Base 101

What really is base colour? When hairdressing technicians refer to base colour we mean
the dominant color in any hair colour that gives a shade its overall characteristic.

This little article is written for the the up and coming colour technicians. My number 1 tip to
success in the salon is to be able to get your brain to register your clients base colour
immediately in the blink of an eye. Once you have learnt the basics from 1 being black to
10 being blond it is now time to put this knowledge into action.

How do you do this I ask? Practice! People watching, (a national pass time LOL) the girl in
the line in front of you at the supermarket, the man crossing the street at the traffic lights,
the lady working at the bank and the girl who makes your morning coffee or how about
every client that comes in the door of you salon and that walks past. This little mind game
will set you apart from the rest and still to this day 20 years on I still do this subconsciously
to all heads of hair I see.

More tips:

-All colour companies can have a slight shade variation from 1 brand chart to another so
make sure you train your eye to your salons colour range and futuristically be prepared to
re-train your eye if your salon changes colour companies or you change salons.
-Practice Practice Practice will give you perfection
-If you are ever unsure when working on clients ask your senior operators for confirmation.
-Ask to take color charts home to memorize the shades with the corresponding base color.

Happy Base diagnosing!

Belinda Keeley xx