Did you ever dream of a hair color that is plant based and natural and still performs as well as everything else in your dispensary?

It’s hard to imagine the idea of hair color being described as natural, but that’s exactly how top hair color influencer and global educator Alfredo Lewis (@alfredo_lewis) describes the new Biolage Hair Color. To be more specific, he calls it, “Next generation natural hair color with no-lift technology that performs like traditional hair color, and it’s vegan and gluten free.”

Celebrity stylist George Papanikolas is an early and enthusiastic adopter of Biolage Hair Color, and he describes it as, “Eighty-two to 100 percent plant based, with minimal ingredients, 100 percent damage-free, no-lift color.”

It’s a concept that’s kind of mind-blowing and it brings up lots of questions. Luckily, Lewis and Papanikolas have the answers!

Alfredo Lewis introduces zero-damage, plant-based Biolage Color.

Q: What are the actual natural ingredients in Biolage Color?
Papanikolas: Henna, cassia, coconut oil and direct dyes. That’s about it! The cassia makes the hair up to 80 percent shiner and the coconut oil makes it six times smoother.

Q: Isn’t henna bad for hair and hard to remove?
Lewis: Forget what you’ve heard. This is new science, next-generation, CLEAN henna. It’s free of all metallic salts; it’s just used in some of the shades to control warmth and fade on tone.

Q: So what are the best services for Biolage plant-based hair color?
Lewis: It’s deposit-only and I use it as a toner, as a filler, for dye backs, for grey blending, and for color melting and lowlights.
Papanikolas: All of those for sure. I really love using it for glossing because it doesn’t shift the base.

Q: Is Biolage Color healthier for hair?
Lewis: Yes! These formulas contain no MEA and no resorcinol, and they make the hair smooth and shiny.  I tell my clients it’s like a mud masque or facial for the hair.
Papanikolas: Because it’s ammonia-free, you’re not changing the hair structure so that means it’s damage-free.

Q: Is Biolage Color mixed and applied like conventional hair color?
Lewis: The big difference is you mix it with water instead of developer! It’s a 1:3 ratio—three parts hot water to one part color. You can formulate the 20 shades just like traditional color using the laws of the color wheel.

Q: What are the most common mistakes stylists might make when working with Biolage Color?
Lewis: Not cleansing the hair properly beforehand and shampooing the hair after the service. Believe it or not, both are incorrect. It’s essential to prep with a cleansing shampoo like Biolage Clean Reset clarifying shampoo. After processing, rinse thoroughly and just apply a conditioner like Biolage Acidic Milk Rinse.
Papanikolas: It’s also important to measure the color properly with a scale and apply the color in small sections for full saturation.

Q: How long does Biolage color last and does it cover grey?
Papanikolas: It lasts up to 20 shampoos. It fades on-tone, which is really important, and it blends grey up to 50 percent.

Q: Can the shades be intermixed?
Lewis: Yes, and I keep discovering new combinations. I recently had a client bring in a picture of Kim Kardashian’s new chocolate brown. She was a level 7 with highlights so I mixed 35g of Carob Brown with 15g of Violet Toner and we hit it on the money!

Q: How does Biolage Color complement the other formulas in your dispensary?
Papanikolas: It’s perfect for first-time color clients, people who are afraid of damage, people with sensitivity or allergies to traditional hair color, people with perms or relaxers. I love using it for clients who want to change up their hair color frequently and safely.  It’s really for anybody. 

Q:Can you share some pricing guidelines for Biolage Color?
Lewis: For me, it’s a luxury service and the processing time is the same as traditional hair color. So I add on an extra $25 for Biolage Color. My rate for one-process color is $150, and I charge $175 for Biolage Color.

Intrigued? Here’s everything you need to know about Biolage Color.

Join MODERN Editor Alison Alhamed as she checks out Biolage Color for the first time.