Studio 39 Salon: Kansas City’s Original Blonde Specialist Salon
- We’re blonde specialists and a color salon because it’s was shaped by S39 salon owner.
- We offer all advanced lightening techniques and dimensional hair color.
- Blonde color specialists are advanced stylists or higher
- Blonde is the rarest natural hair color and the hardest to achieve in a salon.
- S39 owner has been a blonde specialist and salon educator for 18 + years
- Blonde color specialists perform the highest level of color work. It requires vast knowledge of color theory and science.
Blonde is our signature color.
Blonde Color Specialists
Global blonde means blonde “all over”. It is a service and a technique used when establishing a lighter color foundation requiring 60% or more of the hair to be blonde. We may recommend Global Blonde and a custom color application when guests request a much lighter look. Though Global Blonde is similar to a traditional bleach and tone, there is nothing traditional in how we approach blonde services in general.
More than a Colorist
Blonde Work is what we call color work that involves lightening techniques and formulas. Global Blonde is blonde all over. It’s one of our staple services, and difficult to master, but when you do, you’ve mastered color. Whether it’s called bleach and tone or global blonde, both mean going light at once versus doing it with highlights over time. We evolved the traditional bleach and tone version so it’s less damaging, yet gets all blonde looks.
Global Blonde at Studio 39 Salon
This is not standard two-hour color appointment, but blonde color specialists know it’s best way to see color gains on darker hair, especially if it’s been previously colored. Removing color with lightener is difficult. When it is done by an experienced blonde color Specialist, you should feel confident that you’ll see results.
Which is why very few salons explain it like we do.
Going Blonder
No matter what blonde hair color ideas you have, the team at Studio 39 Salon can match your skin tone with the right hue. Do you want caramel blonde, blonde highlights, ashy blonde, champagne blonde, white blonde, or natural blonde hair? Like the term master stylist, “blonde color specialist” has become another overused term that can be misleading.
Trust a Blonding Nerd
The universal natural color scale is 1-10. Black hair is level 1 and blonde hair is level 10. Understanding how the hair color level system and its corresponding tones work within it is considered “advanced” color in the professional salon world. It’s a specialized type of advanced color work few stylists do, but it’s why we often correct brassy, damaged hair from inexperienced stylists elsewhere. If you’ve had a bad color experience elsewhere, rest easy, but there is a certain level of trust we will need. This is not a service that can be client micromanaged. But color wise, if it’s possible, we can achieve it.
Global & Corrective Color
- Global blonde can later be maintained with highlighting
- It bypasses levels & and removes unwanted tones fast, why it’s also used for corrective color.
- Used to lighten more than 60% of hair.
- Natural pigment lightens far easier than artificial
- Previous dark or red color is corrective work.
- Even if you haven’t colored for some time, dye embeds deep in your hair.
- Corrective and blonde work are similar so are priced the same
- For a color change, the most amount of work is done in the first 3 visits
Global Blonde Color
Twenty years ago, the average American woman started coloring hair in their late 20’s. Today’s average age is 13. People are busy and want things quickly. We adapted our color approach long ago based on these facts. With stylists trying to keep up with color trends like balayage and vivid colors, and people trying home hair color with DIY YouTube hair tutorials, and more recently- the shutdown, corrective color is booming.
We may be called hairstylists but we’re actually hair “fixers” and Global blonde is one of our most used techniques in our color correction tool box.
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Hair Color Predictions
You can read here the blog post about changes in our industry that Studio 39 owner Gemy Chiarizio predicted over a decade ago. Based on what she was seeing and experiencing then, is why she knew corrective color would grow.
Expert Hair Color
Because of the amount of education needed and the level of difficulty, she also knew it would become a niche area of salon work. Few stylists or colorists had the understanding how many processes were in involved, or the wit to forecast that far ahead, but she ended up being correct. But it’s why Studio 39 is synonymous with expert hair color in the Kansas City area today.
Color Salon Mentors
As fewer stylists were mentored, overall skill in the hair industry has gone down, however client color expectations have gone up. Her industry insight and education in biology and chemistry, are why Studio 39 has been a decade ahead of most salons, especially with color and blonde. Corrective color is one of our highest service requests.
What it takes.
Blonde specialists understand there’s no room when bleaching damaged hair. It’s intense and intimidating work for most stylists because it takes skill, confidence, and knowledge. Most of all, it takes experience, and customizing requires artistic ability. That’s a long “must have” list for the average stylist, but it’s also exactly why finding a great colorist or blonde specialists is hard, but not at Studio 39.
Science, Art And Experience
Formulation is chemistry, process is biology, and placement is anatomy. Combining all three is an art, but knowing what will happen in advance only comes from experience.
The shutdown of 2020 caused many women to see their natural color for the first time in years. It started a new trend in called white or silver transition.
This guest was referred to me by her stylist who colored her white roots with a brown color every 3 weeks but he did not feel comfortable doing this level of blonde work
Her global blonde was done in one 7 hour visit. Her maintenance is a damage free color to keep her icy platinum color and her hair is actually healthier now. She says she wishes she did this years ago because she feels liberated from needing her roots colored every 4 weeks.
Platinum Explained
The universal natural color scale is 1-10 but platinum is we called an 11 or 12 because it is not a “natural” hair color. Platinum is devoid of pigment which is why it reflects the most amount of light. When a guest wants to see a color look that has tones ranging from 9-12, we suggest global blonde because that is the only way obtain blonde and platinum together.
Even if a guest wants a “natural looking blonde” we may use global blonde. All hair has darker color in the nape and throughout. Natural dimension means doing a full bleach out will also give you all over dimensional blonde because of varying tones and depth.
Is going platinum damaging?
Yes. But it depends on what the average person considered “damaged” but, technically when lifting color with lightener (bleach) the hair is being damaged. Lightening requires chemically breaking down the hair protein molecules. Protein is what makes our hair strong and color molecules, the melanin, is attached to it. If we’re lightening natural color, it’s easily repaired by following our protocols.
Color Planning is a skill in itself.
Removing artificial color the hair is always compromised so doing the home care is a must. The bigger the change, the bigger the risk, but most people also think their hair is more damaged than it really is. Reality is, most hair damage is done outside of a salon from lack of regular cutting, bad products, hot tools, and DIY Tik Tok advice. Once that is addressed, we can assess hair condition and formulate accordingly.
Color Architecture
We develop plans based around your starting level and expected hair performance. If your hair needs more than one visit, we schedule a rest period with a specific home care routine. But every color situation is unique, so this level of color work must be done well the first time. Experts who design buildings or create large projects know the first step is developing a plan. Many salons lack the education or experience of knowing the importance of developing and executing a color plan.
In a Color Salon
This is another reason corrective color is one of our most-booked services. We put this info out there knowing we reveal trade secrets. In fact, we’ve read our content on other salon sites, but if a colorist can’t articulate well what your hair specifically needs in person, they probably aren’t a “blonde color specialist”.
Consult & Deposit Required
That may seem like a bold statement, but it’s true. We’ve seen the results from poor color planning many times. If a salon doesn’t require a consultation in advance for global blonde, be cautious. Pictures of work are great, but every head of hair is unique. A face to face conversation with a colorist is how you avoid a color correction later.
This young lady had been coloring her dark hair with box dye and we achieved blonde in 2 visits, each lasting 5 hours. Coloring hair a darker color will require corrective color if you ever want to change it later.
Advanced Color Work
It is important to let us know what products you use, if you have colored at home, or do not frequent a salon. No judgement here, but the more we know, the better the result. Good communication is everything when discussing a color change.
All Hands On Deck
It’s not uncommon for us to work with associates, or salon assistants. The more advanced the color, the more involved it is. A blonde color specialist may use 2 assistants or reserve another stylist. The way we work helps keep chair time down, but we do charge accordingly. This type of work takes time, focused attention, a great deal of labor, and unlimited salon resources. Few salons can offer all of that in one service.
Color is About Options
It is our job to present you with options. We are an experienced salon, but the artistic part of our brain starts envisioning how we can improve your hair when you sit in our chair. Quoting price and time, plus explaining the process plus and what to expect, is why a consultation prior is a must.
But not all over blonde.
We can assess if global blonde is right for your hair, but not your wallet. Most unhappy color visits are from poor communication and unrealistic expectations, we avoid that. Price transparency avoids cost confusion later, so if budget is a concern for you, there are other color options.
Slow or Fast Color
Color works in 2 ways, slower and safer, or faster and more difficult. Keeping it simple when explaining is best because we understand most don’t know how going blonde works but if we suggest Global Blonde, it’s the best way to get what you want.
Trust is a good thing and trust us, you’ll love us!
Advanced blonde work is done by Landon, Taylen, Emily, Caitlin, Kelsi, and Brie downtown, and Asleah, Nicole, Mariah and Liz at Lakewood. To help manage demand, we’ve always worked as team. Gemy does color work at both locations. People come here for results, but they stay because of our culture. How we work is unique but trust us- that’s a good thing.
We Never Do Unnecessary Color at Studio 39 Hair Salon
Sometimes guests think they need corrective work but they don’t. If that happens, we will tell you and then book the correct service for you. Professional integrity is our goal for you, but if you think you need a color correction, you probably do. Sometimes people book a highlight to “fix” hair, but that’s why we do consultations for most new guests. Great color results requires great service practices and a consult is part of that.
Blonde color specialists charge hourly.
The best approach to any new color is a consultation. Below prices are for initial color work or new guest color. After color is achieved, then maintenance prices found on our service menu applies.
30 minute Consultation: $25 ( may be applied to first color visit)
Advanced- 110+
Senior & up- 120+
With Gemy- Quoted