Barbie is taking over the world this summer, bringing Barbie blonde hair to the big screen. Pure and vivacious, the Barbie blonde is the epitome of blondes have more fun – and with these tips from stylists, your client’s hair will look fabulous throughout the summer months.
“As with any colouring service ensure you have an in-depth consultation to assess if the end result will work for the client and their hair, is this something they will be able to maintain?” states David McNeill from Brooks & Brooks, London.
“As part of this consultation you should analyse the hair checking the condition, any previous colour, natural depth and pigments. Once you have analysed the hair correctly, this will then determine the product you choose. Barbie Blonde is a classic clean level 10. If working on hair level 6-10 depending on the natural pigments this may be achieved with colour or Hi-lift. L’Oreal Professionnel Majirel Hi-lift 40vol will give you maximum lift and 30vol will give maximum neutralisation, so again analysing properly and knowing your products will make life easier. If Pre-lightener is required low volume and extra time generally lifts cleaner.”
For the clean Barbie result, David advises minimal toning to keep the result as clean as possible, adding clear to your toner can help to avoid over toning. “If the client has a lot of warm in their hair or the hair when lifted is prone to turning warm (yellow) toning with more ash may be required for longevity (they may not leave with the desired result but after washing will fade into it).”
Matrix Artist Ambassador, Michelle Summers Davies says the film is the perfect opportunity to talk to clients about their blonde, aftercare, and services for the coming season. “With such a prominent blonde in the headlines, it’s the perfect conversation starter about blonde hair – the tones, the aftercare, the different techniques for their hair and the right products to use for their hair type.”
Michelle offers these tips for a perfect Barbie blonde…
- We know we can only lift the hair so many levels before damage occurs, so make sure your consultation establishes your client’s starting level and take a strand test to see how many levels it will lift too and what can be achieved, along with the condition the hair is left in. This will help you to know what will happen before you proceed with the full service and is a good visual guide for your client before any commitment.
- When creating the perfect Barbie blonde, you need to demineralise the hair to give an even and cleaner canvas before applying your chosen lighter and lifting the hair to level 10, pale yellow no higher as this loses the integrity and the cuticle becomes damaged. My go-to Lightner is Matrix Lightmaster8 Prebonded, which gives me full control without pushing the hair too far as the bonder helps to protect the hair’s fibre while lifting.
- Don't leave your client to develop alone, keep an eye on each stage - remember you don't want cotton wool hair! This will also give reassurance to your client that she is being looked after. Use a level finder showing the underlying natural pigments on each level so that you know exactly what a level 10 pale yellow looks like if you are unsure.
- Once the lighting process is complete this is the perfect time to choose your toner. You are looking more towards the warmer family on the colour portfolio chart rather than the cooler family, using the lightest of levels to achieve a clean light golden Barbie blonde.
Image: Michelle Summers Davies