Can i leave color mixed applicator for later

What to do with left over hair colour that has been activated

Posted by Charmaine on 30th Sep 2020

You have mixed & applied your organic hair colour but you still have some left over. Can you keep the leftovers and use them again in the future?

Here we talk about what you can do to save your left over hair colour.

The topics we cover in this blog post will be:

1. Blonde & Red colour left overs

2. Brown colour left overs

3. Indigo left overs

4. Tips to getting the most applications out of your product

1. Blonde & Red Colour leftovers

These shades include: Sun Shadow, Strawberry Shadow, Copper Shadow, Red Shadow, Deep Red Shadow

The above shades require you to activate the powder with liquid immediately before use. This is handy because you can mix as you go, meaning if you don't activate enough powder initially you can go back and mix more to apply immediately.

If you do happen to mix the whole pack and find you have some left over paste that you would like to save simply freeze the mix. Freezing will preserve the activated product for a couple of months and when you wish to use simply pull it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw naturally.

You can add the left overs to a fresh mix or you can use it alone for root touch ups.

TIPS:

After 3 months in the freezer the colour will start to demise so don't leave it and forget about it.

When you want to defrost and use the mix allow it to thaw naturally. Do not heat it up, put it in the microwave or in a pot on the stove. This will affect the colour and you will not get a good colour result.

2. Brown Colour leftovers

These Shades include: Honey Shadow, Walnut Shadow, Chocolate Shadow, Caramel Shadow, Chestnut Shadow & Deep Chestnut Shadow.

Unfortunately once both steps have been activated in the brown shades you will need to use the product. Step 1 once activated will keep in the freezer for a couple of months. Step 2 once activated must be used and will not keep. If you do try to save the left overs of an activated mix and use in the future you will not achieve the desired result and your colour may give red rather than brown.

Below we have some info on how to get more than one colour application out of your brown shade.

STEP 1 TIP: If you mix your step 1 and then decide you want to apply the colour at another time. Simply complete the activation process and then pop your paste into the freezer. It will freeze for up to 3 months and retain its full colour integrity. When you wish to use allow the paste to thaw out naturally DO NOT MICROWAVE OR HEAT IT UP.

STEP 2 TIP: Only mix the step 2 when you are ready to apply the colour. Once activated step 2 must be used and will not save

If you wish to have multiple treatments from 1 pack of brown hair colour you will need to evenly split both the step 1 and step 2 before mixing to get the correct colour. You can do this by weighing each sachet with digital scales and then splitting it into equal portions.

Each colour will have different weight for the step 1 and step 2. This is why you need to weigh each pack and then divide equally. If you do not do this you will get a different colour result.

example 1 - to split a Chocolate Shadow into 2 colour treatments

First weigh the 2 packs

step 1 = 40g and step 2 = 60g

Divide each sachet in equal halves ( Step 1 = 20g and step 2 = 30g ). This will give me the equivalent to half a box ( 50g )

Use one half of each now, mix as per instructions and seal up the other portions of powder for next time.

example 2 - to split Chestnut Shadow into 2 colour treatments

First weigh the 2 packs

step 1 = 50g and step 2 = 50g

Divide each sachet in equal amounts ( step 1 = 25g and step 2 = 25g ). This will give me the equivalent to half a box ( 50g )

Use one half of each now, mix as per instructions and seal up the other portions for next time.

*Please note you will need to adjust your liquid measurements to match.

3. Indigo leftovers

These shades include the Indigo only

Once activated with liquid Indigo must be used within an hour or 2. Only mix your Indigo Shadow when you are ready to use it as once it is mixed it has a colour life of around 5 to 6 hours and can not be salvaged.

4. Tips for getting the most applications out of your organic hair colour

• Once you have used the product a few times you will know how much you will need. The colour does build and once you get the shade you like on the ends we recommend you apply the colour to your regrowth only and do a top up application once or twice a year for a boost. This will save you time and money.
• Blonde and Red shades can be activated and then frozen for later use. This means if you like to be organised you can mix and portion out your hair colour applications beforehand. It also means you can keep and reuse any leftover mix you may have.
• Brown shades need to be proportioned out in powder form before mixing. Step 1 can be activated ahead of time by following full activation steps and then freezing. Step 2 must be mixed immediately before use and can not be kept or preserved once activated. Follow the steps above in the brown left overs section to see how you can get more than one colour application out of your hair colour box.
• Indigo Shadow must be mixed immediately before use. Once activated the colour will only be present for around 5 to 6 hours max.