Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Incredible Sheitel Colorist in Los Angeles

Posted by Unknown at 2:03 PM
One of my favorite things about running AskChavi is getting to know various people in the sheitel and wig industry.  Recently I was contacted by Brian, a sheitel colorist in Los Angeles and I was blown away by pictures of his work that I felt I needed to share this information with my fans.

Brian operates a private salon in West Hollywood (Los Angeles) in a discreet location.  He specializes in coloring wigs and sheitels but colors hair as well.  I had a conversation with Brian to learn about his background and firmly believe that he provides a great service to his clients.

Brian was passionate about hair and wigs since he was a young boy and started as a colorist at the prestigious Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon when he was 18 years old.  In 2001 he started working in the wig industry when he was employed by a wig-maker who specialized in custom virgin European hair wigs for cancer patients.  He worked there for 7 years until they closed down.  In 2009 he decided to go freelance by growing his business from a few faithful clients and has expanded since then.

I asked Brian why so many sheitels oxidize and go brassy and he said is has to do with the factory dye process.  In fact, most of the mass-produced wigs these days are dyed in a production line method where all of the hair is dipped in acid-based chemicals to remove the pigment, and then afterwards the desired color is added.  He said this color can only last a few washes before it starts to turn brassy or fade.  He said that some factories actually use Fabric Dye like RIT because the dye lasts longer, however this kind of color has repercussions on how it reacts with normal hair dye, such as hair turning pink etc.

Brian is a self-proclaimed color correctionist (and I believe it based on his photos) and feels he can fix any color problems including fabric dyes, cap stains, brassy tones etc.  He said he is a specialist in every color but most passionate about working with blond shades.    Brian uses a special high-end line of hair products that are ammonia and peroxide free.  He said color can last up to 12 months, but some vibrant shades will only last 3-6 months depending on how much someone washes and wears their wigs.  Brian knows how to work with over-processed and over-colored hair.  I asked him to provide a few examples of jobs he has done just to show the variety of his work:

1. Red Heads: he had a mother and daughter client who both have bold apricot-color hair, and he has been able to make them happy with their sheitel color.  When I asked what is the best color for redheads to start with, he suggested something as close to possible to their desired color, for example a virgin golden brown wig.  The closer the color to the desired, the less chemical process needed. 

2. 2-Toned Sheitel:  A client had a high-end wig which had been sent back to the manufacturer to be repaired.  Her skin top was completely re-created with new hair but was attached to the bottom wefts of the original wig.  The trouble was, the wig was two-toned.  The top was blonde, and the bottom layers were so dark and brassy and Brian described them as a barbeque color.  With a lot of work Brian was able to get the dark color blonde and integrated the two colors together to make a really nice sheitel.



Brian has worked with a lot of kallahs (brides) coordinating and integrating their wigs that they first buy upon getting married.  Brian has had a lot of girls come in extremely unhappy with their first wigs.  He works with their wigs to get them to their desired color.

Brian's work is very affordable and he guarantees his work.  If his customer is unhappy after a few weeks he says they can bring it back and he will keep tweaking the color until they are happy.
Brian said, “I may not be the best colorist in the world but no one can do a sheitel better than me”.  He believes his craft is so unique that he can spot his work out of a crowd from across a large room.

LA Ladies: Give him a try!  To all my other readers, he has a PO Box and is happy to do color work through the mail.  He does not cut.  He only does color.  I hope he realizes that his number is going to be ringing off the hook soon =)

Brian
(310) 499-6836

Brian Sheitel Colorist Los Angeles

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