Redken Shades EQ Codes Explained: Numbers and Letters

Every Shades EQ Gloss code has two parts: a level written with a leading zero, then one to three letters for the tone family. 07NB is level 7, Neutral Brown Blonde. 010VV is level 10, Violet Violet. Split the number from the letters and the whole Shades EQ chart reads in seconds.

What Shades EQ Gloss is

Shades EQ Gloss is Redken's acidic, ammonia-free, vegan demi-permanent liquid gloss. It tones, glosses, refreshes faded color and adds dimension. It does not lift, so there is no banding and no harsh regrowth line. It blends gray rather than covering it, and Redken rates it for up to 28 shampoos. It sits alongside the rest of the Redken color charts, and its code format is not the same as Redken's other lines.

How to read the number

The level always comes first and always prints with a leading zero. 010N is level 10, the lightest. Then 09, 08 and so on down to 01B Onyx, the only level 1 on the chart. The zero is a printing convention. It does not change the level.

Three things on the chart break the pattern:

• 000 is Crystal Clear. It has no level and is used to dilute intensity.
• Pastels and Kickers carry no number at all.
• Shades ALK, Redken's alkaline demi, writes its codes without the leading zero. Same level idea, different line. Write the line name on the formula card so a 09 and a 9 never get swapped.

If level and tone systems in general are still new, start with how to read a hair color chart.

Level and pigment strength

Redken's chart groups the levels by how much pigment each one carries:

This matters more than the swatch. A 010 shade is a sheer veil of tone. A 06 on pre-lightened, porous ends deposits far more than the number suggests. Redken's own direction for lighter deposit is to formulate with 09 or 010 shades. To lighten a formula you already like, mix in lighter shades or dilute with 000, 09M or a 010 shade.

How to read the letters

The letters after the number name the tone family.

• One letter is a single family: N is Natural, G is Gold, V is Violet. The one exception to N is NB, where it stands for Neutral.
• Two different letters name a blended family, read left to right: VG is Violet Gold, AG is Ash Gold, CB is Copper Brown.
• A doubled letter stacks a tone on itself: GG is Gold Gold, RR is Red Red, CC is Copper Copper, VV is Violet Violet.
• A lowercase letter finishes an abbreviation. It is not a separate tone. Ch is Chocolate in NCh, Bn is Brown in ABn, and Ro is Rose in GRo and VRo.

Shades EQ tone letters with example codes

The Pastels are Pastel Pink, Pastel Peach, Pastel Aqua Blue and Pastel Silver Green. The Kickers are Yellow, Orange, Red and Violet.

Shades stylists mix up

The level 9 cool toners

09V Platinum Ice, 09VV Lilac Ice, 09B Sterling, 09T Chrome and 09P Opal Glow all live on the same row and all read "cool." They are not interchangeable. Redken names 09V its best true violet toner. 09VV doubles the violet. 09B is blue, which cancels orange rather than yellow. 09T belongs to the Titanium family, the shades named for metals: Iron, Steel, Silver, Chrome, Platinum. 09P is pearl. Pick by what you are neutralizing: pale yellow takes violet, brassy orange takes blue.

N, NB, NW and NA at one level

07N Mirage, 07NB, 07NW Milk Tea and 07NA Pewter all start with N at level 7. 07N is Natural. 07NW is Natural Warm and 07NA is Natural Ash, so the second letter pushes the natural warm or cool. 07NB is Neutral Brown Blonde, the family Redken builds its gray blending formulas on.

GB, NB and G with dessert names

09GB Buttercream, 09NB Irish Creme and 09G Vanilla Cream sound like the same shade. Gold Beige, Neutral Brown Blonde and Gold are three different results. Read the letters, not the name.

P versus NP

010P Ivory Pearl is pure pearl. 010NP Pearlescent Luster adds a natural base to the pearl.

Single versus doubled letters

06G St. Tropez against 06GG Midas Touch, 06R against 06RR Blaze, 07C Curry against 07CC Urban Fever. Same level, same family, and the doubled letter stacks more of that one tone.

Names that echo

09RB Blush is Red Brown. 09GRo Blush Spritz is Gold Rose. Write the code on the card, never just the name.

Mixing and timing

All shades mix 1:1, equal parts color to Shades EQ Processing Solution, or to the Processing Solution for Precision Application for a gel consistency. Redken approves only those two. Apply with bowl and brush or bottle, on dry hair. Wet hair or a changed processing time cuts longevity and tone accuracy.

Blending gray with NB

Redken's gray blending method pairs an NB shade with the desired shade, always 2 oz of Processing Solution total:

The more gray, the more NB carries the formula.

Bonder Inside

Shades EQ Bonder Inside is the all-in-one toner and bonder version, formulated with citric acid and taurine to help strengthen sensitized hair after lightening. It mixes the same way, 1:1 with Shades EQ Processing Solution or the Precision Application version, and processes the same 20 minutes at room temperature on dry hair. Crystal Clear dilutes it too. The bonding base can make the mix look darker in the bowl, and Redken states the end result is the same.

On the printed chart, a pink outline marks shades sold in both Shades EQ Gloss and Bonder Inside. A silver outline marks shades available only in Bonder Inside.

Putting the codes to work

Decide the level by deposit first, then pick the letters by what the client's lightened hair needs neutralized or enhanced. Formula Finder builds formulas from real shade codes in your brand, starting from the client's inspo pic.