Suzanne has been a master colorist in the Bay Area since 2015, specializing in blonding and fashion colors. She is passionate about maintaining her clients’ hair health and achieving the lightest shade of blonde possible without sacrificing the integrity of their hair.
In addition to her talents as a colorist, Suzanne is also Olaplex and Brazilian Blowout certified. In the past few years, she’s started offering tape-in hair extensions, but is looking to also offer sew-in extensions as a way to take on a new challenge and keep her work interesting and new.
In her time on StyleSeat, Suzanne has achieved Top Pro status, has booked over 1,000 appointments, and has exclusively positive reviews from her clients!
When she’s not at the salon, Suzanne loves to travel. She particularly enjoys broadway shows, museums, and finding unique places to eat. She’s looking forward to her upcoming trips to Rhode Island and Canada.
Suzanne will be here to answer your questions today through Wednesday, July 17th so ask away!
Thanks for being part of our AMA! We’re so excited to be featuring you
I have naturally dark hair, but would love to go lavender! I’ve tried once before a few years ago, but it didn’t last very long and ended up turning my hair green
So, I’d love to know - what advice do you have for clients who want to go from dark to light hair without causing significant damage?
Hi Jessica!
I appreciate a chance to be a part in this! For anyone going from very dark hair to light, doing research on the stylists that specialize in dark hair will save you from finding the wrong stylists for your needs. Lightening techniques for someone who already has lighter hair and someone who has dark are vastly different. Before getting your hair lightened, it’s best to not wash your hair too frequently (every 2-3 days is perfect) and avoid using heat too often. If using heat, a heat protectant is highly recommended! Cold water is NOT super necessary, however the cooler the water the better for the hair, color, and skin! I suggest having warm water is best!
When going lighter, I recommend going lighter in sessions! Yes, going very light in one sitting is possible. However, the hair will suffer and become hard to keep soft and healthy as time goes on. This will cause the hair to be high maintenance when it doesn’t have to be. Going lighter in sessions will maintain the health of the hair and if done properly, you will only need salon quality shampoo and conditioner. Lavender/pastel tones does require the hair to be very light! When the hair isn’t light enough for the color, it does fade quickly and can turn green! Hopefully this helps!
have you ever had a client who wanted a hair color you didn’t think would suit them? if so do you encourage them to try a different color/shade instead?
Hi! Yes it happens quite often! I typically recommend a color that is more suitable for their skin tone and be honest about why I’m suggesting something different. Most of the time I’ll suggest something within their range for example, if it’s purple but they want a silvery blue purple but it doesn’t look great, I’ll suggest a more reddish or warmer purple to suit them better!
People appreciate the honesty and it’s a great way to build trust!
Hi William! I analyze the hair and see if there’s anything that I could do to have their hair go towards their hair goal. At times the solution is to have a “middle stage” where the hair isn’t exactly their hair goal but closer to what they want to achieve. For example if they want to go to pastel silver from an orange at home bleach job. I’ll slowly lighten their hair with a low developer and let them know it may take multiple sessions due to the condition of their hair.
If the hair is unworkable at the point when I see them then I recommend products such as olaplex or joico repair masks then do a follow up appointment in a few weeks when the hair is back to a more healthier condition. Then I will go into the coloring service.
If you’re ever uncomfortable with a service it’s okay to also recommend them to a stylist that may be more of a better fit.
Hi! I recommend Redken color extend magnetic line to keep the color from fading too quickly. If they are very blonde, I absolutely love the Schwarzkopf goodbye yellow purple shampoo. It keeps the blondes/silver bright and takes away the yellow.
My favorite color depositing conditioner is viral colorditioners. They make both natural tones and vibrant fashion colors so it really helps keep my copper, red, and rainbow girls vibrant!
Saving this tip! Considering going lighter with my highlights. Can I use the Schwarzkopf goodbye yellow purple shampoo on my whole head even if I just have highlights?
Appreciate that you don’t jump to deliver the clients ultimate outcome and take your time to deliver this in stages. Client’s don’t always understand the risk and damage bleach can have on their hair.
Hi Alicia! I recommend not washing too frequently. Every 2-3 days is perfect! Using cool to warm water. Too hot of a temperature will open the cuticle of the hair and allow the color to fade from the hair quicker. Try to avoid using hot tools too often. Using hot tools too often can damage the hair and cause the color to have a harder time sticking to the hair due to the hair being too porous. If using heat, I definitely recommend using a heat protectant.
Hi Alicia! If the highlighted parts of the hair doesn’t have too much gold, yes! I recommend using purple shampoo once a week since it can be quite abrasive to the hair and can cause the hair to be too dry. Leaving the purple shampoo on for 3-5 minutes for best results!
Hi Alosa! Customizing the service to the client and knowing that proper developer/lightener strength to use on the client. I often lighten in sessions since giving the hair time for it to strengthen before going lighter will allow the hair to stay the healthiest! When the hair is pushed too fast to lighten, the color may be achieved in that single session but in weeks to months the structure of the hair will continue to break down and soon their hair will begin to break or get extremely dry and hard to manage.
An example for lightening is, clients with naturally lighter hair, I typically go in with a lightener that lifts 7 levels and start with either a 10vol or 20vol. If my client is naturally darker, I go in with a lightener that lifts 9 levels and start with either 15 vol or 20vol. With overly compromised hair, I sometimes start with 7 vol. I don’t process using heat and I allow the full time to process. If it doesn’t reach the desired lightness, I explain that to my client and they can choose to go lighter in the future or stay at the level that they’re at. I don’t push the hair beyond what it will lift in a single session.
