Hair stylist Cristen Smith posted to MODERN’s #hairdressermagic hashtag recently a picture of a dark haired client (level 3 base color) who wanted something new and bold, yet tasteful. Smith decided to give her client some red violet tones throughout, while breaking up the dark color and give it some dimension.

STEP 1: Smith applied thin “peekaboo” highlights throughout the hair in a previous appointment and they we’re toned down to a level 5/6 brown copper color.

“When the client came back in, not too long after her new look, she said the brown copper got to be a little ‘boring’ for her taste. I knew just the way to spice it up!” says Smith.

STEP 2: Smith mixed equal parts ofMatrix HD-RV Color Sync with 10 volume and added in an ounce of Pravana’s Wild Orchard color and deposited all over. Once the color was equally distributed and saturated, Smith put a cap on her client and put her under the dryer for 20 minutes.

“When working with Pravana colors or Matrix Color Sync when you are just depositing, the dryer helps the colors appear brighter. It also helps with the longevity because it helps the color ‘stick’ better. Plus it makes for really soft hair! Also, I have found Pravana sticks on the scalp when under the dryer, so I didn’t saturate the root area that much because I was focused on toning down the highlights.”

STEP 3: Pull all the color through the ends to get a rich tint on top.

Send your looks to Web Editor Lauren Salapatek at lsalapatek@vancepublishing.com for editorial consideration like this one.