Get the Look: Strawberries and Cream Bombré by Victoria Pelaez

Colorist and recent winner of our weekly Hairstyle of the Week contest, Victoria Pelaez (@vi_color) created this gorgeous, rich hair color using advanced techniques. The result: beautifully blended "strawberries and cream bombré." Below, Pelaez shares the how-to, along with helpful tips, to recreate this color for your clients.

Get the Look:
1. Says Pelaez, "Pre-lighten hair with 35mls Goldwell silk lift 20vol developer with one level scoop of Goldwell strong silk lift decolorizer, re-mixing every 20 minutes, increasing developer strength as you mix.

2. "Lighten in foils for maximum lift. Lighten to a level 9.

3. "Rinse, shampoo, condition and dry hair for the next step.

4. "I diffused 3 colors, melting into each other to create this look: On the roots I applied 60mls Goldwell Topchic 5R with 60mls 20vol. I then diffused that color with the mid color. For the mid color formulation, I used Goldwell colorance  60mls colorance lotion with 15mls 9VR 10mls 9RG 5mls 6VV. I then diffused the mid color into the color for the ends. For the ends, I used 40mls Goldwell colorance lotion with 10mls 9VR 10mls 9RG. By diffusing the 3 colors into each other it creates a seamless blend.

Note: "All the colors I used for this look are part of Goldwell's regular color line. I didn't use any crazy fashion tones or pigments to create this look.

"The key is to lighten the hair to a pale blonde," adds Pelaez. "If you know your color theory you can play with the undertones in the color to create out of the ordinary fashion tones. I like Goldwell because they have a color wheel which shows where each color lands on the color wheel allowing you to see what undertones are in each color. If the hair is lightened enough you can manipulate it to deposit those tones into the hair.

"For example, take a can of white paint. If you put a drop of red paint in it what do you get? Pink!
Now take a beige can of paint and put a drop of red in it. What do you get? A beige-ish murky color.
Hair is the same. When you are using this technique where you are intentionally depositing the undertones in the color the hair has to be a clean light canvas to show the undertone you want to reflect. If there is any orange or yellow in the hair it will dilute that color.

"Remember that this is an advanced technique and you want to learn your fundamentals and rules before you break them.

"Happy coloring!"

[Image courtesy of Victoria Pelaez via Instagram]