©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education 1

The Level System

Levels / Tones of Hair Color

©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color 2

Performance Objective

Upon completion of this assignment,

the student will be able to

identify levels and tones of natural hair color.

©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color 3

Specific Objectives

Define level and tone of hair color. List the levels of hair color. Determine the level and the base of a clients

hair.

©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color 4

Test your knowledge.

How many levels of hair color are there?

©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color 5

There are 10 levels of hair color

©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color 6

Test your knowledge.

Is there a difference between bases and tones?

©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color 7

Bases and tones are the same

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Level is the unit of measurement used to identify the lightness and darkness of a color Value or depth of a color

Scale of 1-10 Level 1

Darkest Level 10

Lightest A universal system is available for hairdressers that

removes the ominous guesswork & fear of formulations Manufacturers have hair swatches that can be used to

determine the natural level of hair color

Level Systems

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Referred to as a base or tone of hair color Warmth and coolness of hair color Under lying color pigment in the hair The color tone is developed from a combination of color pigments

in the hair The hair’s natural color pigment is found in the cortex layer of the

hair The color pigment is made up of color cells arranged lengthwise in

the cortex layer Natural hair color is developed by combinations of these pigments,

either black-brown or red- yellow

Tone or Tonality

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Tone or Tonality

The combination of these colors decides whether the hair will be light or dark

Light brown hair has greater amount of yellow/red cells, while dark hair has a greater amount of brown/black cells

Warm color – highlightening color Red Orange Yellow

Cool – Drab or ash Blue Green violet

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Tone or Tonality Warm colors – appear lighter

reds, oranges and yellows Warm hair color names

auburn, copper, gold, bronze, honey Cool colors – appear darker

blues, greens, violets Cool hair color names

ash, drab, smokey, platinum Influences results of artificial hair color

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Intensity

Strength of a color tone Mild, medium, or strong.

Strawberry blonde

Copper brown

Bright orange Various intensities off red shades

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Base

Predominant tone of an existing color Influences the final color result Base colors

Violet base will deliver cool results & minimize unwanted yellow Blue base color will minimize orange tones Red-orange base will create bright, warm results Gold bases create gold haircolor from brunettes to light blondes

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Activity Use a natural level hair swatch

Take 2” square section in crown area Hold up from scalp Allow light to pass through

Move swatch from scalp from scalp area along hair strand

The level is determined if the swatch and natural hair blend

Identifying the level / tone of natural hair color

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Note

Hair at the crown is usually darker that the front of the hair

Client may not perceive that her “natural “ hair is that dark Environment, mechanical tools, chemicals affect the

look they see Remember : levels are lightness and darkness

only

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ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS CAN EFFECT A PERSON’S PERCEPTION OF

NATURAL HAIR COLOR

FLOURESCENT LIGHTS DISTORT HAIR COLOR. ALWAYS USE

NATURAL LIGHT TO ANALYZE HAIR COLOR

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Factors affecting HaircolorHair porosity

State of the cuticle

Type of light

Indoors or outdoors, fluorescent & incandescent

Surroundings

Walls painted

Drape

Clothing

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Color Level

1. Black

2. Black brown

3. Darkest brown

4. Dark brown

5. Medium brown

6. Light brown

7. Dark blonde

8. Medium blonde

9. Light blonde

10. Lightest blonde

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22Cosmetology I: Levels and Tones of Hair Color©2003 Texas Trade and Industrial Education

Depth of Color

Up until now we have been discussing the mixing of colors at full color strength

Now we will look at the reaction we get when primary colors are mixed with equal amounts of white

Play dough 16 small white balls 5 primary color balls

Mix 1 white 1 primary Mix 2 white 1 primary Mix 3 white 1 primary Continue mixing By doing this combination of

colors with white you create different colors of depth

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Depth of Color

By using various mixtures and combinations the lightest shades are created with almost limitless possibilities

Depth or level of color indicates how dark or how light the color really is

The more white used in the mixture, the lighter the color

The more black used in the mixture, the darker the color