NBR® Extensions Appointment: Weft and Color Formulas

 

 

My 15 minute smudge-to-melt

 

I specialize in lived-in color, which means I always begin an NBR® appointment by building dimension into my guest's natural hair. I take into consideration their beginning palette, their desired outcome, and lifestyle to help determine how their color will perform over time. It is vital to anticipate the fade, so I can plan weft colors and the overall color plan properly.

Erin has been my client for a few years, so there were no surprises considering her color. On the up side, she had recently moved to a different area and didn't have nearly the same issues with brassiness due to water. Our area has a fairly high concentration of iron in the water, so we see a lot of unnatural warmth in the hair over time.

Erin had a lot of natural base, some old highlights, and some faded warm ends. Anticipating the fade for her meant understanding how her hair has ALWAYS faded warm, and no amount of toning now would prevent that later. This is how I choose my weft colors: bringing in my desired color, plus some pieces that mimic where her hair lands after a couple of months. For Erin, I used NBR®s exclusive brand, Isla, in 6N, 8/6WB, (both handtied), and 6/10NN (hybrid). This helped me create pops of blonde in a darker base, with some soft warmth to both blend with her current reality and her future fade. Isla comes pre-rooted and toned, so the only color adjustment I made was rooting the 6/10NN with Redken Color Gels, 7N plus 10 volume.

 

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I wanted to create brighter ribbons of lightness throughout Erin's level 6 base, so I started by using a horizontal foiling pattern from ear to ear, then broke up the crown and back sections with some soft teasy lights. I did not separate out a heavy front panel, because I did not want a chunky money piece. Erin lives about 5 hours away, so we want her grow out to be really seamless. I used Paul Mitchell Dual Purpose Lightener with 20 volume. I let process until everything reached a light, clean blonde.  

After shampoo and deep conditioner, I gently towel dried and sat her up at the bowl for secondary color. I always use demi of some sort for this part, and brand varies based on my desired result. For Erin, I used the Moroccanoil Calypso Color demi line for both the smudge and melt. I separated her hair into quadrants and approached her smudge like a traditional retouch using 6N. I let that sit for 5 minutes before brushing into zone two. After 5 more minutes, I brushed that into the ends and applied the melt from zone two through the ends. I used half 9N, half 9VB, and let that process another 5 minutes before rinsing everything out.

We installed two full rows of 22" extensions, then blended with a seamless cut, and finished with a 1" long barrel iron. Now Erin has her dream hair for her wedding and beyond!!

NBR® Extensions + Lived-In Color

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