COLOUR
CORRECTION
BASICS
Pjw 2012
pjw jan12
This can result from e.g.;
•The
client not informing you of previous colour
•Errors
mixing colours
•Inexperience
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
You need to know about the colour star

You need to understand the ICC numbers of
the tint manufacturer

You need to understand what happens when
two colours are mixed together
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
This is a guide to understanding the basics of
colour correction

Understanding what possibly went wrong in the
first place

Understanding the basics of what to do to correct
it
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

In hairdressing we work on the principal
that all colour is obtained from THREE
primary colours.
Can you list these colours before you move
on?

1

2

3
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If you didn’t already know the three primary
colours used are;

RED

YELLOW

BLUE
And all other colours are obtained by mixing
these colours together in certain ways
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Thinking back to art in school can you
remember;
1. What happens if you mix red paint and
yellow paint together?
2. What happens when you mix red and blue
together?
3. What happens if you mix yellow and blue
together?
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1.
2.
3.
ORANGE
PURPLE
GREEN
Then, depending how much red is mixed with
yellow would give is varying degrees of Orange
e.g.
If you mix a small amount of red with a larger
amount of yellow, the result would be along the
lines of a very light orange
The colour star below demonstrates this principal.
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
The Colour Star
Red / Blue
,5 &
,6
Red / Yellow
,4
,3
,7
Blue / Yellow
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Of course in Hairdressing we wouldn’t normally
call our colours Orange, or Purple, or Green.
Can you guess what we would say;



Orange = Gold,
Red = Warm,
Green/Blue = Cool tones or Ash or Matt
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Mahogany
& Violet
Red (warm)
Copper
Yellow (gold)
Green (Matt ash)
Blue (ash)
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
Looking at the colour star, the colour on the
opposite side cancels out e.g.

Red cancels out Green

Blue cancels out Orange

Mauve cancels out yellow
And Visa-Versa
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So;
Now that you know this principal
and studying colour star;
If you have a client who has a slight green
tinge to her hair, what colour would you use
to cancel out the green?

If you have a client whose hair is slightly
too warm, what would you do?

Always consider how much green or red etc.
is present before deciding how much of the
colour you would introduce to cancel it out.
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Cool Tones
.0
Deep Basic
10
9
Lightest
Blonde
8
Light
Blonde
7
6
5
4
Blonde
3
2
1
Dark
Brown
.7
Green
Ash
.1
Blue Ash
Warm Tones
.2
Mauve
.3
Golden
.4
Copper
.5
Mahogany
Very
Light
Blonde
8.3
Light Golden
Blonde
Dark
Blonde
Light
Brown
Brown
4.45
Copper Mahogany
Brown
Darkest
Brown
Black
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.6
Red



Now you have got the principals of colour
cancellation, look at the numbering system
on the ICC colour numbering workbook and
assume your client has a depth of 7.
In the previous exercise put numbers to the
tones you would possibly introduce to cancel
the green.
Put numbers to the tones you would possibly
introduce to cancel out too much warmth
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All the above are basic principals, from here it is
experience building, asking stylists and watching
what happens.
Once you have grasped this, even if you don’t have a
colour chart to hand you can, faced with any problem
with a clients hair colour, simply ask yourself;

What colour do I want to eliminate?
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




With the colour I want to eliminate, which
colour is missing from the primary colour
range
That’s the colour I need to introduce
e.g. you want to get rid of green,
BLUE & YELLOW make green,
out of the PRIMARY colours, RED is
missing –
THAT’S THE COLOUR TO INTRODUCE!
HOW MUCH ?
YOU DECIDE !
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