- The foiling process is basically a technique used to color the hair. Instead of applying the color to the entire head, foiling involves small, square pieces of foil. The hair is separated into sections, and, depending on the results you wish to achieve, color is applied to that section of hair, then wrapped in a piece of foil. Once all the desired sections have been colored and wrapped, wait about ½ hour for the color to do its magic. If the hair is being bleached, sit under a hair dryer for this amount of time. Otherwise, you don't need a hair dryer.
- There are a few different types of foiling techniques that stylists use to achieve the desired results. The most common is known as highlighting. During this process, strands of hair are chosen for which color will be added. The most common colors used in highlighting include red, golden shades, amber, and honey hues. Follow the same steps listed in the previous paragraph when using the highlighting technique. Lowlights are also popular, adding depth to any hair color by softening the look of hair that's been over-highlighted. Lowlights add darker tones to help mute brighter colors, for balance. Another technique, known as twilighting, achieves the same results that lowlights do; however, twilighting will give you a more subtle change. Veiling is a technique in which flat hair color is brightened when a richer-toned glaze is applied to a shade that's permanent. Chunking will yield a dramatic result because in this technique, random sections of hair are colored; however, the sections are large, so the result is very noticeable. In chunking, blonde is usually the color of choice, but other colors such as pink, red, and sometimes blue are also popular. Slicing is a way to achieve a unique and dramatic look. This technique uses slivers of hair that can be diagonal, horizontal, or vertical, depending on what you are trying to achieve. Color is then added to these slivers. Weaving is a way to distribute color in small sections throughout the hair. A comb with a tail is used for this technique. The tail is woven along the strand's surface and can be used to pull together small or large sections of hair for color application.
- Regardless of which foiling technique you use, you will almost always get the best results if you go to a professional. If you're not sure which to try, ask your stylist to show you examples of the different techniques for your hair color and the look you want. If you do it yourself, it's best to have the help of a friend.
