How to Add Pops of Color Using Extensions

Los Angeles-based stylist Justin Toves-Vincilione is always trying to find new and innovative ways to expand is offerings and give his clients an enjoyable expereince.  He says popping in a few extensions is a great way to build your ticket while providing a valuable service that is different than what your guest is used to. 

In addition to being a member of MODERN's artist connective, Toves-Vincilione is a member of the Ulta Beauty Design Team, which consists of 16 members, act as Ulta’s brand ambassadors. Members get education, experiences and exposure, including on-camera and social media training, and platform artist experience.

“Being on the Design Team for the Salon at Ulta Beauty, I have discovered who I am as a stylist, what I am meant to share as an educator and what I am destined to do as an artist in this beautiful industry,” Toves-Vincilione says. “Through priceless mentorship and education by leading, talented industry artists, I have been fully immersed in what it means to become well-rounded, impactful and part of a team.”

Members of the Design Team attend beauty events throughout the country and are given editorial opportunities.

In this video tutorial, Toves-Vincilione demos how to create a stormy-striped look using products from Ulta Beauty, Matrix, Redken and T3:

How-To:

1. Start by custom-coloring your Ulta Beauty Tape-In extensions with Redken ShadesEQ gloss to your target tone. "I toned extensions in shade 10N with 09V + 09P + Crystal Clear ShadesEQ gloss for 20 minutes," Toves-Vincilione says. "The Crystal Clear helps dilute your formula and prevent the extensions from grabbing too much ash. This helps avoid a 'muddy' finish result. Remember, extensions grab color a lot more than a guest’s hair will!"
2. Once finished processing, shampoo with Redken Blondage and lightly condition.
3. Blow dry and brush, and you’re ready to add your pop of color into your guest's hair.
4. On clean (preferably clarified) hair, start to map out your placement. Ulta Beauty has a signature placement for a seamless blend called “Stairway to Heaven," shown in this video. "This placement starts at the temple, two finger lengths away from the hairline, installed horizontally," Toves-Vincilione says. "The second sandwich will be placed above the ear, below the first section about half the size of the tape back. Essentially, we are creating an overlapping stairway pattern. It is important to be mindful of your guests lifestyle. If your guests wears glasses or even sunglasses, it is a good idea to have them wear their glasses while you install. This way, you know that the extensions won’t cause any discomfort or complications when they wear or remove their eyewear. Lastly, finalize your third sandwich in the same pattern just below the tip of the ear. This placement can vary is spacing and pattern based on your guests’s hair density, hairline and head shape. So map it out, customize it and have fun! Make sure you custom cut the extensions if need be, being careful not to actually trim or texturize the actual hair. Most of the time, extensions need to be trimmed or texturized to match the length and density of the guest’s natural hair."
5. Make it Glam! "My favorite way to create a wearable, modern glam wave is to use my  T3 Micro Whirl Trio “Undone Waves” attachment," Toves-Vincilione says. "This iron is super efficient and allows for quick heat styling and versatile results. Making sure that the ends are frizz-free by smoothing out prior to using the wand, proceed to wrap medium sized sections around the iron in a rope-like formation. Opposed to flat wrapping with a wand, the rope-like wrapping technique gives us a softer, more plush curl. Prepping each segment with a thermal protection hairspray with some hood, that suits your guest’s hair-type is a great way to ensure that your waves stay healthy and in shape for longer. I like to prep each segment with spray, brush through and then curl my subsections."
6. The brush out is where the magic happens! "I use my T3 Micro brush and break up the curls once they’ve cooled," Toves-Vincilione says. "Then I’ll use my comb to detail. When creating waves, we can choose to also use our hands to brush out. It all depends on how you want the waves to fall. Don’t be afraid of losing the curls! Even if you brush them out in full, they’ll still spring back up and take form. For hair that’s resistant to heat styling, Redken Iron Shape is a great product to assist in longer lasting curls. Make sure to cool and carefully brush out and detail, setting with a hairspray that will hold and not weigh down the hair."