Colour Correction and Using Colour Theory

COLOUR CORRECTION

Identify what issue your client needs resolving

Hair colour corrections can be broken down into these 4 different issues. Do you need to ENHANCE or COUNTERACT the existing undertone to achieve your client’s vision? Do you need to GO LIGHTER or GO DARKER?

Use colour theory

Corrective colour can either be a massive job or a ‘quick fix’, but at every stage of the process, I suggest you ground yourself in colour theory. Always refer back to the colour wheel! 

Know the opposites on the colour wheel (or complementary colours) when toning! You also need to know the accompanying undertones when going darker… the rest is up to you to experiment within reasonable calculations.

Let’s take a look at how a colour chart informs the way you work with MUVO toning shampoos

Hairdressers as creative mixologists get to play scientist and use the colour wheel regularly to formulate hair colour for our clients. When looking at the colour wheel, colours that are opposite to each other are the colours that will counteract one another. However, if you look at the colours directly next to each other, they can be used to layer to add brightness and depth to the other. For example, red is next to orange. Therefore, red can be used to boost brightness when added to a faded redhead who is too orange.

5 things to remember when faced with a colour correction:

1. If you want to lighten your client’s hair you will need to do a test strand to determine what’s needed
2. If your target hair colour is cooler or warmer than the existing colour, a temporary toning product is the perfect solution
3. Trust the colour wheel & refer to it during any times of doubt
4. MUVO’s toning shampoos can be used to fill the hair with warmth when taking a client darker (highly recommended for sensitive hair types explained in more detail below)
5. If your client likes their colour but complains of fade, they will benefit from a MUVO toning shampoo or a prescriptive MUVO mocktail (a blend of any of the MUVO toning shampoos) to add some oomph to their tired, faded tresses.

My favourite MUVO toning products for my clients are:

• Ultra Blonde Shampoo – counteracts yellow tones on grey, silver, natural blonde and highlighted hair & enhances silver, platinum and ash tones
• Ultra Rose Shampoo – counteracts brassy tones, enhances/adds cool pinkish hues on blonde hair and eliminates green swimmers’ hair  
• Creamy Blonde Shampoo – counteracts brassiness in blonde and highlighted hair & enhances sparkle, shine and champagne creamy tones for natural-looking tones and brightness
• Coolest Brunette Shampoo – counteracts & eliminates brassy, copper/orange tones for brunettes. Can be used to add colour to hair when filling to go darker & enhances healthy, natural, cool tones for coloured and natural brunette hair
• Flaming Copper Shampoo – counteracts murky greenish tones on light to medium brunettes. Flaming Copper can be used to add colour to hair when filling to go darker & enhances warmth in fading red, copper and colour treated hair.
• Just Peachy Shampoo – counteracts yellow tones on strawberry blonde and highlighted hair, and can boost/enhance fashion colours, such as peach, rose gold and coral hair colours

Using MUVO as a filler

If you want your client to go darker by 2 or more levels, you MUST USE A FILLER! This is applicable for every salon professional brand and ensures a predictable and long-lasting colour result. I frequently use Just Peachy and Flaming Copper Shampoo in the salon when transforming a blonde or light caramel client to copper or red. I love using MUVO toning products in this way because they deliver the tone I need without layering the hair with unnecessary applications of colours containing peroxide causing build-up and damage. I highly recommend  MUVO toning shampoos when working with sensitised blonde-haired clients who wish to explore something different or go darker without damaging their hair. If your client’s target colour is a cooler, darker brunette, a mix of Flaming Copper and Coolest Brunette Shampoo is a fabulous filling layer before your final hair dye application.