What is the difference between balayage and highlights?
The term balayage (bah-lay-ahge) is a tongue-twisting, French word meaning “to sweep” or “to paint” the surface. Just about every day, clients ask us what a balayage is and what the difference is compared to the traditional highlight. Just like its translation, the balayage technique literally comprises of painting pieces of the hair as opposed to the highlighting technique where hair is sectioned out then woven and lightened starting at the roots leaving remaining hair the natural or current color. The balayage method consists of freehandedly painting pieces of the hair. Balayage allows the stylist to customize the overall look you’re trying to achieve. Whether you only want to have lighter strands to frame your face or your natural sun-kissed locks. Balayage is a skillful way of making your hair look like it is naturally lightened without having to maintain your roots.
Does hair have to be lightened for fantasy/vivid colors?
We have all marveled at those Instagram hair videos of vibrant colored tresses cascading down a lucky client’s back. Everyone, at some point, have desired to take a leap of faith and go for a bold, bright hair change. However, not everyone is ready for the commitment that comes with maintaining fantasy/vivid colors. Many clients call and ask us if lightening is required for the service. The answer is no, but, it depends on how intense you want your fantasy color to be and the color brand that is going to be used. You could have the color applied to your current hair color, but, the darker your hair is, the less intense the color will be. If you are a natural light blonde, the color will be brighter. We recommend lightening the hair if you’re trying to achieve that coveted rich, bold color or using our permanent color called Elumen by Goldwell. Elumen is a permanent color that is gentle, non-oxidative, and ammonia-free, which provides 76% more color intensity compared to oxidative, permanent hair color. Elumen can be applied to all shades of hair without lightening services to achieve brilliant color results while adding radiant shine and leaving the hair healthy and durable.
What is a glaze? And why do I need it?
A glaze is a demi-permanent color that enhances the hair color while adding a lustrous shine. It can also be used to either boost your natural color or to mute unwanted tones in the hair. For example, if you are a blonde feeling a little brassy, sometimes all you need is a quick glaze to tone the blonde to achieve the shade you desire. We especially recommend glazes to any type of lightening services to counteract the yellowing that can occur during the process, or to simply achieve the shade or tone that you desire. When applied, the glaze helps maintain the color while smoothing down the hair cuticle, allowing your locks to be more manageable for 4-6 weeks.
Why do we give starting at prices for services?
All services have a starting at price because they are subject to change according to possible unforeseen circumstances. For example, these starting prices do not include potential extra color bowls, necessary hair treatments, or other services that stylist might need to add in order to reach the look that the client is seeking. Prices are also subject to change depending on hair length as well as density. We provide clients with a starting base price to give them an idea of what the minimum charge would be, however, the price can stay the same or increase according to the stylist’s services rendered.
Should I wash my hair before coming to the salon for a color service?
Washing your hair is not necessary before coming in for a color service. Nonetheless, we prefer that your hair has been washed within the last few days. We ask this because if the hair has build-up, such as chlorine, dry shampoo, hairspray, etc, the color will not be able to adhere to the hair as it should. We do not expect squeaky clean hair! A little dirt won’t hurt! However, if you do come in with build-up, we will have to wash your hair in-salon. The exception to this rule is a glaze service as we will wash the hair in-salon before application anyway due to the nature of the color requiring freshly cleaned hair.
If we missed a question you need an answer to, feel free to give us a call so we can help! :)