As a pro, I understand what makes a good hair color application, and had the skills to back those up. What could possibly go wrong when I applied color on myself? Exactly five things.
The 5 Elements of a Proper Application
1) Speed: As much as I liked chatting with clients in the salon, when it came to applying color, I put on my serious game face. The clock starts ticking the minute the first drop of color touches the hair, where it begins processing. Ideally, the front and back applications will finish closely together to get an even result. As I carefully applied my own color, by the time I finished the back of my head, the color on the front had already been on over 20 minutes. Do the math: starting the timer to now process the whole head the recommended 30 minutes, meant by the end, the front had processed almost an hour! Sigh. Overly dark and more damaged front of head.
2) Precision: Overlapping, i.e., applying over previously colored hair, causes so much havoc! The results? Dullness, banding and damaged hair. During application, color accidentally seeped down several inches of hair, when I only wanted it on my regrowth. Over a few months, this caused my overall color to gradually turn darker and darker. The culprit wasn't me, it was the messy bottle. I had to bend over to get it to work with gravity, which meant I couldn't see where it was landing half the time. Within a few months my lovely tresses had zero dimension, and felt crunchy and straw-like straw from over-processing.
3) Parting: I knew I needed to take long, clean partings like I gave my clients so the color would place precisely and only on my roots, so I...
a) used a tail comb to part, b) put the comb down c) picked up the bottle d) turned it upside down to shake the contents down d) repeat for every section. This was a lot of slow maneuvers for what was once a clean swoop.
4) Spreading: The average bottle is not designed to spread color with. Spreading color with hands? So like finger painting! The color on my gloves would spread onto my next section of hair, so I accidentally colored over my highlights- or wherever I touched.
5) Experience: I very soon began to dread (despise, hate, avoid) coloring my hair because of the tedious, out-of-control process, only to be frustrated with my so-so results. What was once a self-care service that I enjoyed having done in the salon was now a task, so I began to put off coloring until my roots and I were in a stare down contest.
That’s when I began dabbling to create a better application system. There have been more prototypes and engineer meetings over the yearrs than I can count. Many moments of getting stuck, searching for and finding solutions. Slowly improving on every prototype. Fast forward twenty years. I don't rock my dark brown any longer, now I play with bleach and toning my silvers with a fully fledged, patented Hummingbird, and I'm loving it.
The Hummingbird has all five elements covered. It works upright so I can see what I'm doing, including helping to reach the hard parts, like the back. The angled beak is purposefully designed to both part and spread color. The patented valve system carefully controls the flow of color- no more random squirting! Now I speed through my color applications, hit the mark and have fun doing it. I think of the Hummingbird as my friendly, able little-helper. I clean her, dry overnight, and shes ready to re-use, looking at me longingly from my shelf or in the bathroom with her little eyes, patiently awaiting my next application.
I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience in our reviews!
---Kathryn
Note: The Hummingbird's technology works so well, shes become a tool used in salons. Her upright use and flow control are an asset everywhere. With my feet anchored in both worlds, the insight and experiences of having lived in both, the Hummingbird is truly powered by the imagination, regardless of where she flies.
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