Secrets of Watermelon Blonde & Red Hair Formulas

What is the real secret to formulating reds and watermelon blonde haircolour? Is it the brand you use? Is it impossible to achieve natural-looking reds with your brand? Do you always get root glow when trying to cover greys in red formulas?

These are the common questions that lead into fear-based colouring in salons. I don’t want that for you, so I’m sharing the answer to all of these questions in this podcast episode by discussing how to decode colour tube labels, deciding on colours to mix, tips of peroxide selection and how to approach every trending red and pinkish blonde with confidence.

Show notes for episode 181

myth buster: no, It's not your brand

NO. It is not your brand's fault if you make mistakes.

Every brand can achieve beautiful colours when you know how to formulate The problem with reds and copper is the ROOT GLOW is so much more obvious it screams at both you and the client in the mirror and can leave you frightened to do more.

My education is brand-free and inclusive, which means in my language I describe myself as a Brand-Free Colour Educator who helps hairdressers feel confident to understand how to formulate themselves using any brand. This removes the fear of changing salons or working with different brands in the future. It is important to know my unique 5-6-7-8 levelling system for hair painting redheads PLUS stop copying formulas from social media and formulate custom colours for every client. You must know the target level, existing colour level, and natural level with the percentage of greys to determine your formula and peroxide selection before even talking technique.

WATERMELON BLONDE is a trending, and here’s how to achieve it…

Watermelon Blonde is a beautiful twist on a classic. This can be achieved by adding a pinkish toner over a light ginger or pre-lightened head of hair, or by combining a Level 10 natural with 6 level red with 20vol or 30vol. The beauty of Watermelon Pink haircolour is that it fades after a few washes to reveal the gorgeous strawberry blonde underneath. If you want to keep it for longer, that's easy! I send you home with pink toning shampoo and conditioner.

Kinda like a cocktail! You can choose to be fruity or classic! Dual identity haircolour is one of my fave colours to create. 

DECODING COLOUR TUBE LABELS 

Salon professional brands are labelled with a combination of numbers and letters.

The colour chart & colour tube will be labelled with the level number (1-10) to share what depth you will achieve (light/dark). 1 being darkest. 10 being the lightest.

And the number or letters after the dot or hyphen indicate the hue or reflect. Some colours have primary & secondary reflects.

Pro tip for you: If you are using a RR or a CC double reflect it will be your brightest option AND not suitable for someone that wants a natural colour. I would suggest with tinting to start off in the single reflect colour selection for natural looking reds and coppers, or if your colour range only has double reflect options the best place to start is a Gold Red or Gold Copper double reflect when tinting because the gold will soften the brightness. Remember you must consider exposed undertones when lifting with tints.

BIG NEWS for those who want to stop making mistakes with reds in the salon: my NEW online course ‘The Real Secret to Formulating Copper Hair Colour is here! 

✨ Here’s the tea: 🍵 if you want to avoid making colour Fuk-ups with RED, you must learn to combine Creative Colour Theory with Science. But most people end up just guessing formulas or blaming the brand they use and – shocker! — it doesn’t work! 

That’s why I’m so excited to let you know my NEW online course THE REAL SECRETS TO FORMULATING Reds & Copper Hair Colour is here. 

Why am I so excited about this?  Because you no longer need to struggle FORMULATING REDS AND COPPERS or worry that your client's roots will be so bright they can be seen from outer space – how amazing would that be? 

I created this for you to stop avoiding red & copper requests in order to avoid making mistakes that result in client complaints when you’re pretending you know what you’re doing.

Here’s what you’ll get when you enrol in The Real Secrets to Formulating course: 

✅ You will learn how to achieve beautiful reds with any colour brand

✅ A tutorial on how to avoid the 3 biggest mistakes hairdressers make with reds

✅ You will learn my proven 5-6-7-8 levelling system for formulating reds & coppers

✅ The FAQ about pre-lightening with Bleach before colouring Red & Coppers answered

✅ Access to an amazing 1-hour Masterclass on How to formulate Reds + Coppers with loads of formulas shared, plus tips for grey coverage and how to decode colour charts and tube labels

✅ PLUS a BONUS Consultation class, including my 2 favourite questions for successful colour consultations

Grab my online Formulation course for only $129

PRO TIPS FOR PEROXIDE SELECTION FOR REDS:

• 10 vol best suits Base Breakers with Reds
• 20 vol is suitable for grey coverage and red
• 30 vol is suitable for Copper hair colour 
• 40 vol best suits any red needing 3-4 levels of lift, including strawberry blondes

Listen to episode 181 of the Colour Kristina Talks Podcast to learn more about the real secret to formulating Watermelon Blonde Blonde and Red hair. The links below direct you to my Instagram and to my fast-track online course for hairdressers on formulations.