Spring is in the Hair
Welcome to my first blog post EVER ladies and gentlemen (and by gentlemen I'm assuming my husband is the only man who will ever read this, and even he may just say he did.) Spring has sprung and I could not be more excited. Here in Texas we relish the days we actually get to be outside before God cranks up the heat and we retire to our central AC for months. It's a lot like hibernation in reverse and with the occasional trip to any body of water that will have us. I hope y'all are enjoying every minute of this season with its beautiful flowers, brisk mornings that melt into perfect afternoons and, oh, revamping our houses, wardrobes and HAIR. Let the highlights begin ladies. I myself have gone full on blonde and (at the risk of sounding like a dorky cliche) am having so much fun! With blonde comes maintenance and if you're anything like me, you want to know what you're getting yourself into before you commit to a full season of hours in the salon. Have no fear, I'm here to give you the scoop on exactly what blonde fits into your maintenance routine.
Traditional Foil Highlights
Why not start with the tried and true? Traditional foil highlights have been around since the mid 70's and still reign as the most popular lightening service in salons. There are so many variations of the foil highlights from the colors you can use to the difference in the sectioning from most natural of skinny baby-lights to the thickest most noticeable chunky slices. You can incorporate as many colors as you want and keep them all neatly separated in their individual packages.
Who this service is good for
-anyone who wants to see an even amount of brightness from roots to ends
-women who want to camouflage their grey coming in at the root
-women who want a high concentration of blonde all over for an overall lighter look
-anyone who wants definition between their highlight/lowlight colors
-anyone who wants major lift because the foils help lift more effectively and evenly
-people with short hair that the other techniques don't work as well on
Maintenance on traditional foil highlights varies based on different factors, but typically you wouldn't want to go longer than 6-10 weeks. Foil highlights all start as close to the roots as possible, so when they grow out there is a distinct line of demarcation. The closer you go to your natural hair and the more natural the look, the longer you can go. The more dramatic and contrasting... I'll see you in 6!
Balayage (hair painting)
You can't jump on Pinterest for 5 minutes without stumbling on jaw-dropping, lived in balayage highlights. What exactly is "balayage"? A freehand technique that does not involve foils, where the stylist paints lightener directly onto the hair. It has a softer, thinner start point usually slightly away from the root and lightens and thickens towards the ends. It has become increasingly more popular because of its soft less noticeable grow out, and its natural mimicking of sun kissed brightness.
Who is this service good for
-anyone who wants a subtle sun kissed look
-anyone who wants to slightly brighten their hair without the commitment of all over color or traditional highlights
-brunettes who want to stay brunette but are feeling dull
-women with long hair that don't want the damage that comes with overly lightening
-good for all hair colors from the darkest brunette babes to the fairest haired beauties
Upkeep is the biggest pro of this look with women easily being able to stretch their balayage 3-4 months. Remember, what you gain in a long-term maintenance plan you make up for in cost and time in the chair initially, although I have yet to meet anyone who wouldn't easily make that one time trade.
Foilayage
You guessed it, foilayage is the combination of traditional foils and balayage. This technique is one of my personal favorites because, to me, it is the best of both. It has the subtle regrowth of a balayage with the brightening power and control of a traditional highlight.
Who is this service good for
-anyone who loves the look of a balayage but wants a brighter blonde
-anyone who likes the roots to still have some highlights
-people who wants a heavy rooted look with lots of brightness on the ends
You should expect to be back in the salon in 2-3 months for a touch up.
Ombre and Sombre
Although not as popular as they once were, when done right this can be a great option for brightening up just the ends so you never have to worry about your roots again. Ombre is a gradual transition for your natural root color to all over lighter ends, while sombre is technically the same thing with less contrast from the dark to light.
Who is this service good for
-people who need to touch up their all over color often but don't want to have to do highlights every time
-people who want a more edgy less conventional look
-girls who want to add brighter fashion colors or pastels, but don't want the damage or upkeep of doing it all over
-people who don't know when they would be able to do their hair again if ever
There is essentially no upkeep for ombre unless you want there to be, but to keep the look looking the same expect to come back every 4-6 months.
All Over Lightener
I have strong opinions on lightening your hair scalp to ends all over one color and since it's my page your going to hear about it. I think there are only two types of people that this service is good for with very few exceptions.
The two people this service is for
-people with pixie cuts
-Playmates
That is all. We can agree to disagree if you disagree, but I have my feelings and I'm pretty sure they aren't changing anytime soon. That being said, this also happens to be the service I currently do to get my PIXIE so blonde. The minute it grows longer, I will go to one of the aforementioned techniques. The upkeep on all over lightening is insane because you basically have roots 5 days after you leave the salon. Be prepared for us to spend a lot of time together if you choose this path because you'll need to be in every 4 weeks.
I sincerely hope this was helpful in your quest for the perfect spring lightening service for you. I hope to see you all soon and have the opportunity to make you springier, lighter and brighter! As always you can book on my website at www.styleseat.com/elizabethreames. Thank you and have a blessed day and a wonderful spring.
Elizabeth
