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The ever popular blonde will always be a hue that we strive to perfect.
Hair
by Luana
Coscia for
Gritti
Palace
They
say "blondes have more fun" as it's supposed to be the
hair colour of choice for most men and now they even have a salon
especially for them called The Blonde Room in Sydney's Woollahra.
It's not as
silly as it sounds, having a salon especially designed and staffed
for the express purpose of achieving the perfect blonde as it's
not as easy as it seems. The main trick with any chemical service
that you try yourself or get your hairdresser to do is being able
to maintain condition whilst putting your hair through what is
a very stressful process.
Going a radical
shade of blonde really means putting your hair in the hands of
the professionals who specialise in this area. This is more so
for those who are not naturally fair because more chemical manipulation
means a greater chance of something going wrong. Also, each and
every persons hair is slightly different and only your hairdresser
can tell how each type of hair might react. After a radical colour
service, always make sure you protect your hair with a good treatment.
So if you
are thinking of taking the plunge, here is a basic guide to some
of the terms that may be used in a consultation and your options
to achieving the perfect blonde for you.
Bleach:
a hair lightener used when you want to be really blonde
which is applied to the scalp. Generally followed by a "toner"
as a bleach is only the undercoat for the colour. Good to ask
if the price you are quoted is inclusive of the toner.
Toner:
a type of colour generally applied over a bleach or
highlights to give your hair a "reflect" of ash, honey,
beige, champagne etc. Great if your highlights get a bit dull
as you can get a toner to refresh them.
Tint
or colour (colour that grows out): both terms used to mean the
same thing. This is a permanent colour, applied directly onto
your scalp covering all of your hair. You can achieve a variety
of shades and the process is less harsh on your hair and scalp
than a bleach. If you are naturally fair the very light blondes
are possible with a tint but if you are dark it is not always
possible to achieve blonde results with these products.
Semi
or Demi colour (colour
that fades out): both are all over colours that will change the
reflect of your hair or darken it but not lighten it. Demi's are
a little stronger than Semi's and so last a lot longer (6 to 8
weeks) and will cover up to 70% grey. Semi's last about 6 weeks
and cover approx. 50% grey. Only of use to add tone to your already
blonde hair and are often used as 'toners'.
Lites,
Streaks or Highlights: pieces or strands of colour (tint or bleach) generally lighter than your
own hair. Some hairdressers use the term to mean only made using
bleach. Can be made using foil or cap methods (cap method is only
really good for very short hair and is not a technique used by
the top salons). The foil method is broken down into the amount
of your hair that needs to have highlights added. This varies
depending on your hair cut, the effect you want or even how many
highlights you got the last time:
- Full
head: strands spaced throughout all of your hair, normally
what you have the first time you try this type of colouring.
- Half
head: if your hair is long or hair cut suits you may not
need a "full head" every time. This costs slightly
less and strands are placed everywhere except the nape area.
- Crown
and Parting: this is when you need a quick set of highlights
or an emergency touch-up between a full head or half head. The
stands are placed as the name suggests.
Low-lights: same as highlights but darker than your own colour
or made using tints rather than bleach. Generally used to add
contrast or interest to your blonde look
Splices,
slices, chunks or pieces:
all these terms are used to describe pieces of colour that are
made in the same way as high or low lights but are large sections
of colour rather than strands.
At the end
of the day a colour must enhance and complement your own skin
tones. The bolder the colour the greater importance that must
be placed on this as you can go from looking fresh and new to
tired and drained with the whisk of a brush. One way to check
suitability for your skin is to pop into a wig shop and try a
few on. If this is not an option, check out thehairstyler.com
where you can scan in an image of yourself and try on as many
looks as you can imagine before you take the plunge.
© VirtualHairCare
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