There are so many challenges that can come along with achieving the perfect blonde look, such as uneven bases, delicate hair structures, and products that work against, rather than with, a client’s natural coloring. This can be especially true when lightening up dark bases. And as we come out of a year at home, we’re also seeing clients who have skipped their visits to the salon altogether in favor of a more natural, gray look.

Schwarzkopf Pro Artist Maggie Hancock says, “I think that if I went back behind the chair, I would definitely seek to have part of my clientele be gray enhancement. I love it and I think it’s something rare to specialize in, and a lot of people are looking for it!”

Schwarzkopf Professional’s BLONDME, the brand’s color and care line dedicated to blondes, is the solution to stylists working to take their clients lighter with a custom service or offering to take clients gray for those who are tired of covering up. The products help combat difficulties around traditional hair lightening such as breakage, dryness, and brassy results. To take clients as light as they want to go can be a challenge, but BLONDME offers solutions for every color.

In 2021, the company launched GENERATIONAL BLONDE, a campaign dedicated to tackling age diversity, and helping clients of all ages feel beautiful in their own skin. What that means for your clients is that there really is a blonde look for them no matter their age, their hair color, or their hair texture. If your client can dream it, BLONDME can help you achieve it.

There are so many challenges that can come along with achieving the perfect blonde look, such as uneven bases, delicate hair structures, and products that work against, rather than with, a client’s natural coloring. This can be especially true when lightening up dark bases. And as we come out of a year at home, we’re also seeing clients who have skipped their visits to the salon altogether in favor of a more natural, gray look.

Schwarzkopf Pro Artist Maggie Hancock says, “I think that if I went back behind the chair, I would definitely seek to have part of my clientele be gray enhancement. I love it and I think it’s something rare to specialize in, and a lot of people are looking for it!”

Schwarzkopf Professional’s BLONDME, the brand’s color and care line dedicated to blondes, is the solution to stylists working to take their clients lighter with a custom service or offering to take clients gray for those who are tired of covering up. The products help combat difficulties around traditional hair lightening such as breakage, dryness, and brassy results. To take clients as light as they want to go can be a challenge, but BLONDME offers solutions for every color.

Hancock says, “The most exciting thing to me is bringing in the age and model versatility. I think it’s something that the industry lacks. It makes me really happy to see ‘normal’ clientele in a campaign.”

In the Schwarzkopf Professional GENERATIONAL BLONDE documentary, created by Maggie Hancock (@maggiemh) and Linh Phan (@bescene) of Phanhaus to highlight the important work of combatting age diversity, Phan says, “I’ve noticed that a lot of my clients want to embrace their inner beauty. I’ve seen every age group wanting a change, whether that’s 16, or 35, or 50. Being blonde or changing their hair really gives them more of an empowering confidence. It’s been great being able to give that to my clients. And seeing how every generation can have that same fire when they see themselves in the mirror when they have a new look. That’s honestly why I love doing hair.

Generational Blonde speaks to a lot of stylists and people. We wanted to show how versatile BLONDME is. I think we hit home with all the different ages, all the different looks, all the different textures of hair. You can create anything you want to create using BLONDME.”

What is special about BLONDME is the integrated bonding technology, containing Succinic Acid that penetrates the hair and creates a protective layer around the hair bonds. This technology, works to deliver a blonde color and care system that works together to lift and lighten up to nine blonde levels for customizable solutions. The color service offers expert lightening, lifting and toning to minimize hair breakage. The care service, designed for after color bonding, helps maintain blonde results and to create new bonds between services.

Hancock says, “I hope that this campaign motivates people and makes them realize that BLONDME isn’t just for editorial or photo shoots, it’s for the everyday stylist as well and it really does provide the best results.”

Maggie walks us through taking her model through a gray color process. When preparing for the look, Hancock says the most important element of this look was making absolute sure not to shift her natural color, or deposit any color too deeply into her hair so as to prevent any warmth from happening. She recommends being extremely thoughtful and strategic about your approach, especially if your client has spent months growing out their gray. Shifting that natural is the last thing you want to do. 

“BLONDME is the only choice for this kind of look because of its ability to lift to such high levels while using a low developer. It maintains the health of the hair while providing the substantial lift that gray hair needs,” she says. 

Follow along for a step-by-step process for gray and white hair:

1. Cut: trim the hair, as cutting the hair before color proves to maintain the health of the hair and keep the ends intact while lifting.

2. Section: Maggie started with a Halo Money Piece with babylights and slices approximately 1.5” deep, to create ribbons of brightness when the hair is pulled up and off the face.

Next, she makes a herringbone section for horizontally placed babylights from the parietal ridge on either side to the top of the crown. Parallel to the herringbone, having the same width, she puts a rectangle section from the crown's top to the bottom of the crown.

Next, she creates a vertical section through the center back (under section) where she will do tease lights for bright bursts using over direction to achieve the lightest and brightest around the face, cascading back.

3. Lift: On the darker areas, Maggie uses 40g BLONDME Premium Lightener 9+ mixed with 30g BLONDME Premium Developer 2% (7 Vol.) and 30g 6% (20 Vol.)

On the previously lightened areas, for a subtle shift, she uses one-part BLONDME Premium Clay Lightener 7+ mixed with one-part BLONDME Premium Developer 2% (7 Vol.)

For the hairline, Maggie uses 40g BLONDME Premium Lightener 9+ 30g 2% (7 Vol.) mixed with 10g 6% (20 Vol.) BLONDME Premium Developers

4. Beginning in the back, Maggie works her way around and forward. Once the model has lifted to a perfect 10, she rinses with BLONDME ALL BLONDES Keratin Restore Shampoo and ALL BLONDES Keratin Restore Conditioner in, followed by BLONDME Detoxifying system Bi-Phase Bonding and Protecting Spray to prep for toning.

5. Tone: Using Formula A (30g Toning Ice, 5g Deep Toning Chestnut, 5g Deep Toning Granite, 40g BLONDME PREMIUM DEVELOPER 2% (7Vol.)) Maggie root taps on the herringbone and rectangle top sections, leaving the Money Piece alone. She then lowlights thick pieces, applying it to previously lightened pieces in the under section, leaving the ends out for a soft melt.

Using Formula B (One-part Ice, one-part BLONDME Premium Developer 2% (7 Vol.)) Maggie tones everywhere else and process 20 minutes.

6. Wash out: Maggie uses BLONDME Tone Enhancing Cool Blondes Shampoo and ALL BLONDES Keratin Restore Bonding Mask followed by, BLONDME COOL BLONDES Tone Enhancing Spray Conditioner.

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