Highlights vs Lowlights
Blonde highlights can be as natural or as bold as you would like it, using as many foils as the hair will allow. Foil is the traditional application for both highlights and lowlights, but there are various techniques we use to distribute the highlights through your hair. You can opt for a full head of highlights, which is ideal for anyone who wears their hair up so that the lighter color is seen throughout. You could also choose a partial highlights to touch up the top and around the crown. Accent foils are just a handful of foils placed around the face, usually to add extra brightness.
Highlights are a few shades lighter than your base color and are a great way to give hair a multi tonal effect. Add interest to brunette or black hair colors with warm caramel shades or honey toned highlights. Lowlights are used to darken lighter hair colors and are typically a few shades darker than your base color, though they make an impact when it comes to creating depth in your color. We can often use lowlights to add interest to naturally grey hair.
Teasylights
A fancy word for a look that uses foils for a balayage effect, teasylights refers to when sections of hair are teased before lightener is applied, accentuating hair from the mid length down. It's a way to get the look of balayage while sticking with a foil highlight process. Foil highlights tend to produce brighter results, thanks to the foils. So if you want that balayage look AND blonde that is more noticeable, please tell us. Teasylights may be the way to go for you.
Babylights
Babylights are traditional foil highlights using a delicate technique to mimic the subtle, multi dimensional hair color seen on children’s hair. Babylights are subtle and natural looking blonde highlights and make a low maintenance color option. Babylights are a great way to introduce color to your hair in a subtle way. They work best on fine hair, and can be applied to any hair color or length of hair. The babylights should be fine around the hairline and parting, with a gentle graduation of color that is lighter at the ends.
Money Piece Foils
Money Piece are accent foil highlights to add a bright frame of blonde around the face. These are perfect for those that want obvious blonde pieces around the face. It's an easy way to freshen up your look without a lot of fuss. Our stylists who do a lot of highlights will tell you they spend the most time foiling around the front hairline because it’s what’s most noticeable, especially with blonde clients. So why not get your face framing highlights, or money piece foils, touched up in between your full balayage/highlight appointments. It’s a cost effective way to keep your blonde highlights looking fresh with an amazing grow out. If you tend to go 3+ months in between your full highlights, try coming in for a toning service along with some money piece face framing foils to keep your hair from looking grown out and brassy!
Balayage Highlights
Balayage hair color, also referred to as hand painted highlights, is a popular hair color technique used to add natural, subtle-looking highlights or lowlights. We are highly trained and have a Master of Balayage certification. We know how to create sensational lived in looks using the balayage highlighting technique.
Balayage uses a specific type of lightener and an exact application. Our balayage experts will create a customized, natural-looking hair color that appears sunkissed and effortless with the hair color soft at the roots and lightening gradually toward the ends.
The balayage method is so popular because it looks great on every hair color. Because of the exact placement of the highlights, balayage has a way of contouring the face. It is low maintenance, meaning fewer visits to the salon for a hair color service. Plus, balayage is not just for blondes! It can look sensational with all hair colors including fashion shades and pastel colors.
Although balayage uses a brush as with foil highlights, the application technique is different. In balayage, we paint each section of hair as desired to create the highlights. If you've tried traditional foil highlights before, you'll notice that you get a softer, richer result with balayage highlights.
Foilayage or Foilyage
Ok, it's not a real word but what else would we call a balayage that takes advantage of foils. It's balayage with extra lifting time, thanks to the foils. More lift means a little lighter and brighter, like a booster, since balayage tends to produce more subtle results.
Ombre Hair
The two are often confused but are similar. Think of it this way- balayage is a technique, ombre hair is a look. Ombre hair is a flow of color from root to tip, gradually changing from one color to another.
Warm Blonde Hair
Blonde hair shades are trending warmer. More than just a lot of highlights, the looks is an all-over blonde with golden hues. If you're starting with brown hair, this look will require a head full of fine foils to create the all over blonde look. For a rooted, dimensional look, it will require another color application at the roots and around hairline. These warm blondes are different than their cool, icy counterparts. Honey Blonde, Teddy Bear Blonde, Honey Graham Blonde, Sun-kissed Blonde, Natural Golden Blonde, California Blonde are all popular names for warm blonde shades.
Cool Blonde Hair
The opposite of warm, cool blonde hair is pale and icy without any golden tones. Shades like Platinum Blonde, Icy Blonde, Ashy Blonde, cool blonde hair looks awesome on warm skin tones. To knock down any golden tones, cool blondes can have a toner applied and use purple shampoo at home.
Neutral Blondes
These blonde hair shades fall somewhere in middle as they tend to contain both warm and cold tones. The overall effect is neutral. Wheat Blonde, Butter Blonde, and Beige Blonde are all popular names for neutral blonde shades.
Whether you go warm or cool, subtle or bright, it's all about balance. We'll find that shade that complements your skin tone and features, making it a unique blonde that only you can pull off.
Single Process Color - One Hair Color All Over
Single process can mean a few things. A single process hair color service is one that can be processed in one step. A single development time with a single shampoo. An example of a single process color is all over color...one shade applied all over, covering the entire head. There are three levels of single process color: semi-permanent, demi-permanent, and permanent, each vary in strength and in how long they last. This process changes the color of your entire head of hair, giving you a new, one-dimensional tone.
Gloss with Color Treatment
A gloss service is a single process color but you get a two in one benefit. Using a demi-permanent color, color is applied all over the head with added shine and softness. So if you come in for a haircut in between your big color services, consider adding a gloss service to give your color a refresh. A demi-permanent gloss service is also a nice option for those who like frequent color changes. If you go red during the winter and plan on lightening up in the spring, a demi-permanent color is easier for us to lift off later.
Gloss Treatment, Shine Treatment
All of the shine, none of the color, but it's worth mentioning here. A gloss treatment is one of the unsung heroes at the shampoo bowl. If you're not due for color, we don't have to mix in any pigment to give you that divine shine.
Double Process Color - 2 Step Hair Color
By contrast, a double process hair color service requires multiple steps. It's almost like getting two different services in one visit. The first step is applied, processed, and rinsed before the next process can begin.
Examples of a double process hair color:
- All over color + foil highlights. This service updates your overall base color before highlights are added.
- Root melt. After a highlight service, a single process color is applied just at the roots to blend in the highlights.
- Bleach + Tone. This service lightens your entire head first, then a toner is applied to neutralize any harsh or brassy tones.
- Vivid Color. Typically, before a vivid hair color can be applied, the entire head must be lightened in order to create a light canvas and maximize color fidelity and intensity. Then pigment, or multiple pigments, is applied to create the desired look.
Grey Hair Coverage
Covering resistant grey hairs is a job best left to a skilled hair colorist. They can quickly get rid of unwanted white or grey hair with the correct formulation and a precision application. Your hair stylist can assess how your color varies around your head and make adjustments. This will assure there is no overlapping of color – often the result of using box hair dye - only beautiful healthy, shiny looking hair!
Transitional Grey Hair
The opposite of grey hair coverage here! Transitional Grey Hair, or graceful grey, is all about letting your grey hair grow in - without the awkward grow in phase. We'll analyze your grey roots to match your color and your natural salt and pepper pattern. Then leaving your roots alone, we'll color the rest of your hair. A transitional grey hair service can create a subtle low-maintenance look or it can take you straight to a dimensional silver! This is typically a multi-step service involving multiple methods to recreate the look of natural grey hair.
Root Touch Up - Cover New Growth
To avoid a color difference between your roots and the rest of your hair, it is important that you book a root touch up appointment at regular intervals. A root touch up service is designed to cover new growth and grey hair with single color applied to the roots.
Root Melt Hair Color
There are few names for this look. A rooted look, shadow root, root pull, or root smudge. As the name implies, it's all about the roots. This look is not the same as a root touch up. In fact, a root melt emphasizes the roots. After getting blonde highlights, some clients like to have a blended effect at the top of the head. They don't like the ribbon effect that foil highlights can reveal on some hair. A root melt service involves a demi or semi permanent hair color applied at the roots and pulled down a few inches. The rooted look gives you a lived-in hair color.
Vivid Hair Color
It's a new age in hair color. Wearing bright, funky hair color isn't so shocking anymore. From rainbow hair to subtle rose gold tones, there's no one way to play your fantasy hair color. Whether you're ready to dive into mermaid hair or experiment with softer shades of violet, pink or green hair color, we'll help you express your personal style!
We use high quality professional hair pigments which can be intermixed to create a completely unique look for you. They also fade true to tone over time, which means they'll wash out without losing the shade values. Your ocean blue won't turn into mint green!
We can do it, whether you want a a single vivid color or a rainbow of color. Mermaid hair, unicorn hair, Rihanna red, violet hair, purple hair, green hair, blue hair, granny grey hair, silver hair, metallic hair.
Book a Hair Color Appointment at Hair Xpressions Salon in Houston
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