"Controlling warmth to keep the hair from going brassy has always been a highlighting challenge," says Eva Scrivo, a balayage and color correction expert. "Due to the basic laws of color theory, you are always fighting brassiness when removing the hair's natural pigment."  
Scrivo has mastered the art over the course of two decades and now teaches this art to colorists from around the world at her NYC Balayage Academy. "Controlling brass is especially difficult with brunettes. When lightening the hair from brunette to blond, orange or yellow remains as the bi-product which you cannot rely on toners or glosses to remove.”

MODERN asked Scrivo for her top 3 tips to controlling warmth. Here she shares:

1. Texture matters. The consistency of your bleach has a lot to do with the result. Formulate on the thicker side so bleach does not slide off the hair.
2. Feather the root area. You should be using less product there, even when doing a re-touch.
3. Avoid heat. Scrivo says that colorists will often blast the hair with heat, fearing that it will not lighten enough on its own. “This is a true ‘DON’T’,” says Scrivo. "Adding heat is actually counter-intuitive to the art of balayage, as I explain in detail during my classes. When balayage orignated in Paris, heat was not applied."

At her Academy, Scrivo teaches classic balayage techniques, as well as application and processing methods, focusing on how to bring out the shape and dimension of a haircut with color while choosing the correct tone for a client's complexion. The next class, titled "Balayage Brun," coming up on September 18th, is all about the intricacies of balayaging brunettes, as well as traditional blondes. Details here: http://evascrivo.com/academy/

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