Following up on our last column talking about whether color is good or bad, let’s take it up a notch and go to the extreme. How do you choose a product?
Mario’s Salon is a Tocco Magico salon. This is an Italian product line ( I know I’m biased), which is far ahead of any American color. The Tocco line, first of its kind, uses herbal extracts. The founder of this company is deeply committed in producing a line of product which protects the natural integrity of the hair and scalp.
From the inception of the business, Tocco Magico used only the finest ingredients, while at the same time adhering to strict quality control measures. All materials entering the facility undergo testing ensuring the 99% purity-rating. Tocco Magico clearly honors the responsibility any manufacturer has to the environment to be selective of what they put in a product. The company made it their top priority in business to produce excellent hair products for their clients, but also considering all who are affected in the use of that product. This not only includes the consumer, but the rest of the people working in the salon and of course the hair designers.
Extra steps were taken including education and research to guarantee that they are giving stylists a high quality product. This is important as things like this show a company is dedicated to the industry and the creative awareness of our art and the world we live in. Hair design is definitely an art form, and with that we rely on our tools to be the best they can be.
Hair color is not only important to color over our grays, but is now a fashion trend encompassing the entire world. As we watch the colorful hues and multi-colored and faceted designs that are popping up, who would have ever thought it would be fashionable to sport turquoise and emerald green locks?
We all know how important it is to color hair. Men and women alike. Color is fashionable for everybody.
In order to stay up with the times and constantly changing demands in color, Tocco Magico incorporated 7 natural herbal extracts into their formula to 
alleviate the irritating effects caused by most permanent hair color lines. Their technique used for infusion combines the extract to the hair color molecule in a specific ratio. This allows the product to restore, condition and protect the hair and scalp leaving the color-treated hair soft, shiny and manageable.
Some of the extracts used are: Alpine Yarrow (protects scalp and skin); Birch (hair restorative and normalizer); Coltsfoot (soothing emollient); Horsetail (increases elasticity); Nettle (creates longer, lasting shine) ; Rosemary ( purifier, stimulant and normalizer); and Sage (stimulates and soothes the scalp). Magico has also designed hair products with 8 intensifiers, the ability to have opaque or translucent shine in the color finish and 100% gray coverage. The self-cleansing formula has a natural coconut, cream base. This combined with the low ammonia content helps to protect the natural structure and the integrity of the hair.
People often miss that the after-color process is a very important step when getting your hair done. Tocco Magico has a unique product which brings the hair back to the healthy pre-color ph. This keeps the porosity of the hair at an even balance, and also keeps the elasticity and integrity of the hair in a healthy state. People 
someones forget coloring is a chemical process. People walk in a salon and say “ make me beautiful”. That’s not always an easy task. Stylists must balance what a client thinks they want, and what is actually going to happen to their hair by doing the color process.
Bleaching dark colored hair to make lighter colors is often extremely damaging to the client’s hair. We can not just snap our fingers and a brunette is instantly platinum blonde. There is a process that has to be follorwed.Changing a hair color drastically often requires the original color to be stripped away from the hair.
As a stylist, you must be able to stand behind the products in your salon. You must trust that the company’s products you use on a daily basis are not going to cause harm or damage. No one wants to be the person who turned someone’s hair the wrong color, or the hair breaks off. and the client’s hair falls out. As a stylist, you have a responsibility to the person who sits in your chair to make them feel beautiful. Choose wisely because it does make a difference.
