As most people know, I love experimenting with hair color. I've tried everything from auburn to black cherry and have loved every single thing in between.
Recently, one of my clients came into the salon wanting something new for fall! She had previous chocolate brown hair but wanted to try out some reds (like the name of this blog).
So we decided on an overall red tone that leans towards orangey brown with some purple undertones and some vibrancy around her face.
We did babylights just above her face to give it dimension and depth, as well as lowlights around her face so it wouldn't look too flat or boring (which can happen easily when doing all over color).
We also added in some fun highlights at the ends of her hair to add softness and movement throughout. Here is how we created this look:
Formulated for a client who previously had chocolate brown hair but wanted to try something new.
This recipe is ideal for someone who has dark brown hair and wants to go a little bit lighter. The chocolate cherry color is also perfect for someone who has previously had brown hair and wants to try something new without making their hair too different from their natural shade.
Created using Schwarzkopf Igora Color10 permanent color with 20 vol developer.
This DIY hair color recipe is made using Schwarzkopf Igora Color10 permanent hair color and 20 vol developer.
Formulas: base: 3-0 base 4-42 midshafts 5-77 ends
Base: 3-0 base 4-42 midshafts 5-77 ends
Midshafts: 6-43 end
Ends: 7-16
Formula for the lowlights/babylights: 9-5 + Clear
As a general rule, I recommend using a 9-5 + Clear formula when you want to create lowlights/babylights.
This is because the clear base will be able to lift your natural hair color enough to achieve the result you want. A brown base would also work well with this formula but my favorite way of doing it is with clear!
Don't worry if you don't have all three colors of our 9-5 line yet—you can use any two of them instead.
For example, if you don't have Blonde Light in your collection yet but do have Almond Glaze and Mocha Moxie (or vice versa), just mix those together for a similar result!
Formula for the toner (to neutralize any orangey tones and create a cooler brown): We did this on her regrowth only.
If you're not familiar with the concept of color formulas, it's basically a list of ingredients that must be mixed together in order to create the color you want. Let's say you want to make red hair dye.
Your formula would be something like 2 parts P-9 + 1 part P-1 + 3 parts H2O (for example). This is just an example; if you were to look up how to make red hair dye online, this would likely not be your formula (but maybe it will someday!).
So what was my formula? Well, I had her regrowth only! We used 6-77 (the darker brown) and 8-1 (the cherry red). Then we added 8-65 as our toner this neutralizes any orangey tones and creates a cooler brown than if we didn't use it at all.
Here is the formula to achieve the chocolate cherry hair color!
Here is the formula for the chocolate cherry hair color:
// Formula for Chocolate Cherry Hair Color//
1 part Permanent Creme Hair Color, Dark Brown (or a similar brown)
1 part Permanent Creme Hair Color, Medium Brown (or a similar cool-brown)
1 part Permanent Creme Hair Color, Chestnut Brown (or a similar red-brown/copper brown)
//Formula for Lowlights/Babylights//
1 part Permanent Crème Hair Colour in Ash Blonde or Honey Blonde (use a lower percentage than you would with just the base colour!)
Conclusion
I’m so excited to share this formula with you! It was a lot of fun to create, and I hope that you’ll have just as much fun using it. Have questions? Let me know in the comments below!
