Expert Content Series
Feat. Shelley Gregory
Shelley's Journey
Hi! My name is Shelley Gregory, I am a native of Las Vegas and I am based there as a colorist specialist/hair stylist. I am married with three real cute kids that motivate me daily! I work at Atelier by Square Salon two days a week and use the off time to travel for educating, photoshoots, hair shows and events like fashion week or Coachella.
In the salon I specialize in Blonding, I love all services that fall under that umbrella from double process to balayage. All that blonde practice led me to my pastel journey and I started gaining recognition online and went with viral my rainbow pastel hair creations that have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Pop Sugar, Seventeen, Huffington Post and Allure.
I am so grateful that getting recognized by the beauty industry has led to so many "pinch me" moments in my career. I have worked with Loreal Professionnel as a brand ambassador and artist. I have been an ambassador for Salon Centric for three years now and I love the community that they have built for stylists. I love teaching my coloring techniques and social media business strategies as well to other stylists.
Shelley's Tips & Tricks
The questions I get asked the most in my color classes are about my platinum blondes, I have seen and heard many stylist that get intimidated by this service.
Here are a few of my top tips on making your client a platinum blonde or a double process:
1- CONSULTATION: This is one of if not the most important part of your process. I like to lay out all the facts to my client before we decide if this service is good for them, honesty is everything to build a loyal clientele.
What is their lifestyle, do they have the time/budget to come for retouches every 4-6 weeks? How often do they wash their hair? How much heat do they use? What products and tools are they using at home? Are they a client that I know will follow instructions I send them home with?
All of these factors add up to what kind of client they are and if their hair, budget and/or lifestyle can handle it. You do not want someone to risk their hair and your reputation for a hair color. Always get their full hair history too, someone who has previous color would be a color correction service, when in doubt strand test!
2-FORMULATION: For on scalp double process application my favorite is cream lightener. I use the Loreal Professional Blonde Studio Platinium Plus, its a paste that is odor free and has zero dust. What I love most about it is the texture, its really creamy and I whisk it to a yogurt consistency.
It has bees wax and oils in it, so it has never been uncomfortable on anyones scalp. It leaves the hair shiny, soft and conditioned. It also does not expand, so wherever you place the lightener is where it stays, no bleeding or overlapping! I never use a developer higher then 20 volume and I can lift a level two to a level ten in one session. This is how I create my perfect pastel palette.
3- APPLICATION: I part the hair into quadrants and always start in the back, that way I can rinse when it is ready without disrupting the front. I put strips of cotton between each subsection, this helps overlapping, keeps the product wet and incubated. I also like to mix a fresh batch halfway through application.
I don’t typically use heat unless its a cold day, then I will heat up sections with the diffuser on low. Process times vary, but I watch them like a hawk, checking every ten minutes.
Here are some of my favorite products and tools:
- Dyson Supersonic blowdryer
- Olaplex-The entire line is fab
- Kerastase Blonde Absolu line for all my blondes
- Loreal Pro 10 in 1 Leave in Conditioner
Follow me @shelleygregoryhair for more tips and tricks to perfect your blonding techniques!
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