Nothing is more satisfying to a hair color pro then sending a perfectly cool platinum blonde, balayage or brunette highlight client out the door. And nothing is more heartbreaking than seeing those cool or neutral tones turn yellow or brassy way before their time. That’s why more and more stylists are turning to purple and blue shampoos and masks to keep those hair colors as neutral as Switzerland!

See how Alfredo Lewis @alfredo_lewis and Philip Wolff @philipwolffhair use the best ingredients—including Total Results So Silver Shampoo—to create the perfect layered long hair and cool blonde balayage. (There’s no sound for this video so no need to adjust anything on your phone or computer!)

WHY YELLOW? WHY ORANGE?
This probably serves as a review, but to quickly refresh your memory, off-tone hair color always comes down to undertones. Anyone who has lightened levels 8, 9 and 10+ has witnessed the underlying yellow tones in those hair colors, and anyone who has lifted levels 5,  6, and 7 has seen the underlying orange tones. Neutralizing those unwanted undertones based on basic color theory is the solution. “Violet sits opposite yellow on the color wheel, which means violet or purple will neutralize yellow,” explains Donna Mann, director of educational development for Matrix. “And blue sits opposite orange, which means blue will neutralize orange or brassy tones.”

THE NEUTRAL ZONE: IN THE SALON AND AT HOME
Typically, you would tone lightened hair with a formula that neutralizes the unwanted undertones, and that’s still the right strategy. But now you can do more to neutralize those unpleasant hues, including extending the neutralizing process between salon appointments.

Total Results So Silver—a system of violet shampoo, conditioner and mask—keeps blonde, silver and platinum hair free of unwanted yellow tones. It can be used on lightened hair or on natural gray or silver hair. Total Results Brass Off—a blue shampoo, conditioner and mask collection—bans unwanted brassy tones on lightened brown hair. “If I want deep conditioning along with my toner, I’ll apply one of the Total Results toning masks in the salon after lightening,” explains Matrix Artistic Director Dan Csicsai. “And I also send clients home with the shampoo, conditioner and mask for ongoing tonal maintenance.”

The highly pigmented shampoos and masks can be used once or twice a week, depending on the client’s needs. Csicsai advises his clients to wear gloves when applying the formulas, to section the hair for even saturation and to avoid contact with skin and scalp.

THE DOUBLE PAYOFF
Not only do neutralizing home care systems maintain your clients’ color (and satisfaction with your work), they also offer new retail opportunities for your business. Stocking an array of at-home, color enhancing options for all your haircolor clients (including the new Total Results Dark Envy collection for subduing red undertones in dark hair) elevates your color services and your color business to a new level. Cool!

Learn more about Total Results So Silver and Total Results Brass Offsystems.