This client of mine is a former lowlight-phobe. For maximum impact on this client, I take the full subsection and use full saturation through ends: The trick with balayage lowlights is to get the hi’s situated first, then you can place the low. This video shows a balayage application that includes lowlight placement. It just depends on what you are trying to create. How to pick the right method? Free-hand and balayage techniques will have a stronger result, whereas a foil lowlight tends to be quite subtle. That low pH color won’t cause stress on the hair, plus since it’s “deposit-only” so it cannot disturb the melanin in any virgin hair it’s applied to (read: no hot roots!). Plus you will usually be depositing on pre-lightened hair (but not always).īecause of this, I formulate my lowlights with a semi or demi permanent acid based color because it has a low pH.

Meaning, if your formula is strong enough to lift, the underlying pigment of any virgin hair will be exposed, making it a consideration in your formulation (i.e. Often times you will be low-lighting hair that is virgin at the root and pre-lightened thru the mid-shaft and ends. And I will usually (but not always) add some gold into the formula to keep them from drabbing out. Because of that, I will just feather the lowlight thru the ends, as opposed to saturating them. Communicate well and always err on the lighter side if you are unsure.Īlso, those porous, pre-lightened ends will absorb color very matte, and present darker. She will even refer to a 7 lowlight as, “Remember when you put black in my hair?”. Lowlights on pre-lightend hair can appear darker than anticipated, because of that I rarely lowlight a blonde with anything darker than a 7.Ī heavily highlighted level 10 blonde will view a level 7 lowlight as black. Quick Lowlight lesson: A Clip from the Advanced Blonding Course And a general rule is that lowlights are either the same level as the base color or darker, but there are some lowlight formulation and lowlight application rules to follow so you can maximize your success. In my salon life, the majority of my clients are blondes, and I find myself lowlighting them for two reasons:Ī lowlight is the perfect way you can create depth since it acts as a backdrop to the highlight it is near.

And since most clients become too light in Summer, Fall and Winter tend to be the official seasons of lowlighting. Lowlights are very handy when a client becomes too light, or too solid, but doesn’t necessarily need (or want) to do single process to darken their palette.

Redken shades eq gray formula