The Level System
Levels / Tones of Hair Color
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
1
Performance Objective
Upon completion of this assignment,
the student will be able to
identify levels and tones of natural hair color.
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
2
Specific Objectives
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Define level and tone of hair color.
List the levels of hair color.
Determine the level and the base of a clients
hair.
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
3
Test your knowledge.
How many levels of hair color are there?
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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There are 10 levels of hair color
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
5
Test your knowledge.
Is there a difference between bases and tones?
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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Bases and tones are the same
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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Level Systems
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Level is the unit of measurement used to identify the
lightness and darkness of a color
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Value or depth of a color
Scale of 1-10
 Level 1
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Level 10
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Darkest
Lightest
A universal system is available for hairdressers that
removes the ominous guesswork & fear of formulations
Manufacturers have hair swatches that can be used to
determine the natural level of hair color
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
8
Tone or Tonality
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Referred to as a base or tone of hair color
Warmth and coolness of hair color
Under lying color pigment in the hair
The color tone is developed from a combination of color pigments in
the hair
The hair’s natural color pigment is found in the cortex layer of the
hair
The color pigment is made up of color cells arranged lengthwise in
the cortex layer
Natural hair color is developed by combinations of these pigments,
either black-brown or red- yellow
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
9
Tone or Tonality
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The combination of
these colors decides
whether the hair will be
light or dark
Light brown hair has
greater amount of
yellow/red cells, while
dark hair has a greater
amount of brown/black
cells
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
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Warm color –
highlightening color
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Red
Orange
Yellow
Cool – Drab or ash
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Blue
Green
violet
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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Tone or Tonality
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Warm colors – appear lighter
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Warm hair color names
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blues, greens, violets
Cool hair color names
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auburn, copper, gold, bronze, honey
Cool colors – appear darker
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reds, oranges and yellows
ash, drab, smokey, platinum
Influences results of artificial hair color
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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Intensity
Strength of a color tone
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Mild, medium, or strong.
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Strawberry blonde
Copper brown
Bright orange
Various intensities off red shades
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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Base
Predominant tone of an existing color
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Influences the final color result
Base colors
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Violet base will deliver cool results & minimize unwanted yellow
Blue base color will minimize orange tones
Red-orange base will create bright, warm results
Gold bases create gold haircolor from brunettes to light blondes
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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Identifying the level / tone of
natural hair color
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Activity
Use a natural level hair swatch
 Take 2” square section in crown area
 Hold up from scalp
 Allow light to pass through
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Move swatch from scalp from scalp area along
hair strand
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The level is determined if the swatch and natural hair
blend
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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Note
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Hair at the crown is usually darker that the front of the
hair
Client may not perceive that her “natural “ hair is that
dark
 Environment, mechanical tools, chemicals affect the
look they see
Remember : levels are lightness and darkness
only
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS CAN EFFECT A
PERSON’S PERCEPTION OF
NATURAL HAIR COLOR
FLOURESCENT LIGHTS DISTORT
HAIR COLOR. ALWAYS USE
NATURAL LIGHT TO ANALYZE HAIR
COLOR
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
18
Factors affecting Haircolor
Hair porosity
State of the cuticle
Type of light
Indoors or outdoors, fluorescent & incandescent
Surroundings
Walls painted
Drape
Clothing
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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Color Level
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Black
Black brown
Darkest brown
Dark brown
Medium brown
Light brown
Dark blonde
Medium blonde
Light blonde
Lightest blonde
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
21
Depth of Color
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Up until now we have
been discussing the
mixing of colors at full
color strength
Now we will look at the
reaction we get when
primary colors are
mixed with equal
amounts of white
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
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Play dough
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16 small white balls
5 primary color balls
Mix 1 white 1 primary
Mix 2 white 1 primary
Mix 3 white 1 primary
Continue mixing
By doing this combination of
colors with white you create
different colors of depth
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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Depth of Color
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By using various
mixtures and
combinations the
lightest shades are
created with almost
limitless possibilities
Depth or level of color
indicates how dark or
how light the color
really is
©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education
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The more white used in
the mixture, the lighter
the color
The more black used in
the mixture, the darker
the color
Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color
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