How to hair color terminology

Nothing defines an image like hair color. There was a time that hair color designated status in society. Today it is the accessory that we all can afford. There are several different color services that you could have in a hair salon. Knowing the basic terms and what you are looking for will help you get closer to your desired color and your ideal image.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Magazines
• Celebrity photos

1. Highlighting/ Low lighting is the placement of color using lighter shades or darker shades than your base color. This is used to accent or diminish areas of the head.
2. Base Color- is the color that the highlights or low lights are being placed on top of. Usually a base color is the color that makes up most of the hair color. A common base color is a color that is closest to your natural color. If you are not doing a full hair color your base color is your natural color.
3. Balayage is the placement of color or lightener without using foils. It is often used when your color variation between the highlights and your base color is subtle.
4. Contrast between the two or three colors that you decide to place in the hair. Using the international scale of photography (1-10 scale similar to charcoals depth scale) 1 being darkest black & 10 being lightest blonde determine where your base is. For subtle looks keep all of the colors within 2 levels of one another. For extreme looks use colors that are 3 or more levels difference.
5. One process is when you are using one color to either cover grey, balance color from previous highlighting or color fading, or just get introduced to hair color.
6. Line of demarcation is when the hair has been colored and as it grows out you can see the difference between the artificial color and the natural color, that is the line of demarcation.
7. Base Breaker is when you lighten the hair less than a level, bringing out the natural warmth in the hair. Usually used to create a blend between colored hair and natural hair.
8. Color saturation is the amount of coloring the hair has experienced. If the hair is saturated the color will be hard to remove.
9. Filler is used during color correction to put color back into the hair that has been removed or is missing. Fillers are warm tones.
10. This is not a term but a saying- Porous hair accepts ash (color) & rejects warm (color). This causes problems when the hair is over processed= “porous hair”
11. Contrasting tones- when the colors being put in the hair are more than two levels difference the difference will be noticeable & strong in placement. When the colors are two or less levels difference they will blend and be more natural in their appearance.
12. Be flexible with your desired end results, but definitely be prepared to give your colorist as much detail about your desired result as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• Smaller highlights look more natural and grow out better.
• Larger highlights are more severe and grow out quickly unless placed underneath the hair on the top of the head.
• Nothing will replace the professional who does this work all day long, not a technician, but someone who cares about your image, you know what I’m talking about, find a hair colorist that cares and it shows in their work.
• Do not be guided by trends, find what works for you and your features. Just like in hair styles and hair cuts, your features & skin coloring play a big role in what looks good on you.
• Closer to the face keep the highlights softer, it blends more naturally. If you are not going for natural, then this rule does not apply.
• When discussing with your hair colorist, bring pictures of color you like
• Although this information is industry specific, knowing it does not make you an expert. Becoming an expert takes many years of practice and experience. However this knowledge will help you in working with a knowledgeable and experienced technician.