how to get the perfect ASIAN ASH BLONDE OMBRE hair.

February 12, 2017 1 Comment

looking for that perfect ASIAN ASH BLONDE OMBRE HAIR?  you're in luck!  during this awesome tutorial blog post, we're going to connect you with the techniques you need to get the perfect ash blonde (without losing your mind in the process).

watch the video, read the post, and let us know if you have any questions :) 

  there are 2 big complaints we hear from fellow stylists and clients about getting perfect ash blonde hair on asian girls and guys:

1. the hair is very brassy
2. the hair is very damaged

let's start with the first problem.

what exactly is brass? brass is unwanted red, orange, and yellow pigment in the hair.   that doesn't mean that warm colors are hated. in fact, it's quite the opposite.

artificial reds, oranges, and yellows are very pretty.  as stylists, we often suggest to clients reds, coppers, and golds.

brassiness occurs when the raw pigment of red, orange, or yellow remains in the hair.  to create the perfect ash blonde ombre, you need to remove as much of that pigment as possible. the less underlying pigment that is left behind, the easier it'll be to tone out.

to prevent the second problem, proper after-care will relieve damage.  it's also important to note that the asian hair can be very coarse, as that must be taken into account when lightening the hair to blonde.  

the process of lightening to ash blonde ombre

most asian girls start off with black hair.  we need to understand the stages of the pigments our hair is going to be exposed (or exposed to) when lightening the hair.  this will vary depending on how far you'd like to lighten your hair.

lightening asian hair

the 2 rules of lightening hair

1. control it
2. neutralize it

blue is always the first pigment that is exposed when we lighten hair. then comes red, orange, and last is yellow.

we recommend using 20 volume hair developer.  the reason you want to use 20 volume as opposed to 40 volume is pretty simple. we're going to use the analogy of a deep spring cleaning vs. a quick power clean of your house.

a lot of times when we're going from black to blonde, we think we need to call in the heavy artillery and use 40 volume developer.  but what we don't understand is that 40 volume developer is extremely harsh.  it blasts the cuticle, opens it wide, and just does a very superficial removal of underlying pigment.

20 volume developer takes a bit longer and is slower, but it's much more like spring cleaning.  you don't just wipe the floors and call it a day!  you move the couch, dust things, go through the closet, and deep clean your home.  it may take a little longer, but in the end- it's a much deeper clean than any power cleaning session.

IT MAY WORK A LITTLE SLOWER BUT IN THE END, YOU HAVE A MUCH DEEPER CLEAN.

in the event that time isn't on your side, we still don't recommend using a 40 volume.  sometimes it makes more sense to lighten your hair slowly over time during a few sessions rather than in 1 sitting.  using a harsh developer will leave your hair in a very fragile state.

we recommend lighting the hair 1 level lighter than you want to finish at. this will ensure all the unwanted underlying pigment is removed.

now it's time to NEUTRALIZE IT:

neutralizing your hair comes back to basic color theory.

when you're in kindergarten and they're teaching you how to finger-paint, you likely learned about 3 primary colors.

RED, BLUE, YELLOW.

from those colors, you can make secondary colors and tertiary colors, as well as complimentary colors.

complementary colors are hues that are opposite one another on the color wheel.  these colors are responsible for neutralizing hair.

for example, if you have a yellow pigment in your hair that you're trying to get rid of, you want to use a violet shade to neutralize that pigment. violet is opposite yellow on the color wheel. you can apply that concept to every color, orange to blue etc.

what's important to understand is that asian hair has a strong amount of underlying pigment. depending on the lightness of the blonde you want to achieve, you could be exposing all 3 primary colors.

toning asian hair for ash blonde ombre

when it comes to toning your hair, you don't want to leave the toner on for less than 20 minutes.  ideally, you'll leave it on for 30 minutes.  the longer you leave it on your hair, the more neutralizing that's going to happen.

before you jump into toning your hair, make sure you dry it a little bit.  think of your hair like a sponge.  you wouldn't try to clean up a big mess with an old and dry sponge, that would take forever to absorb liquid, nor would you use a soaking wet sponge that's already fully saturated with water.  you'd use a damp sponge.

don't dry it completely, just get out some of the excess water.  damp hair will absorb the toner the BEST.

APPLY TO THE BRASSIEST AREAS FIRST.  it's very rare to be working with virgin hair these days so the chances that the hair will lighten evenly roots to ends are slim.  likely you'll have banding along the hair shaft. (ie: the ends probably have been colored more than the roots so there will be more layers of artificial pigment for the lightener to eat through and will probably be darker than the roots.) you'll likely need to mix different formulas for the different parts you need to neutralize. TONE THE BRASSIEST AREAS FIRST.

remember  to allow your toners to process for a minimum of 20 minutes and you're well on your way to the perfect asian ash blonde ombre hair. (unless you're touching up previously toned blonde hair).  

taking care of your asian ash blonde ombre hair

you've controlled, neutralized, and attained beautiful ash blonde hair. now it's time to think about taking care of your beautiful locks.

don't use shampoos and conditioners that are astringent.  believe it or not, there are a lot of shampoos that have the same chemicals as MR CLEAN cleaning products.  using those harsh cleaning products is going to strip your hair of it's moisture and the toner that makes the blonde look as beautiful as it does.

send your clients home with a moisturizing shampoo, a protein-rich conditioner, and a purple shampoo.

purple shampoo combats brassiness.  used in combination with your regular shampoo, it'll keep your locks luscious.

as some purple shampoos are more pigmented than others, we always suggest to leave it in your hair for at least 30 seconds.

(we recommend to start with leaving it on for a minute and adjust it accordingly.  it's actually a pretty visual process. keep your eye on it and decide how you like the tone of your hair.  if you want your asian ash blonde ombre to be even ashier, you can leave it on longer and use it more frequently.) let us know if you have any questions :) hope that helps!

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