Get The Look: Greige Blonde On Textured Hair

Earlier this month, Redken announced the new Shades EQ Bonder Inside Ash Gold shade family, featuring three new dreamy shades: Misty Beige 010AG, Glossy Greige 09AG, and Smokey Beige 07AG. With the perfect balance of cool ash and warm gold reflects, the Ash Gold family is here to create your new blonde staple: greige blonde.

Greige is a multi-dimensional neutral that work son both cool and warm skin tones across all hair types and textures. While this wearable blonde looks amazing on textured hair, achieving blonded hues on tight curls often requires extra protection and distinct technique. For added strength, the new Ash Gold shades are exclusive to the Shades EQ Bonder Inside family—an all-in-one toner and bonder that helps protect and strengthen sensitized hair. Formulated with citric acid and taurine, Bonder Inside will help ensure the integrity of curls remains in tact while toning to the same Shades EQ Gloss results you know and love.

As for technique, we went to the pros. To help you achieve the ever wearable greige blonde on your clients, we had Redken Ambassadors and texture specialists Barri Gibson and Rachel Redd test out the new Ash Gold shades first. See their results, step-by-step formulas, and other tips for achieving your new go-to blonde on high textured hair.

BARRI GIBSON

Redken Ambassador Barri Gibson specializes in coloring and shaping textured hair, so we wanted to know her top tips for ensuring client’s curls are still intact once the hair is done processing.

“When highlighting, I like to use super thin, see-through sections and a low volume—usually 10-volume—around the face because the hair is very fragile,” Barri explains. For the rest of the head, she uses 20-volume developer. “I mix small amounts, so the lightener is always fresh, and I pull foils as soon as the hair reaches the desired level of lightness.”

Remember, the tighter the coil, the more fragile the hair. See Barri’s greige results below with her formula and product recommendations for protecting her client’s curls.

Client #1

This client’s hair level started at about a 5. She lifted perfectly using Redken Flash Lift Bonder with 10-and 20-volume for a full head of highlights.

After lightening, she was cleansed with Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo, towel dried and toned with Shades EQ Bonder Inside 09AGand Shades EQ Clear for 15 minutes. She was conditioned with Acidic Bonding Concentrate Moisture Treatment and sprayed with Sealer. Hair was blow dried and styled.

Client #2

Client’s hair was cut down with clippers and lightened with Blonde Icing and 30 volume for 30 minutes. After, hair was cleansed and toned with Shades EQ Bonder Inside 010AG.

RACHEL REDD

“I love the new Shades EQ Bonder Inside Ash Gold series because you can create a cool ash tone without muting the vibrancy in the highlight like other ash tones.”

Client #1

Step 1: Full foil highlight, alternating between thin slicing(½-inch)and fine weaving technique, using 3oz.Flash Lift Bonder Inside with 4.5 oz 20-volume. No added heat. Process up to 45 minutes.

Step 2: Rinse out foil highlights at the shampoo bowl, lightly cleanse the hair with Extreme Bleach Recovery Shampoo and rinse. Then towel dry hair to apply 40ml of Extreme Bleach Recovery Lamellar Water Rinse Out to the mid-length and ends to prep hair for toning.

Step 3:Then apply 2 oz. of Color Gel Lacquers 06NA, 1 oz. 7AB, and3.5 of 10-volumeto Zone 1 to process for 20 minutes.

Step 4:After 20 minutes, rinse out Zone1, and dry hair at least 75-percentdry. Apply 2 oz. of SEQ 07AG, 2 oz. of 09AG, and 4 oz Gloss to Gel Processing solution. Process for 20 minutes.

Step 5:Rinse out SEQ, and finish hair with Acidic Bonding Concentrate System to balance the pH in the hair.

Step 1: Freehand open air balayage highlights using3oz. Flash Lift Bonder Inside with 3.5 oz of 20-volumefrom the temples down to the nape. Use foil highlights using a thin slicing technique with a light backcomb throughout the top crown and hairline of the head with 2 oz. Flash Lift Bonder Inside and 3.5 oz 20-volume,applied to Zone 1 and2 to blend out warmth and leaving pre-lightened ends out.

Step 2:Rinse out foil highlights at the shampoo bowl, lightly cleanse the hair with Extreme Bleach Recovery Shampoo and rinse. Then towel dry hair to apply 40ml of Extreme Bleach Recovery Lamellar Water Rinse Out to the mid-length and ends to prep hair for toning.

Step 3:Dry hair at least 75-percentdry. Apply to Zone 1,2oz. Color Gel Lacquers 07NA with 2.5 oz of 10-volume. Then apply to Zone 2 and3,3oz. SEQ 010AG with 3 oz. of gloss to gel processing solution. Process for 20 minutes.

Step 4:Rinse out SEQ and finish hair with the Acidic Bonding Concentrate System to balance the pH in the hair.

Learn more about Shades EQ Bonder Inside and shop the new Ash Gold shades here.