How to Alter the Tone of Your Blonde Hair Extensions

Donna Bella’s hair extension color range is like a palette of paints--limited in and of themselves, but capable of being mixed to achieve a rainbow of potential results. Today, we’re diving into the question of how to utilize blending and coloring techniques to alter the tone of blonde hair extensions, specifically. And to do this, we’re talking to Lindsay Feldt (@my_lavish_looks) of My Lavish Looks salon.

Donna Bella mid-dark blonde extensions. From left to right: #22, #24, #27, #27A

Donna Bella light blonde extensions. From left to right: #60, #600, #613, #1001

Lindsay says that she has never had any particular difficulty matching her blonde clients to existing Donna Bella shades. “Donna Bella has so many blonde tones to choose from that I have never struggled finding one that is pretty spot on.” Besides, she says, “altering tones if needed is so simple and does not require too much additional time added to custom coloring them.” Still, if someone were to find themselves in a position where they needed to blend, she offers the following advice: “Sometimes I will mix 2 tones of blonde for added dimension. The 2 tone 12/600s are amazing for adding a lowlighted dimension.”

Donna Bella two-tone blonde shades: #12/600 (left) and #27/613 (right)

Longstanding stylists might recall the pieces we’ve written about our extension “blending” technique. This is distinct from the blending phase of the installation, where you polish up the hair extensions so that the layers blend naturally into the client’s own hair. Rather, “color blending” is the process of alternating between two or three different Donna Bella shades (usually with no added color) in a single installation process, so that you achieve the natural-looking effect of highlights, lowlights, and dimension, as well as possibly simulating a color that we do not explicitly carry in our lineup. Consider, for example, our Funky Variety hair extensions--these strands come with hairs of several different, highly pigmented colors, but if you fray the hair so that the different colors are overlapping, you produce a blended effect.

Donna Bella Funky Variety extensions

Blonde extensions can be tricky to blend, though, as their lightness makes each color variation that much more visible. When it comes time to alter the tone of blonde hair extensions, Lindsay opts for custom coloring. “I will neutralize tones of the Donna Bella blonde extensions if needed. So while I do their ‘glaze’, I will alter my formula to adjust the tones of the hair. For example: if I have the #1001 and it’s a tad on the ‘yellow’ side (for a blondorexic, that is), I will use a 9v mixed with Crystal Clear from Redken’s shades, adding in Brazilian bond builder. The extensions grab onto the pigments, so diluting it with a clear of your choice will help not turn [the extensions] purple, but just enough to cancel out the yellow.” In some cases, the alteration can be a lot simpler. “I’ve even experienced once washing [the blonde extensions] in a purple shampoo (particularly the Pulpit Barcelona) is sometimes just enough,” explains Lindsay.

For those stylists who would opt for color blending, consider the following solution: custom cut Kera-Link extensions of the target hue (silver, in the case of a very cool-tone look, or light pink in the case of a warmer, rosier look) into micro bonds, and distribute them around the base layers of the head. This is not a tactic you should extend all the way through the installation, as stark color differences will be highly visible on the upper layers of hair. However, adding some unusual color strategically to the lower layers of hair can produce a “background” color change that will alter the way the topmost layers are perceived.

Donna Bella Silver and Light Pink extensions

Peruse our blonde extension shades right here, and check out our funky colors here. All purchases over $50 will qualify for free shipping for the month of April (2018), so be sure to place your orders as soon as possible!

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A big thank you to Lindsay for sharing her insights with us once again! You can learn more about her salon practice via the links below, and look into current openings on her team!