Hair Color How To: Mixing Creatively

Patrick McIvor, Artistic & TechniCulture Director for Goldwell and KMS California shares tips and tricks for mixing creatively, so stylists don’t have to squeeze between the lines.

McIvor recently switched to the Goldwell® Depot System, which dispenses EXACTLY 20mls of color at a time – it’s quick, controlled and exact, making it a favorite among colorists and salon owners.

McIvor demonstrates a rich sexy brunette formula for spring using 50mls of color, the standard amount for a single process – a difficult formula to mix when not working in millimeters or grams.

Rich Brunette
·50 ml Goldwell® Topchic® Developer
·20 ml Goldwell® Topchic® 4NN – for ultimate grey coverage
·30ml Goldwell® Topchic® 5BP – acts as a cool protectant, so color is rich, without brassiness and minimizes oxidation

McIvor also likes that the Goldwell® Colorance® line is color-coded – the tops of all the colors correspond with the colors on the developers.  And, the applicator bottles come with the option of using a traditional applicator nozzle or a brush.  Colorance® formulas are mixed in a 2 to 1 ratio of developer to color. Here’s his pick for a cool brunette with a cool red undertone.

Cool Brunette with Red Undertone
50 ml Colorance® Developer
20 ml Colorance® 4BP - cool protectant
5 ml 4R - beautiful red undertone/accent

Mixing creative formulas like these are hard to do in ounces – any colorist that spends their days trying to squeeze between the ounce lines of a color tube can relate.  When working in millimeters or grams, mixing creatively doesn’t have to cost more and it’s not a guess because measurement is EXACT.

The Math
2 oz = 60 ml or 60 g
60 ml = 100% of 1 color -
55 ml + 5ml = 92%/8%
50ml +10ml = 83%/17%
45ml + 15ml = 75%/25% - equals 1.5 oz + .5oz
40ml + 20ml = 67%/33%
35ml + 25ml = 58%/42%
30ml + 30ml = 50%/50% - equals 1oz + 1oz