Salon Talk! (part 1 of 4)

Want to come out of the salon with the style you went in dreaming of? Learn to talk the talk so you can walk the walk.

For most of us, while a visit to the salon is something we circle on the calender with excitement, there’s always a slight feeling of being out of our element when we walk through the door. Like visiting any foreign land, you’ll have more success dealing with the locals if you learn to speak their language. This month, Shortcuts proudly presents the first installment of our four part Salon Dictionary, with terms that deal with hair color and coloring. In the coming month’s we’ll continue this series designed to help you get the most out our your visit to the salon as we turn our attention also to cut, style and beyond.

Before we move on to the Salon Dictionary, here are the seven methods to hair coloring.

Method #1: Temporary Color

The way to go for the person looking to try something new. While it doesn’t lend the consistency of other methods, it’s a great way to test the waters. We also use this method for quick touch ups or to eliminate yellow tones from gray hair.

Method #2: Semi-Permanent Color

Best for those looking for a moderate change in color intensity. This is also a great method to blend away light amounts of gray hair.

Method #3: Demi-Permanent Color

A longer lasting alternative than semi-permanent, great for enhancing tone and blending away gray.

Method #4: Permanent Color

The method of choice for most stylist/colorist as it achieves 100% coverage plus 100% consistent results.

Method #5: Highlights

From sun-kissed hair to dramatic variance, highlights do the job by weaving selected hair strands and applying formula using foils to allow for more precise and direct access to the hair.

Method #6: Lowlights

Used to accentuate styles by bringing a deeper color through larger sections, in addition to subtly integrating a natural crescendo of color through hair. Applied like highlights, lowlights are the preferred method for men looking to blend away gray.

Method #7: Double Process Coloring

For the ultra-dramatic change the double process lifts color from your hair and deposits the desired color in its place. For this a consultation with your colorist and expert precision is a must!

For more on the 7 Methods Of Hair Color, please visit us on the internet at www.saloneastnyc.com/learn/7color.html

Salon Dictionary: Color

Activator: Oxidizer added to increase strength by adding hydrogen peroxide.

Ammonia: Active in opening up cuticles to allow the color molecules to penetrate into cortex. The higher the ammonia level, the more the cuticle is opened.

Balayage: A free-form technique that involves painting a lightener directly on hair to enhance a style or for in-between highlight touch-ups.

Base color: Dominant tone of hair.

Booking time: Time needed for salon service.

Bleach: Lightning agent used to lighten or depigmatize hair. Removes color molecules from hair.

Brighten/intensify: To lighten half a layer and deposit a complimentary tone. Generally with demi-permanent color or soft highlights.

Color Type: The color that most compliments your skin.

(Warm/Spring: bright and clear yellow undertones compliment spring’s best. Primary color: yellow. Warm/Autumn: warm with gold and orange undertones. Earth tones. Combination of primary colors: yellow and red that make gold. Cool/Summer: soft cool with violet blue undertones. Combination of primary colors: blue and red. Winter: vivid clear and icy with pure blue undertones.

Color filler: Replacement pigments/color molecules used to rebuild the hair pigment lost due to sun or prior colorings, to create even shading prior to color.

Color or tint removers: Products used to remove artificial pigment from the hair.

Colorist: Person trained to apply hair color.

Complimentary colors: Primary, secondary or tertiary colors that support each other and are adjacent to each other on the color wheel, (ie. yellow would be a complimentary color to gold).

Consistency: 1. Evenness of tone or hair color.

           2. Thickness or viscosity of color product applied.

Contributing pigment or remaining pigment: Pigment that comes out when hair is lightened. It can also be called an undertone.

Cortex: Middle of three layers of the hair which contains the melanin where hair color exists.

Coverage (100% complete coverage): Refers to the amount of gray that can be covered. For example, permanent color is 100%, demi-permanent is approximately 70%, semi-permanent is 50% coverage.

Cuticles: The first of three layers in the hair.

Delivery method: The method chosen to apply color (i.e. bottle brush, foil technique, balayage).

Demi-Permanent color: Color with little or no peroxide or ammonia, used mostly to deposit color. Also used to lighten hair for shading.

Developer: Oxidizing agent added to hair color to develop color molecules and create a color change in the hair. It is generally 20 volume for permanent, 5 volume for demi-permanent.

Deposits: Color molecules entering the cuticle that create a change in color or tone.

Dramatic: A change in hair color, lightness, brightness, or tone that alters the way we see ourselves or how we are seen.

Double Process Coloring: Coloring process that involves two steps: 1) prelightening of the hair, 2) depositing of color and tone.

Duration (color duration): The amount of time a color lasts.

Enhance: To bring out someone’s features using coloring technique by changing the hair color in lightness, brightness or tone.

Features: Bone structure, eyes, mouth, neck, cheekbones, etc. we want to draw attention to.

Foil technique: Highlighting technique using foils to keep color separate from the rest of hair, used to lighten and enhance styles and overall color.

Foundation: Color left in the hair after it goes through ten stages of decolorizing.

Formula: Color or combination of colors used in dyeing hair.

Free-hand highlights: see Balayage.

Frequency (Frequency of Application): The average time in between coloring.

Hair color: Color of hair created by nature.

Haircolor: Professional term referring to artificial hair color products and services.

Hair lightening: Chemical process involving defusing or the taking away of the natural color pigment or artificial color of the hair, bringing the hair to a lighter level.

Highlights: Lightening of individual strands of hair to add the illusion of sheen and depth and create movement.

Highlighting shampoos: Mixture of shampoo and peroxide to slightly lighten hair color.

Highlighting shampoo tints: Hair colors mixed with hydrogen peroxide and shampoo used for subtle changes in hair or when the hair is very reactive to color.

Intensity (color intensity): Strength of color tone.

Law of color/Universal law of color: All colors are created from the three primary colors-yellow, blue, and red.

Level: Unit of measure used to identify the lightness and darkness of hair color.

Level system: Scale of one to ten, one being darkest, ten being lightest, of hair color.

Lightness: Products with chemicals used to decolorize or lighten the hair.

Line of demarcation: The visible line that appears when hair grows out, separating colored hair from new growth.

Lowlights: Depositing color into separate strands of hair, creating dimension and movement. Also used to decrease the amount of gray visible in hair.

Maximum Lift: The amount of lightening possible in different hair coloring techniques. For example, single process has four levels of lift, demi-permanent has a half level of lift, double-process can lighten hair ten levels.

Medulla: The center of the hair shaft.

New growth or re-growth: The amount of uncolored new hair that grows in after the hair is colored.

Patch test: Test usually given in the crux of the elbow or behind the ear to test for sensitivity or allergies to any product used on the scalp.

Penetration: The degree of entry gained by color as it enters the three levels of the hair shaft.

Permanent hair color: Hair color containing ammonia and peroxide that creates a sustained change in the hair and penetrates all three layers of the hair.

Peroxide (AKA developer or hydrogen peroxide): Ranges from 100% to 1% to enhance lightening and oxidation in the hair shaft to remove hair color or deoxidize the hair.

Pigment: Found in the cortex, the middle layer of the hair, pigment molecules form…(This needs to be filled in)

Primary colors: Red, yellow, and blue. All colors are created from these three.

Range (color range): Refers to the seasonal color chart and the colors that compliment your skin to make it look its best. Yellow: spring; gold/red/yellow combination: autumn; blue: winter; blue/red combination: summer.

Resistant: Stubbornness in hair which inhibits penetration of products or chemicals, limiting the change or slowing the process of hair coloring. This can also occur from the over-coloring or over-depositing of hair color.

Secondary colors: They are created by adding equal parts of one primary color to another primary color.

Semi-Permanent: Hair color that partially penetrates the cuticle and is partially washed out after each shampoo.

Shade: An increment of measure in each level of hair color. There are 4 shades in each level.

Single-process hair color: Refers to coloring that colors and or lightens hair in one step.

Soften: To lighten hair less than one level.

Sun-kissed: Highlighting created by the sun or subtle highlights imitating those created by the sun.

Technique or special-effects hair color: Form of application, such as balayage, foil, or single-process.

Temporary Color: Non-permanent color that doesn’t penetrate the cuticle, allowing it to be removed by shampoo.

Tertiary colors: Combination of primary and secondary colors, such as red and green (mixture of yellow and blue).

Tone: The warmth or coolness of the hair.

Toners: Any hair color applied to lightened hair to achieve specific shades and levels of hair.

Touch up: The application of hair color to re-growth.

Ultra-dramatic: An extreme change in color more than four levels and generally a combination of highlights and lightening or darkening.

Virgin application: First time hair is tinted.

Weaving: When you separate strands, apply color to them and keep them separate from the rest of the hair.

SIDE BAR:

Want to get what you want everytime you visit the salon? Follow these seven steps.

“You deserve to get what you want. After all, you're the client.”

#1 Come to the salon with a clear idea as to what you want.

Inspiration is everywhere. Be on the look out for hairstyles you like and bring clippings and photographs that visually support your ideas. Have you seen that commercial where the woman snaps a picture of a hairstyle she like with her cell phone? Do it!

#2 Express yourself without fear.

Your hairdresser wants to make you happy (if not there’s a problem) so let them know what’s on your mind, and give them information about yourself and your lifestyle.

#3 Listen

When you ask a question or make a comment make sure you hear the answer you get. This way you will know if you and your hairdresser are on the same page, and if their ideas are consistent with yours.

#4 Don’t be afraid to disagree.

If you hear something that makes you uneasy speak up. You are paying for this service, so get what you want…just make sure you do so in a way that is respectful and does not alienate.

#5 Be decisive

You’ve come in with an idea, you’ve expressed it and you’ve heard your hairdressers opinion. Now it’s time for you to make the call.

#6 Watch while it is happening.

This is true for many reasons. First of all if you don’t think things are going as planned you need to let them know. Secondly, it will help you recreate the style if you see the techniques they are using. Ask your stylist to explain the styling process to you.

#7 Give it time.

Sometime’s things need getting used to. If you are unhappy after a couple of days go back and make the necessary corrections. If your salon doesn’t appreciate your legitimate point of view it’s time to find a new salon.