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Color Notes: Science

Every Color Notes guide filed under Science.

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Science

Hair Gloss vs. Toner: What LA Salons Get Wrong

Gloss and toner are used interchangeably at most LA salons, but the products and the outcomes are not always the same. The difference matters when you are trying to understand why your color looks different visit to visit. Here is the chemistry behind each and the right questions to ask before agreeing to an add-on service.

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Science

Hard Water and LA Sun Are Fading Your Hair Color: What to Do

LA tap water tests between 200 and 250 PPM hardness, and the UV index peaks at 11 for five months of the year. Both forces are attacking your color continuously, and most advice written for other climates does not account for them compounding. This covers the exact mechanism and what a product routine calibrated to LA conditions actually requires.

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More from Color Notes: Beyond Science

A few more guides worth your time while you are here.

Technique

Why Highlights Turn Brassy: Chemistry and Real Fixes

Brassiness after highlights is not random and it is not your fault. It follows a predictable chemical sequence that a skilled colorist should have accounted for in the formulation. This covers why it happens, what the timeline usually looks like, and what a better-executed version of the same service would have prevented.

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Technique

Gray Blending vs. Full Coverage Hair Color: Which to Choose

Full gray coverage requires a touch-up every six weeks or the regrowth becomes obvious. Gray blending extends that window to ten to sixteen weeks by working with the natural color rather than against it. This covers the gray percentage thresholds that determine which approach works, and the client profiles that belong in each category.

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Trends

How LA Hair Color Trends Influence the Rest of America

The looks that start in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood salons end up on Pinterest six months later and in mainstream salons a year after that. LA's color culture has an outsized influence on the industry relative to its geography. This covers how that pipeline works, who drives it, and why certain techniques become global trends.

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