HOW OLAPLEX
Olivia Brunzell @OliviazBrunzell
"Cowboy Copper" has been breaking the internet, and that means clients of all kinds are booking in with you for this trendy hair color. You’re lifting brunettes, adjusting redheads and glossing blondes to get this warm, spicy shade. Celebrity colorist Chad Kenyon is creating Cowboy Copper for quite a few of his clients (or as he calls them, his muses). One insight for creating this Insta-worthy hue, he shares, is in the color composition.
“For me,” Kenyon reveals, “The trick is not to use red. Redheads very seldom have actual red in them; it’s usually a combination of copper and gold. So depending on where I’ve lifted the hair from, I’ll mix a ratio of copper and gold together. And sometimes, I’ll add a bit of a light, warm neutral, which gives me that warm, woodsy feel.”
Kenyon took influencer and “muse” @_AnnabelleHooper from light apricot to a rich and rustic Cowboy Copper, using an OLAPLEX treatment plus OLAPLEX No. 1 Bond Multiplier in the color formula.
BEYOND THE FORMULA:
BETTER BONDS WITH OLAPLEX
Beyond formulation, Kenyon has another strategy for creating not-only Cowboy Copper, but all of the shades that have made him the go-to hair color pro in Los Angeles for performers and influencers. “An OLAPLEX treatment is a requirement for all of my balayage and retouch clients,” he says. “Not only do I add OLAPLEX to my lighteners, hair color and gloss formulas, I perform a Stand-Alone treatment to prepare the hair before the color service. It strengthens and rebuilds the hair and gives me a shinier, healthier canvas.”
WHY OLAPLEX?
BEYOND COLOR—EVERY CLIENT, EVERY SERVICE
Any salon visit is an opportunity to rebuild bonds with OLAPLEX, Kenyon believes. Whether it’s a haircut, hair styling or bridal visit or a texturizing service, a Stand-Alone OLAPLEX Treatment at the beginning of the appointment can prime the canvas for service success. And that goes for virtually every hair texture, type, density, and condition.
Often, Kenyon will perform one or more OLAPLEX treatments prior to carrying on with a color service. “I’m currently working with a client who flies in from Egypt to see me,” he reveals. “She wants to be blonde, but her hair is not ready yet. So for her first visit, I simply did an OLAPLEX Stand-Alone Treatment and a gloss. She went home with the entire OLAPLEX home care line. I told her not to use hot tools during this time. She will return in two weeks for another OLAPLEX treatment. Her hair is really damaged, so we will just do OLAPLEX Stand-Alone Treatments until it’s healthy enough to lighten.” Kenyon often puts his color clients on this type of prep program to ready the hair for hair color. He also suggests prepping bridal clients with OLAPLEX treatments in the months leading up to their weddings and prepping regular clients with OLAPLEX treatments in the months leading up to holidays or special occasions to ensure the healthiest possible hair for their events.
To make treatments even simpler, OLAPLEX just announced the OLAPLEX Stand-Alone Treatment Single-Use Professional System. These pre-measured sachets are ready to go whenever you are.
THE OLAPLEX STAND-ALONE TREATMENT HOW-TO
According to Kenyon, an OLAPLEX Stand-Alone treatment prior to a cut, color or style service begins on dry hair. Combine 15 ml of OLAPLEX No. 1 Bond Multiplier with 90 ml of water in a color bottle and apply the mixture to dry hair at the shampoo bowl. Process for 10 minutes. Then apply OLAPLEX No. 2 Bond Perfector directly onto the hair from a pump bottle at the backbar. “OLAPLEX No. 2 Bond Perfector contains the same patented technology as OLAPLEX No. 1 Bond Multiplier,” he explains, "but in a cream form. So it really drenches the hair with strength and doubles up the saturation.” Process for an additional 10 minutes. Then shampoo with OLAPLEX No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and condition with OLAPLEX No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner. “Conditioning is important,” notes Kenyon, “because OLAPLEX treatments are not moisturizers. So don’t skip this step.” Then proceed with the cut, finishing and/or styling service.
And even if you perform an OLAPLEX Stand-Alone Treatment prior to a color service, notes Kenyon, it’s important to add OLAPLEX No. 1 Bond Multiplier to your base color, lightener, and gloss formulas. “Doing so mitigates the damage that can occur during processing,” he notes. Another tip? If you’re doing a balayage or color retouch with OLAPLEX No. 1 Bond Multiplier in your formula, go ahead and apply OLAPLEX No. 2 Bond Perfector directly onto the rest of the hair and allow it to process at the same time as the color. “You never want to miss an opportunity to improve the integrity of the hair,” says Kenyon.
AN AHA OLAPLEX MOMENT
Kenyon’s eyes were opened to the superpowers of OLAPLEX very early on. He recalls, “It was 2014 and I had just gotten one of the first OLAPLEX samples. My girl came into the salon with waist-length hair containing five-to-six years of black box dye. Years of dye build-up! What’s more, some of her hair had caught fire from a birthday cake, so it was melted and smoky and frizzled. And she wanted to be balayaged. I cut off the melted hair and although I was apprehensive, I thought I’d try the new OLAPLEX. I took her to the bowl and literally poured it on her hair. I let her process for a really long time, then shampooed and towel-dried her. I could see her hair was better already. I did it again. By the end of the day, I was able to send her home with a beautiful caramel balayage, repaired hair and a healthy respect for OLAPLEX.”
Another take on Cowboy Copper by @kazdoeshair, using OLAPLEX to keep hair bonds strong.
THE BUSINESS OF BONDING
When it comes to pricing for OLAPLEX Stand-Alone Treatments, there are several options. Some stylists may wish to factor the cost of the treatment into the overall service price. Kenyon charges separately for his treatments—at a rate of around 10 percent of the price of a balayage service.
He also discusses the benefits of OLAPLEX during his consultations. If he feels an OLAPLEX treatment is necessary, no is not an option. “I explain the rhyme and reason,” he says, “and when someone shows me a photo of what they want, I may have to say, ‘Ok based on the condition of your hair, we’ll do a Stand-Alone treatment today and we might have to do a few more and then we’ll be able to safely achieve this color.’ I also make OLAPLEX a requirement for all of my balayage and retouch services. My clients never complain. They see how well it works after the very first time.”
And what is the best business advantage of working with OLAPLEX? Referrals! “I hear regularly that one of my clients is out at a restaurant and someone stops them and asks who did their color,” says Kenyon. “I know it’s due to me and my work, but it’s also due to incorporating OLAPLEX into my color services!”
Want to learn more about the benefits of OLAPLEX?
Click here for a deep dive into the science behind bond building.
It all comes down to hair’s disulfide bonds. Of all the bonds that comprise the structure of each hair strand, disulfide bonds are the strongest. Until OLAPLEX came along, products on the market were not relinking bonds. Now, with its 160 patents, OLAPLEX Bond Building Technology™ is the stylist’s answer to rebuilding and relinking damaged disulfide bonds. It’s breakthrough science for damage repair, reviving broken disulfide bonds that lead to the appearance of dull, dry hair and to hair frustrations like breakage, weakness and brittleness. With OLAPLEX treatments and home care, hair looks and feels healthier, and every hair service from lightening to cutting to styling is elevated.
“The trick is not to use red. Redheads very seldom have actual red in them."
“You never want to miss an opportunity to improve the integrity of the hair.”
treatments
prep the
canvas for
every salon
service
need larger photo
Whether it’s a haircut, hair styling or bridal visit or a texturizing service, a Stand-Alone OLAPLEX Treatment at the beginning of the appointment can prime the canvas for service success.
