entire hairline, combed it into natural fall position and cut the perimeter of the design.

For the graduation in the back she started behind the left ear, using a very low elevation (below the horizontal line of 90) and a diagonal finger angle, she over directed everything to the previous section (toward the left ear) using the perimeter as her initial guide.

For the front and sides she used the shortest point over the left eye as her initial guide and over directed everything to the previous section toward the center of the left eye, using a very low elevation and a diagonal finger angle.

Once Tracy completed the initial design, she blew the hair dry and finished it. Once the hair was finished, she cut the detached section over the right ear with a cutting/texturizing technique. She then went over the surface to personalize the cut, lightly shaping the ends that were already shorter and introducing a few shorter bits to add interest and expose more of the gold panel on the right side.

Starting with wet hair, Tracy applied Extreme Anti-Snap, a leave in conditioning treatment, and Active Express Quick Treat, a very light spray on gel, as well as Smooth Down Heat Glide on the ends. Next she blow-dried with a Denman brush and finished the surface with a round brush. Once completely dry, a very small amount of Heat Glide is smoothed over the top from roots to ends for shine.

To create a slightly stronger silhouette, Tracy added wefts to elongate the detached area above Camille’s right ear. She also included a few intensely copper hair pieces around the right perimeter for an additional punch of color.

Exposed
For those who desire to spice up their look a bit, splashes of a more vibrant color can awaken their wild side. Starting with a natural (level 2) very dark brown, virgin hair for Cecile, Tracy created big bites of a very vibrant red that peek out from the interior of her naturally dark hair. A very fun look without changing the overall color.

She started by creating diamond shaped sections on each side of the head, one large one behind each ear and one small one above each ear. For the sections behind each ear Tracy did back to back slices using a feathering technique to keep the color detached from the scalp by 1-2 inches, and to maintain a very soft visual melt from the dark to the bright. On these sections she used Redken Blonde Dimensions, which is a bleach/lightener with 30 volume developer. For the sections above each ear, she used the same back to back foiling technique with the same feathering technique. To these sections she applied Redken Color Fusion, which is a lift and deposit hair color. The formula was 1 1/2 oz 5Rr (medium red/red with no brown) 1/2 oz Rv Hi-Fusion Amplifier (intense red violet), 2 oz 40 volume developer. She processed for 45 minutes. At this time the pieces lightened with Blonde Dimensions bleach/lightener were lifted to a medium gold.

After shampooing and treating the hair, she went back and isolated the pieces that had been lightened to medium gold and applied a layer of intense red, red/violet over the top. She used the same back to back foiling technique and feathering technique as above. The formula was Color Fusion, 1/2 oz 6Rr (light red/red with no brown) 1 1/2 oz Rv Hi-Fusion Amplifier (intense red violet). Once the foils were in these sections she applied Shades EQ, a non-ammonia, no-lift, demi-permanent color gloss, to everything that was not in a foil. The Shades EQ formula was 1 oz 05RV Sangria (deep cool red violet), and 1 oz 06R Rocketfire (bright cool red).

For Cecile’s design, Tracy kept the length and just shortened and texturized the existing layers. She used a technique that enabled her to cut some length from the layers and add texture at the same time. A portion of the cut was done while the hair was wet, then she blew the hair dry with Active Express Speed Control styling cream to help smooth the hair. She used a Denman brush, then rolled the ends under with a round brush. At that point she applied Smooth Down Heat Glide and flat ironed before she added the finishing touches to the cut. Small wispy fringe was added only over the left eye for an offset sort of balance.

Naked Truth
Sometimes the most natural looking blondes aren’t natural at all. A very basic all dark blonde (level 6), Janel’s natural tone (virgin hair) simply had no appeal. The darker color made her look monochromatic and her skin tone appear sallow. Tracy instead chose to create a very solid but lighter blonde that was more daring in nature but has a soft and very feminine allure.

To create this bolder color statement on Janel, Tracy applied a double process blonde. She used Redken Levitation’s Oil Bleach with 10 volume from scalp to ends. She processed this step until the scalp area was lifted to level 10 pale yellow. Next she shampooed and dried the hair. Her second application was Levitations with 20 volume applied only to the areas of the head that had not lifted to pale yellow. She processed the second application until all of the hair had lifted to pale yellow, constantly monitoring and occasionally re-saturating spots.

After shampooing and treating the hair, Tracy applied a Redken Shades EQ glaze. Shades EQ is a non-ammonia, no-lift, demi-permanent color gloss. The formula was 1/2 oz 09V Platinum Ice (light platinum blonde), 1/2 oz 09G Vanilla Cream (light warm blonde), 1 1/2 oz Crystal Clear (used to dilute to a lighter level), which was processed for 20 minutes.

For Janel’s design, Tracy cut the entire front and back hairline very short using a razor to keep it soft. Before cutting the interior, she blow-dried and finished the hair first with a small amount of Glass. Using just her fingers and shears, she cut varied length bits into the hair to achieve a visually appealing amount of texture. To style, Rewind (a fiber paste) was applied for texture. Other styling options include using a firm control styling gel on damp hair for a controlled texture or, add more maximum texture with Rewind then add a firm hold hair spray to hold into place.

Skin Deep
What nature gives us isn’t always what looks best. For those blessed with a rich warm and medium pigmented skin tone, very dark hair color usually follows suit. This is the case for Shauna. Starting with her natural (level 4) medium brown tone, Tracy created an overall lighter and warmer hue with ribbons of warm light caramel color running along the surface. These ribbons of color were designed to look natural and not feel contrived or have an obvious pattern. These lighter tones meld into Shauna’s natural color and delicately awaken her slightly olive skin tone.

For Shauna’s sectioning, Tracy used diagonal partings following the shape of the head. For her color, she alternated two techniques. Using a high-lift tint, she added a lot of fine slices to give an overall lighter result. For the accent pieces, or the highlights, she alternated in foils on the surface and around the face of very erratic bits using a bleach/lightener. On these sections she randomly used big and small stitches/weaves to maintain an “imperfect” amount of highlight.

The formula for the high-lift tint was Redken Color Fusion Double Blondes Gb (Gold/beige), which is a high-lift tint that is mixed 1 part color to 2 parts dedicated 40 volume developer. For the bleach/lightener sections she used Redken Lift 5/15, which is a non-ammoniated bleach/lightener that uses a dedicated 40 volume developer. After all the foils were in place, she processed for 35 minutes at room temperature.

After shampooing and treating the hair Tracy applied a Redken Shades EQ glaze. Shades EQ is a no-lift, non-ammonia, demi-permanent color gloss. The formula, which was processed for 20 minutes, was 1 1/2 oz 09G Vanilla Cream (light warm blonde), 1/2 oz 08Wg Golden Apricot (light warm/gold blonde) with 2 oz of Shades EQ Processing Solution.

For Shauna’s design Tracy wanted to maintain the length and update the style by adding some layers. After applying long layers around the face, she then blow dried the hair using Smooth Down Heat Glide and a Denman brush, switching to a round brush for the ends. She added more Smooth Down Heat Glide and flat ironed. She then went back through and broke up the surface with a texturizing technique to give the layers a softer look and keep them from appearing too bulky.

For a softly tousled look, 2-3 inch sections are sprayed with Spray Starch, a heat activated styling treatment, and set on large barrel curling iron. She pinned each section up to allow them to cool with out losing the shape. Once cooled, the curls are unpinned and the hair is fingered back through with Lush Whip, a styling cream, to lightly break up the curls. The result is a soft amount of volume and light texture. A small amount of medium hold spray is applied on her hands before she ruffled the hair at the scalp to add volume and create hold at the base.

Credits:
Hair: Tracy Guthrie
Salon: ColorWorks – Washington DC (USA)
Make up: Stephanie Mayo