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Redken Shades EQ has become wildly popular in salons as a way to add shine and dimension after a color appointment. These demi-permanent pigments give hair vibrance and can add gorgeous shift to your hair color that can last for weeks.
If your stylist has applied Redken Shades EQ and you’d like to touch up before your next visit, or if you’re just looking for a way to give your hair some oomph at home, Redken Shades EQ is easy and safe to use at home.
I like to use Redken Shades EQ and experiment with different shades. It’s a great way to change my hair color slightly while adding dimension and playing with different tones without making permanent changes or risking damage to my hair.
This guide will help you choose a color, mix, and apply Redken Shades EQ at home!
Redken Shades EQ is primarily designed to shift hair color slightly and make hair smooth and shiny, but there are a few different effects you can get from using it in your hair:
Even if your hair isn’t colored, using a Redken Shades EQ gloss can give your hair more depth and make it appear more vibrant.
Brassy and yellow tones can be fixed by applying the right shade to neutralize unwanted tones.
While Redken Shades EQ isn’t strong enough to cover greys, it can help blend them with your dyed hair to create a more seamless transition from greys to your colored hair.
While Redken Shades EQ can’t give you results that are dramatically different in shade than your current color, it’s a great way to experiment with different shifts in color.
Redken Shades EQ is a professional-only product, and while many professional-only products and treatments are best left to your hairdresser (put down the bleach!), this glossing treatment is demi-permanent and gentle on your hair. Because it causes only a slight shift and fades quickly, there is little downside to using it correctly. In order to avoid an undesirable look, don’t leave shades EQ on your hair longer than indicated.
Redken Shades EQ is meant to be sold only to hairdressers and can be hard to find outside of beauty supply stores meant for professionals. However you can also find it on Walmart’s website.
The Redken Shades EQ range is vast which can be a blessing and a curse: so much to choose from, and yet which one is the right one for you?
All of the Redken Shades have a shade level which indicates the color deposit level (from light blonde to the darkest black) and a number or numbers which indicates the tonal family (warm, copper, blue, etc.)
It’s best to choose a color that is on your hair’s current level, so if your hair is a level 5 I’d look to tone all over with one of the level 5 shades.
Now how would you like to tone your hair? Do you want to give it a blue shift (B)? How about warm gold (WG)? Or maybe Copper (C)?
You can always do a patch test to see if you like the color’s effect on your hair before applying it all over over. (And if you do a patch test make sure to apply it correctly with the right ratio of processing solution!)
Mixing Redken Shades EQ is pretty simple: mix 1:1 parts of the processing solution and the Redken shade.
So if you are using the shade 04NB - Maple on your hair, mix 1 part of 04NB - Maple with 1 part processing solution.
If you are mixing two shades together, you will want to use 1 part of processing solution and the other part should be split between the two other shades. So the moisture will be 1/2 processing solution, 1/4 your first shade, and 1/4 your second shade.
The Redken Shades EQ Clear Gloss can be used as any other shade with the processing solution to give hair shine and softness without causing a shift in color.
If you want to dilute the color you are using, using the clear gloss as your second shade will make your first color appear less strong.
Mix your 1 part of the processing solution with 1 part of the shade or shades in a small mixing bowl.
Redken Shades EQ is meant to be applied to dry hair. Applying to wet hair will lead to weaker results because the water in your hair will dilute the mixture. Use a hair color brush to apply to your roots and with gloved hands make sure the hair is covered (if you are looking to all-over tone.)
Let develop for no more than 20 minutes for best results. Rinsing before this time will make the effect less strong.
Rinse the solution out of your hair until the color runs clear and then shampoo with a color-safe shampoo. Shampooing is important so the color will not continue to darken and process. Then follow with conditioner, dry and style!
Redken Shades EQ Gloss typically lasts for 4-6 weeks and shades gradually. Reapply when the shine and color have faded from your hair.
Redken Shades EQ is one of my favorite ways to give my hair that just-out-of-the-salon look at home. Whether you do it at home or ask for it as your next hair color appointment, it’s a great way to make hair feel fresh and look shiny and vibrant.
