In a private training session exclusively for Keune Loyalty Club salons, Brazilian colorist Tiago Aprigio—famed for his spotlight highlighting techniques—showcased multiple lightening effects using Keune’s new Ultimate Blonde Lightener, which launches July 2017.

Hosted at Keune Australia’s headquarters in Sydney, Aprigio took MODERN’s Editor in Chief Alison Alhamed from a balayaged/foilayage finish to a beautiful gradiation of color that progresses from a natural shadow root to icy ends. 

The sectioning is the key to Apriogio’s famed techniques. Using a tailcomb, he creates a back, top, sides and front section. Each section he takes follows a zig-zag pattern.

Beginning at the nape, he carves a zig zag from ear to ear. Using vertical subsections, he projects the hair out and backcombs it up to the root, beginning at midlengths. Once the whole ear-to-ear section is backcombed in about 5 or 6 panels, the lightening begins. 

“It is very important when applying the lightener that the section falls vertically,” Aprigio says. “This technique is fast and precise. Because we love doing what we do, but we also love making money.”

With a swipe of lightener on the foil, he places the sub-section on top and begins with the lightener on the mid strands. Using vertical strokes, he blends the lightener up to the root.

“The ends of the hair will have a lot of contrast and product saturation,” Aprigio says. “Do not put a lot of product on the top part of the hair.”

Within the foils, he applies the lightener on the section like eyeshadow, applying a heavy concentration in the center and at the ends, and blending it up the strand with the brush.

Formula: 1:1 of Keune Haircosmetics Ultimate Blonde Lightener with 20-volume developer.

Aprigio has developed a team-based service technique that allows him to work on up to 15 clients a day by utilizing multiple assistants and expert timing. He personally sections and backcombs each client—the most important differentiator in his technique—and his assistants apply the color and foiling, and check on timing.

“The more you backcomb from the ends, the finer and less bold the look will be,” Aprigio says. “I try to start halfway up the section for a dramatic effect. I do not comb all the way from the bottom, I start in the middle. If you start at the bottom, this will make the highlight super subtle which is not wrong—but for this result, I want bold ends.”

In the crown, he switches his backcombing to horizontal, and returning to vertical in the sides and front.

“The front section is very easy and fast,” Aprigio says. “We take each section, divide it in the middle and create four zig-zags, always taking into account the personalization of each woman’s hairline. I do not backcomb a lot here because I want her hair to have natural lighting. With this I still backcomb from the middle, but with simply less backcombing, always vertically.”

To minimize the time at the shampoo bowl, while the client is processing, Aprigio uses Keune Haircosmetics Protein Spray and After Care Shampoo on top of the lightener to help slow down the processing and control the hair’s pH, and to help remove the backcombing and make it easier and faster at the shampoo bowl.

Once the whole head is foiled and processed, and rinsed, Aprigio uses Keune Semi Color to help maximize the color progression while toning. He used equal parts (13g) of Semi Color in 4 and 6,  and 3 cm of 0/33.

“When toning, this is where we control how far we want the color progression to go,” Aprigio says. “If you want it to go through to the ends of the hair you will pull it further through the hair. It’s very important that every time you put the comb through the hair, use water to prevent creating a mark. Continue this same process on the remainder of the hair. Make sure there is no color in the basin.”

For the ends, he switched to 10.31 Semi Color. The shading progression continues, even with the toning. Rinse out after only a few minutes. Apply Keune Bond Fusion Phase 2, process for 10 minutes and rinse out.