Color Conversations with Beth Minardi

My dear friend and colleague Beth Minardi held her “Color Conversation Class” this past Monday at my salon, Salon Ratay, which brought many state wide beauty professionals to see her teach. Beth and I have known each other for twenty plus years. We first met at a specific manufacturer conference. She later became my mentor on a professional level I was told information about hair color that I questioned. I reached out to Beth about my skepticism on the information that was being taught to thousands of hairdressers, and Beth said, I quote “Sherry if you don’t trust what I’m telling you, go home and do your own research.” I went and did my own research and found Beth gave me the correct information about hydrogen peroxide, which I have talked about in past blogs (“The Truth about Hydrogen Peroxide”). I was furious that a major manufacturer was teaching misleading information. This led to one of the reasons I have whole heartedly supported and had a part in the development of Beth Minardi Signature Shades. She was the first manufacturer to create a line and an educational agenda informing hairdressers on the truth about hair color including hydrogen peroxide, colorants, and the difference between ammonia and MEA.

Beth travels nationally to teach her hair color brand, Beth Minardi Signature Shades, along with Minardi techniques and applications in what she calls “Color Conversations”. We had a seven hour class lecture on different topics such as grey coverage, using proper color tools, PPD(which I talked about in one of my previous blogs), BMS color line, appropriate pricing for hairdressers, setting a higher standard of professionalism for the beauty industry, and Olaplex(which will be in an upcoming blog). I admire how she teaches others to achieve their greatest potential to follow Beth’s motto of “elevating hair color to an art form”. Beth teaches the importance of deeply analyzing the integrity of the hair fiber, to determine whether you should erase or lighten the hair strand when coloring and how to maintain optimal health because HEALTHLY hair radiates BEAUTIFUL haircolor!

Furthermore, it was a great refresher for me to discuss Olaplex, and the sensitivity some clients have to PPD. It is becoming more of a rising issue as the number of sensitivity to hair color continues to increase. I admire and respect Beth because she continues to lead and develop the way for hair color as it evolves in modern society. Leading into my motto, “No matter how skilled you are as a hairdresser, whether it is one week or twenty years, you never stop learning.” I believe it is extremely important to have a mentor figure in the beauty industry because it is always good to have someone to go to with questions. Two minds are better than one!

How to Create POP Colors the "Ratay Way"!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and with a fresh new year upon us, 2015 is off to a great start! A very dear guest of mine wanted pieces of soft pink added to her already stunning hair color. I first mentioned soft pink colored hair extension but she wasn't having it, so we agreed on her January visit with me I would add these pieces in. I must first say that it’s my professional opinion that not every woman can wear what I like to call “Pop Colors” in their hair. Whether it is age, personality, or profession, these key factors need to be considered when consulting. In creating this soft pink or any vibrant shade it can often be challenging, most important is to create your Pop color without damaging the integrity of the hair. Hopefully by the end of this blog you will understand how to do it the right way.

When working with overly porous hair, a challenging part of creating a pop color is the application of the “Pop Color”. Porous hair means that the hair fiber is dry and malnourished due too many different elements. Such as over exposure to the sun, not properly conditioned, misusing hair color and/or technique, or styling tools. When this type of hair is colored with the “Pop Color”, it can become splotchy, fade instantly, or not take to the hair at all. To prevent this from happening ALWAYS think of the hair fiber first. For example, if a brunette wants a bright thatchy piece of color, we do not need to bleach the strand to cotton white. Instead, we would bleach it to orange; apply a glaze achieving our target shade from there.  This process ensures the integrity of the hair is not ruined allowing you the ability as an artist to create for future seasonal hair color changes.

I enjoy creating “Pop Colors” at times because it allows me to excel creatively, pushing me to step out of the box, as well as satisfying the expectations of my guests. Remember to inform your guest that this look does come with some maintenance; you must maintain the color with more frequent visits than a normal hair color service due to fading. A great tip in keeping the shade from fading is by using dry shampoo instead of constantly washing it, the less friction to the hair strand the better. Remember “Pop Color” is a stain dye which means the color molecule is larger so it does not penetrate the hair strand like traditional hair color.

Overall, this type of color is great for an accessory look or if you want a little extra “pop” in your life. Check out my tutorial video on how to create this interesting look the “Ratay Way”.

Quick Tip For Coloring Hair!