I've spent some time with this new color, Hairprint, and it's really fabulous. I thought that I would explain the background of the color, the people behind it, as well as the ingredients. This is perfect for the cool colored browns, dark browns, very dark browns, and blacks that we are not quite able to get without the PPD. When you order, mention that you heard about it from Gina, so we can try to keep track of who orders. :)
NOTE - Hairprint works best on hair that is less than 50% GREY
http://www.myhairprint.com/
Hairprint is actually based on an old principal, but of course it has been mixed with knowledge of current, safer, chemistry. The process is a basic metallic salt color formulation. I suspect that this has been used as far back as Ancient Greece, but I can trace it back as far as Ancient Rome. If you are thinking that this is your grandfathers'
Grecian Formula, with the green tint, that everyone knew was still grey, you would be
wrong. This is actually an amazing product. I put it through some intense sun, boating, swimming, and there wasn't any green, ever. I hope that clears up any questions on the "green". It's
just a classification, one that the company seems to not say. It is also classified as a permanent color, but to get a better grasp on how it works, let's call it a "progressive" permanent color. That means that you have to layer the color in "progressive" layers to achieve the full color results on white hair. This is why each package comes with three applications, but to be applied in one sitting, for 10 minutes each. Sound confusing? It's not, once you figure it out. The first product is actually a pre-shampoo product, that comes in a small packet. Then there are two applications that are the same, a liquid bottle, and a packet of powder, one set marked 1, one set marked 2. The last set, marked 3 is slightly different, but not by much. It helps to set the color.
I've changed what I apply the color with a bit. I need two pairs of gloves, as I poke through the gloves provided straight away. I also found the brush too messy to try to scoop up the color. I use a small wooden spoon. The color grips the wood, and I can scoop some of the color to areas around the head that are vertical. Since I've found that speed is the most important factor, I apply the color to the most resistant grey first. -unless I'm trying to achieve a special look...
The best part about this color is its versatility. It's limitations are only as far as your mind can take you. Sometimes I like to blend into the roots so regrowth is softer, or on the first application do less so the change is subtle. I like to use it as a blender color on clients that have a lot of grey, by starting the application in the back, and moving towards the front, leaving it lighter and less covered around the face, think Elizabeth Taylor, but more towards the brown shades.
Of course, the number one reason that I use this is because it is PPD FREE. In fact, it's PIGMENT FREE. The people that have founded this company swear by the color so much, they have actually consumed it! How many color companies can say that they have actually eaten some of their color? NONE! The ingredients are:
Water, goes without saying
Baking Soda, in your kitchen
Mucuna Pruriens, The velvet bean, often used for healthy smoothies!
Sodium Carbonate, a base, sometimes used as an electrolyte, naturally occurring
Carbomer ** a thickener, think fairy dust!
Hydrogen Peroxide, The peroxide percentage is very small. It is actually dissipated by the time you are applying.
Diatomaceous Earth made from the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. (tiny little sea shells)
Manganese Gluconate used to treat low blood magnesium.
Ferrous Gluconate Iron(II) gluconate, or ferrous gluconate, is a black compound often used as an iron supplement.
I will mention one warning, I've always been told not to perm hair treated with this kind of color. So, if anyone has permed over this, please let me know if you had "pocket curls". That's where the hair melts off the client's head, and you hide the curlers in your POCKET.
trouble shooting - I've had a few clients contact me with challenges, here's how to handle them.
Granules of Color on the Hair - Don't leave the color on longer than recommended.
Staining on the Skin - dryness or improper pre-treatment. As hairdressers, we apply a product around the face, ears, and hairline to inhibit color staining. Usually it is a super thick moisturizer of some sort. In the old days, we used Vaseline. I recommend using anything, even a chapstick will work.
Staining on your Scalp - Dryness. Dry scalp can be caused by winter, fine hair products, thinning hair products, medical issues, diet and more. It's difficult to say how much moisture the client needs, but assuming that the client has a healthy scalp, two quick ways to help get rid of some of the dryness before coloring? Before you shampoo, apply some hair conditioner to your scalp for 5 minutes. Rinse, and shampoo as usual. You can also do this the day after you color. Scalp too dry for this to make a dent? Substitute coconut oil for the conditioner, and allow it to sit on your scalp for an hour before shampooing out.
*It is very important that there is no oil left in your hair when you do your color!!
SO, I did some checking into the company, and the founders. Can you say WOW? The Company is also working with the NOVO Foundation, donating 20% of the proceeds to girls in the third world.
Let's start with Jasmin Hawken. (nee- Scalesciani) This Certified Nutritionist has a private practice that caters to A-list actors, Fortune 500 entrepreneurs, and professional athletes. There is a link to sign up for a FREE world wide 21 day cleanse, which I plan on doing as soon as we have some good fresh fruit and vegetables around here. (Upstate NY right now has Oranges, and Broccoli. So, I ate 5 oranges yesterday!) She is known for her absolute love of plants and herbs. The medicinal properties of which she unlocks and continually blooms into life, breath, movement, and in her own words, love. On her web site, at the top left, you will find five words, words that would be good for everyone to live by.
EAT MOVE LIVE BREATH LOVE
Paul Hawken, when I first read his name, I thought, well, he's just Jasmine's husband. Not so! His resume is shockingly both expansive, and diverse. From press coordinator in Selma, Alabama the night before Dr. Martin Luther King's historic march, to an organic food company, to not just THE Smith and Hawken catalog company, but actually designing some of the tools and products. He is an accomplished writer, with 4 of the 7 becoming national best sellers. He has done public speaking, actually in so many places that you have to go to his web site to see them, because I'm not re-typing them all! He has been on many TV shows, radio shows, He serves as a board member for several companies, as well as Hairprint. One company he founded is currently working on green solar energy that is affordable, and one book was noted by past President Bill Clinton as, "One of the 5 most important books of today."
Indecently, every time that I have contacted the company, it has been Paul that has returned my e-mails.
Elizabeth Kapu’uwailani Lindsey,Ph.D., was born a native Hawaiian. She was raised by traditional elders, giving her a traditional Hawaiian name, Kapu’uwailani, meaning "The Heart of Heaven". She is an award winning film maker, actress, beauty queen, environmentalist, explorer, and most of all she works to preserve and document the ancient ways, world wide She is the first female National Geographic Fellow, and the first Polynesian explorer. She has studied vanishing traditions from remote parts of the world, including non-instrument ocean navigation. In partnership with NatGeo and PBS, she has served as executive producer on a multi-part series. My favorite line on her bio for NatGeo is, "She resides in California and Hawaii, but she considers herself a child of the world."
That leaves us with Dr. John Warner. This is the man who came up with the formula, and co-holds the patent. I'm not sure if I noted this, but the patent was passed in 8 months, which is unheard of -and Dr. Warner would certainly know, he holds a multitude of patents, some joint, some not. He is a Chemist, a GREEN chemist, a professor, a writer, an editor, a fellow, a musician, a gamer, (he likes World of Warcrack, I mean Warcraft!), an award winner, oh, did I mention that he owns his own institute? WarnerBabcock? There is just too much for me to type about Dr. Warner as well.
The talent that has brought this color to the market is brilliant. If you had doubts about trying it, I hope that reading about the people behind it gave you the extra nudge to order. This color is safe. I've used it 4 times, with zero repercussions. I'm about to order so I can do my fifth! Try it!
*I do NOT make any money, or receive any monetary compensation for any orders, or for this blog. gt
** Carbomer- This is synthetic. Although there are natural alternatives, they can be sensitizers. Looking at all of my resources, this white powder seems to actually be the best choice. There are zero chances of allergies, according to everything that I have read. I will continue to look, but the past six months have turned up zilch. It's in a lot of products, in fact, I was very surprised at the number of things that I have that it's in. -it's too many to list! -gt
