Communication Skills Are Key.
Before I go too in-depth with this process, let’s go over some vocab words (there may or may not be a pop quiz at the end.) And then message me how impressed your stylist is next time you see them!
Descriptive Words:
Airy - Think of this as the opposite of heavy. If someone’s haircut or style is described as airy, it means that it’s not so perfectly placed, looks slightly undone but in a tasteful way, it is light and flowy as opposed to heavy and flat.
Blunt - The lines created in the haircut are dramatic. The length is all sitting on the same line.
Piecey- Can be similar to airy, but even more specific. you can see the separation in certain pieces of the hair, usually made with using product such as a paste or cream.
Textured - When the hair holds more volume and doesn’t feel too soft or limp, usually has some type of curl pattern in its natural state.
Polished - hair style that is sleek, usually a haircut that doesn’t hold many layers that separate the hair.
Balayage - this word can be used in many different ways. The actual word just means “blended”. Therefore this is a technique of how natural you want your highlights to look. This does NOT describe a specific color. Balayage can range from a caramel brown to a platinum blonde. It only describes how you want the color/highlights to be placed in your hair, meaning a gradual blend from your roots to ends.
Rinse/Gloss/Toner - These terms are all used interchangeably. These all describe a service that is usually preformed at the shampoo bowl because of how fast they work but are susceptible to being put on at the chair based on stylists’ preference. A rinse or gloss usually darkens the hair that’s faded between services, usually leaving it with a shiny finish. This can also be colorless (clear) if you’re solely looking for shine. A toner describes the same service but is used to shift the tone in hair that has been prelightened or naturally lightened due to sun exposure or hair damage.
Colors, explained:
When you sit down in a hairdresser’s chair, the first images that pop up in his or her head, are these 2 charts.
Sorry, not the beautiful Pinterest pic you brought with you; Although, that is definitely considered.
These two charts tell us (your stylist) everything we need to know. The color chart lets us identify what level your current hair is and the level we are trying to achieve after your appointment. The color wheel will help us determine what tone of the level of color we need to use to achieve the color and, same as above, helps us to identify your current hair undertone.
I won’t break it down too much because I wouldn’t want to spill a hair dresser’s secrets! But some of this knowledge is good for anyone to know to help promote clear communication between a stylist and their client:
If you are any shade of brown (levels 6 and under) the tones that your stylist will have to lift through to get you to that pretty bright blonde are - first red, then orange, then yellow. So what that means is the darker your hair color is, the warmer the undertones are. That is not a curse, that’s just a fact. Once we acknowledge facts, we can appreciate the process. So, depending on your desired color, assuming you’re trying to go lighter, your stylist has to lift through all of those undertones, therefore the process may be more in depth and take more time. Your stylist will then use what ever toner necessary to get you to your desired color - whether it be something cool, because you’re wanting an icier or deeper look, or something neutral, to leave you with a more natural highlight.
What to take from the color wheel: think of what color undertone you have and what undertone you’re trying to get to.
For example: you have medium brown hair (level 5 or 6) and it is a bit warm, kind of an Auburn color. So that means your undertones are of orange or red. Look at the color wheel and see what’s the complement of orange or red. You’ll fin the complement of these two are blue and green. So this means if you mix the colors red and green together, it will neutralize, and then blue and red, same thing. That is what we want to happen with hair most of the time, is for the colors to neutralize so the unwanted tones can disappear.
Your desired color is to be about the same color level (still 5 or 6) but less warm. You would use a color with the undertones of green or blue. So that would be like an ash brown in whatever color series with the option of a blue base or green base. Slap that baby on your hair and then boom, you’ve got a deeper color of the same level.
I also always mention to clients who desire to be super blonde and super bright, that the icier we go, the darker it may look. That is, because icy equals blue undertones instead of yellow undertones which would be like a neutral tone. Applied at the same level, blue will always appear darker than yellow. That’s always something to consider. There are ways to work around that but I like to mention that to help people to understand those over filtered IG and Pinterest pictures may not look that bright and icy in real life.
With this knowledge, hopefully your trip to your hairdresser can be a bit more informative and create easy communication now that you’ve done a bit a research.
Tell em Kat taught you ;)
What are all these parts?
Knowing your hair tools and hair products is one of the most important hacks you can learn. Many people will buy hair products without knowing exactly how to use them, therefore they may think a product doesn’t work when in reality they might not be using it correctly. Same goes for your hair tools. Sure, most people know the jist of what a blow dryer does, but here’s a little tip on what some of the attachments are used for to help you when it comes to styling your own hair.
Using no attachment - usually used for a quick dry but those who have finer hair can actually benefit from not using a nozzle. By round brushing your hair with no attachment on the blowdryer, this creates more airflow through the hair which can create more fullness and kink for finer hair.
Concentrater- these are used to concentrate airflow to a specific area of your hair which will create a smoother and shinier look. A dryer can come with more than one concentrator, usually different sizes, to give you a choice of preference.
Comb attachment- This makes it easy to blow through the hair smoothly and still create volume as the "pick" creates height at the root. This is also a great tool to dry coarser hair with, as it combs and smooths at the same time. Because you don’t need another tool when using this attachment, it’s made easy for someone to style their own hair with.
Diffuser- This is the bowl shaped attachment. It lowers the intensity of the blow dryer's air flow, which ultimately helps reduce frizz. This is great for drying wavy or curly hair just for those reasons. To get the best results, dry hair using a diffuser while your hair is flipped upside down for voluminous curls. When you use a diffuser, be sure to use more product on your hair beforehand to compensate for any frizz that the blow dryer may create.