HAIR HACKS: blonde techniques for custom color
when it comes to BLONDE, the possibilities are endless. you don’t always have to stick to a full head of blonde hair and more importantly- there are hundreds of ways to highlight your hair.
we’re going to use a few different BLONDE TECHNIQUES to create a dimensional look for veronica and teach our readers something new :)
watch the video, read the blog, & snag our CHEAT SHEET if you want the FORMULAS :)
ready to dive in? let’s go!
as you can see, veronica’s hair is grown out and in need of a retouch.
we’re going to add a lot more BLONDE to the perimeter of her hair as well as the hair around her face. around her face, we’re going to use an ombre foil technique. in the back, we’re going to be mixing weave and slice patterns (like balayage techniques)- all while making sure we leave the dark veronica wants to keep. the result will be a BEAUTIFUL combination of dark brown and blonde BALAYAGE and OMBRE techniques.
the FRONT of the head: OMBRE TECHNIQUES
before we section the hair into 4 quadrants, we’re going to separate about an 1 and a half inch around her face. this is the portion of her hair we want predominately blonde. once we have that sectioned, we separate the remaining hair into 4 sections and start from the front.
in the FRONT portion of the hair, we’re going to use OMBRE techniques.
with each section you’re going to BACKCOMB the section before you begin painting, and FEATHER the color vertically with your brush. though we won’t stagger as much as you would for a full head of hair, we’re still going to stagger within an inch of difference. alter your section to help the color appear NATURAL.
continue this process to the top of the head. once you approach the very top of the section, we want to extend it from about 2 ½ inches all the way to 3 inches. this will create a natural line that moves the color down as we approach the rest of the head.
keep in mind that if your client already has blonde in their hair, you DO NOT want to paint over the blonde again. you will damage the hair.
after the front section is handled, you’re able to move on to the rest of the head. but BEFORE you do that- take the section from the ear to the front of the face and clip it aside. this dark contrast will drape over the blonde when her hair is complete.
the BACK of the head: master BALAYAGE techniques
we want to make sure we’re staggering the BLONDE. and not by a little- by a lot! we’re going to alternate TECHNIQUES by section of hair. for the first and bottom section, we’re going to lightening the ends and the ends only. for the second section, we’re going to use a WEAVE and paint it accordingly.
you want to remember which TECHNIQUE you started with. in order for the color to MIRROR on each side, you need to repeat the exact same pattern on the other side of the head for a truly complete color job. try to visualize the dark you’re leaving as you move up and across the head.
continue this process until you reach the widest point of the head.
#protip: on the SLICES of hair, you want to make sure that your sections are thin enough that you’re not leaving too much dark- but you don’t need to necessarily saturate the hair all of the way through. with blended styles like this, it adds a nice shadow to the style.
the TOP of the head: WEAVES in all different sizes
we’re going to start with a baby fine WEAVE and alternate the sizes of that weave. we’re no longer doing any slices as we want the contrast of the colors to be strong. as with the other sections, we’re going to alternate how far we bring the BLONDE up the hair.
keep your other quadrants in mind when you’re doing the top of the head. you want everything to flow naturally. when you reach the very TOP, we want to create a VEIL with a fine weave. by now, your foils should look a little like this:
once we’ve completed the BLONDE, we retouched veronica’s ROOTS with 4.1 j beverly hills + 30 vol.
after all the process is COMPLETE, we’re going to let the hair process for 18 minutes. once we checked the hair, we knew the front section was done but the other’s still needed a few minutes. we washed the front section and allowed the rest of the head to process.
now we’re ready to TONE.
TONING the HAIR
truthfully, we forgot to record the initial toning process. where we started we started was much brassier than the photo. to TONE the hair we used ⅓ 8.29 + ⅔ 9.5-22 schwarzkopf + 4 grams of steel blue. we let this process for a full 30 minutes.
after it’s sit from 30 minutes, we’re going to wash her hair and prep it for STYLING.
STYLING the HAIR
with the toner all washed out, we’re ready to style. we’re starting with nvenn’s replenish oil. this rejuvenating oil replenishes the hair with nutrients and makes the hair SOFT and SHINY. focus on the ends when using this.
now we’re ready for HEAT PROTECTANT. we’re using nvenn’s protect. we’re going to spray a layer of this between EVERY layer of heat- from the blowdryer to the curling iron.
to finish the style, we’re using smooth. this SPLIT END MENDER helps to tame flyaways and of course- mend split ends!
and now for the BIG REVEAL:
over the course of our careers, we’ve been asked thousands of questions about the BLONDE TECHNIQUES we use to create ombres, balayages, and tons of other styles. the answer is always different. no two heads of hair are the same! whether you’re trying the blonde techniques we used for veronica’s hair or trying a pattern all your own- make sure you take full advantage of the techniques we covered in this guide :)
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