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This guest found Cassandra McGlaughlin (@cassandraplatinum) on Instagram and came to her looking for help. 

"This was an example of the guest that came in with unrealistic expectations and a difficult canvas," says McGlaughlin, a Paul Mitchell educator and owner of the Platinum Salon of Tampa, Florida.

"She arrived with a picture of a beautiful blonde ombre. The state of her hair, being previously black and pre-lighted from an other salon... I knew that there was no way for us to get there even in multiple services. A thorough consultation and setting up proper expectations was essential."

The guest was a previous black box color. "Another salon soap capped it to bright orange and dark red and the she when home and tried to lighten it with more box color!" When McGlaughlin met this guest, her ends were, not surprisingly, compromised.

GET THE LOOK

STEP 1: "My first goal with any color correction is to create as even of a canvas as possible. I lightened her with a few different formulas of Color Balance which is equal parts lightener, Shampoo One and developer. I used Paul Mitchell Synchrolift and 10 volume at the base and bumped it up to 20 volume midshaft, avoiding the porous ends. I used a foil overlay method to incubate the whole head. I was left with a more even and lighter canvas."

STEP 2: Apply a base color of 5n6n Paul Mitchell the color at the lightest regrowth area (about 2-3" out)  to add a soft chestnut base color to my highlights.

STEP 3: Highlight with Paul Mitchell Lighten Up ("an amazing super gentle lightening paste," says McGlaughlin) with 10 volume. 

STEP 4: Pull the base shade (5n6n and 10 volume) through the ends left out of the foil.

STEP 5: Rinse and shampoo with Paul Mitchell Post Color Shampoo

STEP 6:  Finish with an Awapuhi Wild Ginger Kertriplex treatment. Style with the Paul Mitchell Express Ion Curl XL curling iron. 

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