Heather -orlando, florida-2/15/10

OLOR: -All Pravana- The base (all-over color) is 50/50 7n & 8n with 10 volume. I used 10 volume and lightner for her blond, and the pink and purple sections. I decided last minute on doing a tiny piece of dark brown (50/50 4.22&5n with Zero Lift) just lying on top of the colors, and one on the right side underneath a high-light just to kinda put the whole scheme together.

CUT: In the back I did Toni&Guy's Round Layers, basically getting a uniform layer all around the back and underneath of the head (the occipital to the nape.) In the front and on top I kind of free-styled after it was dry, using a lot of the sectioning and cutting lines of Paul Mitchel's Triangular Layers. I happen to know for a fact that licensed stylists can go into a Paul Mitchel school and take a class on their Core Cutting.

STYLING: -All Bumble&Bumble- I styled this a lot like I did Elizabeth's cut, except with Heather I used Thickening Hairspray on damp hair and blow-dried everything in the back straight up. That stuff has a lot of kick. After it was dry I used a little bit of Sumo-Tech, applying with my finger tips to the roots in the back of the head for volume. Then I spread a thin layer over my hands and just add some texture and movement to everything by wiping the tips or gathering certain strands into bigger accents.

She's a student at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Heather was actually my last client at Altamoda, which I find ironic because I really used everything I learned there while doing her hair. If I'm right she's studying psychology and literature, and I'm sure other ones... maybe not... I don't know anything about college yet.


Heather was set on some pink or purple, I was so excited. I wish I had taken a before picture, Heather is actually really blond naturally. In my thinking though, when you're using unnatural colors like pink. green, blue, etc., you really want a
good backdrop for all that. I decided this light brown would be flat enough and still complimentary to her skin. I say flat because the contrast between these bright colors and a more matte color, even a bleached-out blond look, is really perfect. Also, Heather has pretty fine hair and when using a deposit only color on fine light hair, you technically make the hair strand a tiny bit thicker since you're adding dye molecules. And getting nice matte brown into that hair can really make it appear thicker, especially at the roots.

I added a couple highlights and two low lights- one right on top of the brighter colors and one just above a highlight on the right (her right not yours.)

She was actually referred to me by a good friend of mine, a girl that works front desk at Altamoda part time, Elise. She's at Rollins too and over conversation I got the referral. This is the biggest ego boost for a hairstylist, just so you know. I'm still getting high on it.

Heather and I really connected and she was one of the first few people I told about this blog and project. As an educated and modern girl I'd just met, her immediate interest and support of the idea was priceless to me. And the fact that the two of us were able to go back and forth with our ideas for her hair, brought us to a result we both loved.

Let's hear it for Heather.



-Gunnar