DANIELLE ASHLEY'S
DIARY
I am Danielle Ashley
I am 38 years of age
I am a level 3 operator
I Work For Banbury Postiche Apollo Park Ironstone Lane Wroxton OX15 6EF
I will be using L’Oréal products to complete the Perfectress Colour College course.
I will be using my desktop computer to complete the course.
Monday 20th October 2025
I personaly find it helpful to print off the reference books ad keep them in ringbinders for when I need information whilst working with the formulas.
Monday 5th January 2026
I have completed Level 1 and hese are my comments on the course so far along with the required 300 words and an imge of the completed test strips.
My Journey into Hair Colouring at Perfectress Colour College London
Understanding Colour Science.
I've been diving into the science behind hair colouring, learning about how colour is created and the roles of electrons and photons. It's been interesting to see how these concepts apply to hair.
Exploring Hair Structure and Pigmentation
I've studied the structure of hair and the different types, gaining insights into how colour interacts with each. This knowledge is crucial for understanding how to achieve the desired results.
How Hair Dye Works
The course has explained the chemical processes involved when hair dye is applied, helping me understand what happens at the molecular level.
Level One: Pre-Bleaching Assignment
The Task:
The first practical challenge involves lifting 36 swatches to various levels of lightness. Each swatch requires careful timing and application techniques, making the task both complex and time-consuming.
Organisational Strategy
To manage this effectively, I'll create a detailed chart to track:
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Starting base shade number
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Target Shade
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Number of applications required to achieve the target shade: Recording how many times the lightening process is applied to each swatch.
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Processing time & observations: Noting the time each application takes and any observations during the process to achieve the desired lift.
This chart will ensure consistency and accuracy throughout the process.
Documentation
Once completed, I'll submit photographs of all 36 swatches as evidence of the achieved results and write a 300-word summery/evaluation of my findings.
Observation
To start with, I felt quite wary about leaving the bleach on for too long during the lightening process. My initial concern was causing damage or over-processing the hair, so I tended to rinse some sections too early, while other areas were unintentionally left on longer. This inconsistency in processing time led to mixed results in the lift. My original plan was to wait at least ten minutes before checking the first section, but to my surprise, the colour started lifting much more quickly than expected.
When working on levels 2–4, I noticed that the lift developed at a faster rate than anticipated. In fact, the 2–4 levels began to resemble a level 5 target shade sooner than I thought they would. Similarly, the level 2–3 sections lightened rapidly. I believe this is due to the product I used — a lightening bleach capable of achieving up to nine levels of lift. This powerful formula significantly accelerated the development time, making it essential to monitor the hair more closely and check the progress frequently.
As I moved on to the higher levels, particularly shades 7 and above, I found it much easier to leave the product on for the full 45 minutes without the same risk of over-processing. The lift at these levels was more controlled and predictable. Watching the hair transition through the different underlying pigment stages — yellow, orange, and red — was both interesting and educational.
Conclusion:
When lifting levels 2–7, extra care and close observation are required because the hair lifts very quickly and can easily surpass the target shade. In contrast, levels 8–10 are more stable and can generally be processed for longer. This experience has highlighted the importance of adjusting processing times based on starting level and product strength.
Saturday 21st February 2026
I am delighted to learn I passed Level 1 of the Perfectress Colour College course, and receive my level 1 certificate and the password to enter level 2.
