Sofia has damaged her hair with home color and she understands that needs a big-time fix. But the thought of losing her long hair makes her sad.

"We can work it out," soothes Danny LaPointe, Clairol Artistic Director, owner of Coiffure Antete outside of Montreal  and artistic director of the Adam Broderick Salon in Richfield, Connecticut.

"We know that most of the length has to come off, but if we leave the front significantly longer, she will have the illusion and feeling of maintaining her length."

Lapointe chooses to use a "scooping" technique which removes most of the damaged hair while maintaining a degree of length. Increasing length toward the face will give Sofia a long-hair feeling, but the damaged last few inches of the back will disappear.

To add further interest to the sides, Lapointe taps colleague Nancy Marcouiller to create a dimensional red and to color-correct the rest with a warm brown. See steps below.

Finally, he shows Sofia how to create two different finishes, tactfully advising her to stick to styling when she's experimenting at home!

Before: Sofia's natural color is a warm Level 4, but her outgrowth shows a build-up of home color, most recently black. Nancy Marcouiller adds dimension with exciting red highlights and color-blends outgrowth with the natural shade with a plum brown.

1. Marcouiller starts by creating a zigzag section along the parietal.

2. Working below the zigzag line, she alternates three shades in diagonal back-to-back partings, starting with a cool brown mixed with low-volume developer.

3. The next diagonal parting is treated with powder bleach mixed with 30-volume developer.

4. The third alternating shade is an intense red shade created with additional red intensifier and 30-volume developer. Marcouiller alternates the three shades all the way up to the major parting.

5. She performs the same back-to-back alternation up to the parting on the other side.

6. She then applies a plumy brown mixed with 10-volume developer to all the unfoiled hair.

7. All colors process for 30 minutes at room temperature, followed by a shampoo and conditioning treatment.

8. Marcouiller tones the bleached highlights with a Level-8 demipermanent copper that's processed for 10 minutes, followed by a shampoo and conditioner.

Photograpy by Roberto Ligresti; make-up by David Maderich for www.mistermakeup.com and www.halleyresources.com; photostyling by Viviana Rodriguez. Taupe top by Isda & Co; blue top by Michael Kors.

All color Clairol Complements. For the brown shade, three parts 5N (lightest natural brown) to one part 4RP (light red/plum brown), mixed with 10-volume Pure White developer; for the highlights, BW2 mixed with 30-volume Pure White; for the red, 6R (dark red blonde) sparked with Red Intensifier, mixed equal parts with 30-volume Pure White; for the highlight toner, 8RC (light red copper blonde) mixed equal parts with Complements Color Prompter. Kasho shears; Ken-Doo Alpha texturizing blade; Utsumi thinning shears; Hai flatiron; Parlux 3000 blow dryer; Combank comb; Denman brush.