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 ;)
Balay... who?
One of the things that can ruin someones salon experience is not being able to vocalize what they want their stylist to do. Although, it’s important for the stylist to be able to depict an idea of what their client may want through a thorough consultation, it still wouldn’t hurt for clients to have a small understanding of some trendy hair verbiage. Here’s a few words and descriptions that can make your salon trip a bit easier.
Balayage- This word is probably the most mispronounced word in the hair world. Yet, every stylist knows what you are trying to say so don’t get too caught up on the pronunciation. Hell, I’ve probably said it wrong myself before. Balayage is a french word that literally translates into “sweeping” which describes the technique used to apply color or bleach to the hair. This sweeping technique creates a gradual transition from dark to light at any color level. Most people confuse this term with something that describes a specific color but, it is simply a technique. So, someone can have balayage highlights on brown hair and someone can have balayage highlights on blonde hair as well.
Airy- This word is used to describe how you might want your style to look. Any hair cut can be styled to look “airy”. This is when the hair is slightly undone, looks light and flowy as opposed to heavy and flat. This look is usually achieved using a finishing texture spray or hairspray.
Blunt- When the lines in your haircut are dramatic, the perimeter or length of your hair is all sitting on the same line. Blunt looks are usually described as more of an edgier look.
Piecey- This can be similar to airy, but even more specific. With this look, you can see the separation in different parts of the hair whether you are describing color placement or the style of the hair. This look can be created using some hair paste or cream at the end of your styling process.
Textured- This is when the hair has some grip to it, and isn’t so soft or limp. Most times, more textured hair will hold volume better. This is why stylist push the importance of using texture sprays when styling someones hair because that will help your style last longer as opposed to making it feel heavier as some people may think.
Polished- Hair that looks sleek or shiny. Everything describing the hair is “put together”. This would be the opposite of airy or piecey.
Rinse/Gloss/Toner-These terms are all used interchangeably. These all describe a service that is usually performed at the shampoo bowl as a short or add on service but can be susceptible to being put on at the chair based on the stylists’ preference. A rinse or gloss is usually used to darken the hair that’s faded between color services, 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 heat damage.