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.
Showing posts with label corrective color. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corrective color. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
What is corrective color?
Part 1: What makes color “corrective color?”
On a regular basis, I receive a new client to the salon that is desperately in need of corrective color. The term “corrective” can be thrown around as a scare tactic in some salons. It is generally a serious matter, however. There is not a single definition of what constitutes a corrective service. If I had to sum it up most concisely, I would say any service that requires two or more steps and will leave the client with a noticeably different look. Sometimes, a corrective service needs to be done in steps, over a few appointments. This all depends on the individual situation.
Some corrective services are when clients have been getting their hair colored one way for a while and decide that they want it to be all over lighter, but without highlights. Or there are also clients that want their hair more than a couple shades darker. Here are the rules:
If you have all over base color on your hair, and you want it a lighter shade, but without highlights, you need a color cleanse to remove the old color and put on a new one. Artificial hair color cannot be removed without using some sort of color remover.
If you have lighter hair, either naturally or highlighted, and want to go significantly darker, you need you hair colored two times in a row on the same day so the color lasts. The first step will put warm tones in your hair and get it closer to the desired end result. The second step will balance or enhance those warm tones to the give a rich, even end result. If you have ever seen or heard of someone who colored their hair darker but it turned green, blotchy, or muddy, it is because they didn’t follow this rule.
Suppose you have very uneven tones and different levels of color throughout your hair. Maybe you did it yourself, or someone else without experience played on your hair. If you just want to look highlighted, then you may need a very thorough head of highlights and allover color between all those highlights. This can be a simple process for the colorist, or it could be very involved and time-consuming. It is up to the colorist if this qualifies as corrective color, and therefore should cost more than the usual highlights and base color service.
On a regular basis, I receive a new client to the salon that is desperately in need of corrective color. The term “corrective” can be thrown around as a scare tactic in some salons. It is generally a serious matter, however. There is not a single definition of what constitutes a corrective service. If I had to sum it up most concisely, I would say any service that requires two or more steps and will leave the client with a noticeably different look. Sometimes, a corrective service needs to be done in steps, over a few appointments. This all depends on the individual situation.
Some corrective services are when clients have been getting their hair colored one way for a while and decide that they want it to be all over lighter, but without highlights. Or there are also clients that want their hair more than a couple shades darker. Here are the rules:
If you have all over base color on your hair, and you want it a lighter shade, but without highlights, you need a color cleanse to remove the old color and put on a new one. Artificial hair color cannot be removed without using some sort of color remover.
If you have lighter hair, either naturally or highlighted, and want to go significantly darker, you need you hair colored two times in a row on the same day so the color lasts. The first step will put warm tones in your hair and get it closer to the desired end result. The second step will balance or enhance those warm tones to the give a rich, even end result. If you have ever seen or heard of someone who colored their hair darker but it turned green, blotchy, or muddy, it is because they didn’t follow this rule.
Suppose you have very uneven tones and different levels of color throughout your hair. Maybe you did it yourself, or someone else without experience played on your hair. If you just want to look highlighted, then you may need a very thorough head of highlights and allover color between all those highlights. This can be a simple process for the colorist, or it could be very involved and time-consuming. It is up to the colorist if this qualifies as corrective color, and therefore should cost more than the usual highlights and base color service.
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