Mood rings are back — except this time, we are accessorizing our hair instead of our hands. Created by Fruits Hair Lab’s very own hair stylist & GDY color expert, Alexa (@alexabrookehair) shows us how to create a blue halo reminiscent of a 70’s fashion fad.
Step 1: Prep like a PRO
Advise clients to come with clean hair. Having a clean canvas is key for even application, as build-up of oils or dirt can lead to patchy results.
Have clients pause on using heat tools, like blow dryers, curling irons, or flat irons, for at least a week before the bleaching process. Heat styling can strip hair of moisture and cause heat damage, which can be counterintuitive to the lightening process.
Step 2: Lighten like a PRO
For this look, you’ll need to lighten to at least a level 8. The blue will not be true to tone if you don’t remove all the warmth from the hair first.
To get this mood ring halo, start by sectioning the hair into 3 sections. Divide the front from the back and keep the back as one section. Next, starting in the back, section a “halo” circle using your client's parietal ridge as a guide to keep it even. This is where you will add color, so you can braid away the bottom half to keep it out of your way.
Working off of this rounded shape, take a ¼ inch section. Leaving the roots as their natural color, skip an inch and lighten 3 inches of hair to create a color block. Put a foil or parchment under that section so it doesn't bleed into the hair underneath.
Next, take another ¼ inch section, lay it on top of the previously lightened section and apply the lightener in the same exact section. Keep the lightener consistently one inch away from the scalp. Repeat this process on all of the sections, making sure that you're maintaining rounded crescent sections.
Good Dye Young’s Hair Lightening Kit comes with a pre-measured powder lightener and a 25 volume creme developer for a gentle lift that will lift hair 4-5 levels. Moisture in the hair that is removed during the lightening process is replenished with Soy Protein and Coconut Oil to protect, condition and strengthen your client’s hair. Mix the pre-measured powder and developer until it is well blended and clump-free. Fully saturate foils placed in ¼ inch sectioning.
Check your foils every 5-10 minutes and rinse when the hair has reached the desired lightness. Never leave on for longer than 50 minutes.
Step 3
Rinse hair thoroughly and cleanse using our Color Kind Wash shampoo to remove all lightener and any other product build-up that your client may have. Apply our Color Kind Rinse conditioner and let sit for 2-3 minutes, then rinse. This will even out the porosity of the hair and help you achieve a more even color.
Step 4: Tone like a PRO
Apply Platinum DYEposit to lightened sections. This is an important step to cancel out any brassiness and is especially important when trying to achieve a true blue. When working with dark or previously colored hair it's normal to experience some yellow/orange tones.
Step 5
Dry your client’s hair thoroughly. Color will absorb more evenly and come out more vivid if applied to clean, dry hair. Make sure to skip any leave-in conditioners and hair oils at this stage. It is important to have dry hair to ensure the pigment in the dye is not diluted with any water or hair product.
Step 6
This look uses semi-permanent Blue Ruin. Using the same sectioning as before, place the blue onto the lightened hair only. Good Dye Young pigments are amazingly rich so they also show up on dark hair. If you want it to be crisp, be careful with that line. If you’re feeling experimental, feather the color into darker hair to create more visual interest.
GDY’s colors are beautiful straight out of the tube and can also be mixed together to create custom shades. GDY’s semi-permanent hair dye combines salon-grade pigments with a nontoxic formula that deposits ultra vibrant color. Our semi-permanent hair dyes do not damage the hair; in fact, they’re super conditioning with a high-quality cream base that acts like a hydrating hair mask with essential oil benefits.
Step 7 Let this color sit for 30 minutes without heat. Usee this time to clean up so you can enjoy the new hair right away!
Step 8
Use cold water to rinse the color out. GDY’s semi-permanent formula has a conditioning base as well as essential oils, so you do not need to apply conditioner either. Rinse with cold water until the water runs clear.
Step 9
Towel dry the hair and apply GDY’s Color Kind Prime (Hair Primer) before blow drying. Prime will coat the hair cuticle to promote hair health and keep color from fading prematurely due to heat sources and UV rays. Blow dry hair completely. If using styling tools, apply heat protectant prior and use a low heat setting.
Step 10
Section the hair into 4 quadrants again and take a subsection the width of your round brush. Take your time to smooth all of the hairs and lightly roll the ends under to give hair some movement.
Step 11
After the appointment is concluded, advise clients to wait 2-3 days before washing their hair. Always use cold water, professional-grade sulfate-free shampoo (GDY’s Color Kind Wash), conditioner (GDY’s Color Kind Rinse), and heat protectant (GDY’s Color Kind Prime).
