Enviable Brunettes: Better Than Basic Browns

Since moving to New York, I find myself coloring more brunettes than ever before.  I love the opportunity to transform the guest in my chair from bland to brilliant in only a couple hours time, without creating high maintenance hair.  Sometimes, it is as simple as refreshing the ends with deposit-only color to add richness and shine.  Occasionally, a few strategically placed low lights a couple shades darker than the base does the trick.  The most important thing with the darker hair is the let the guest know there are always options while still maintaining the healthy, shiny hair that is the envy of their friends.

To remind myself of the variety of choices with hair, I keep up with the collections posted in the industry magazines and online groups.  Planet Salon in Beverly Hills, California, recently debuted a "Brunettes Only" collection.  Above is my favorite image from the set.

Color Clarity: Common Color Terms Decoded

I am going to start this post with a confession.  When I started cosmetology school, I did not know the difference between a highlight and a low light.  In fact, before I enrolled at 22 years old, I never had my hair colored.  I try to keep this in mind when communicating to clients about service options.

As a color specialist, I have a large vocabulary of terms in reference to technique.  The definitions of some of these words may be common knowledge, particularly to clients that already have their hair colored.  I am listing terms that I find myself explaining most frequently.  This is a long list, so I am going to add to this in later posts.

All over color:  One color formula applied to the entire head with either a bottle or bowl and brush.  Also called a single process color, because the final result is achieved in just one process.

Baliage or Baylayage: A highlighting and low lighting technique where fine sections of hair are painted freehand, without foils.

Color Cleanse: A service using a lightener and shampoo to remove color that is too dark or the wrong tone.

Deposit-Only Color: A category of hair color that can improve hair's condition and add depth, tone and shine.  The results fade over time, but can last up to 6 weeks.  The color can stain gray hair, but might not cover it completely.  It does not have the ability to make the hair lighter, only darker.

Foil Highlights: Hair is sectioned out and a piece of foil placed underneath.  Color or lightener is painted onto the hair, and then the foil is folded.  The technique allows the hairs that are being colored to be isolated from the rest.

Gloss: A color that is applied after lightening the hair to change tone and add shine.  Also called a toner.

Gray Blending: Color is applied with the intent that the gray is not covered completely, only stained, usually with a deposit-only color.  Ideal for clients that are not ready to maintain color on a monthly basis.

Highlights: Sections of hair are made lighter than the rest of the head, either with color or a lightener.

Low Lights: Sections of hair are made darker than the rest of the head with color, either permanent or deposit-only.

Lightener: A product that removes color from the hair.  Also called bleach.  Professional versions have conditioning agents that allow the hair to lighten while still keeping it healthy.  Lightener is a necessary tool to achieve pale blonde, and to lighten previously colored hair with predictable results.

Melting: A creative technique where in a section a darker color is applied at the roots then lighter in the middle and lightest color at the ends.