I just did high and low lights yesterday ... as a gradual way to move to grey! We‘ll see how it goes...

I think there's more finesse in the current processes. Streaking - at least in my day - was not subtle. There wasn't as much care or thought given to blending of tones and high contrast streaks were thought to be stylish - and I guess they were at the time. As the techniques have changed, so have the terms.

Frosting is still a thing! It's for people with short hair according to this wiki, which explains some hair lightening terms and techniques.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_highlighting

Remember putting that rubber cap on your head and having the hair to be streaked yanked through the holes with a crochet hook? Brutal. my hairdresser uses foils and its called highlighting.

foils are also used for lowlights as well. I have both done at the same time which is very common every 4 months but I don't do a base colour and never will. That's just way too much maintenance for me.

Some stylists still use the caps. I'm not sure why. The shop I go to offers both the cap and foils. I'm thinking maybe the cap is easier/better for thin allover strands? I have a few scattered highlights.

Different techniques give different looks. The cap hasn’t been in favor for a good 20 years. Foils or painted on the scalp are typically what’s done. The actual highlights can be Weaved in giving a more defined streak look or Sliced which takes a thin section of hair. Balayage is still going strong but I think the hair looks better at least a few inches below chin in the front for it to look right. Quite a few different techniques for this but the bleach or color is painted onto the section and blended up at the top of the section like a V And doesn’t go to the scalp except around the face/front. Then place the hair in foil or sometimes just covered or sometimes just hanging.

Weaved in foils can still look nice but I think it looks best with multiple colors, correct tone, and not to drastic colors so the overall effect is blended and not harsh.

I think hair color is more artful today.

It's the same as highlights. I've done my own before with success and I have a box of Revlon Frost and Glow on the way. My hair is naturally highlighted anyway and it makes it easier to add more. No cap, I do it a skinny strand at a time with my fingers.

I’m still seeing it around me here in Northern New Mexico. The most popular colors for streaks seem to be bright pink, turquoise and purple (LOL)!

I do have one more question. If you have medium brown long hair and decide to get foil highlights. Do they bleach the sections that they put in foils and then add a color or is this all one step.

Depends how many levels of lift you’re going. If bleach is used almost everyone, especially if the hair is darker, is going to need a toner to correct the final color to something better suited for the skin tone. Usually it‘s to eliminate/adjust an orange or yellow color.

A toner can sometimes still be needed lifting with color too.

I deleted my one step comment.

I would say yes--that nothing is OUT ;it is very much a time of ANYTHING GOES. Colors of all sorts, multiple colors, Unbre is HUGE...anything that makes you UNIQUE is in.

I was going to post but arcy said just what I was going to say. I'd say "heck yeah, anything does, all sorts of crazy hair colors these days are all the rage".

After I posted quick yesterday wanted to note that if you’re going one to two levels lighter color can be used and most of the time you won’t need a toner if it’s done right (one step!) because you colorist can pick the undertone of what base you’re using. But if it needs changed for whatever reason a toner can be used.

Bright Mermaid hair is a thing as well as the Bright Color Anything Goes but neither are real popular here. The anything goes placement reminds me too much of some of the color trends of late 90s into the 2000s. Neither are my thing but Mermaid I think looks more up to date.

Also highlights are lightening and lowlights are darkening. Lowlights are used usually after hair has been highlighted a few times to add the darker base color back in because the overall color is now too light. Lowlights are also used for strategic color placement in gray hair.

Sheeisback or all

THis is for my daughter who has longish med. brown hair. Well she went yesterday and did get the foil highlights. It was done in one step.

She likes the way it was done but not the color. I also did not like the color but did not tell her. She just called me and said she phoned the salon and they told her to come back today and they are going to do a gloss which should make the color warmer.

Does this sound right to you.

Thanks

Yes. It will tone down the yellow / orange pigment that popped up when she got the foil.

I’d have her ask what the gloss is. Glosses and toners are different. They make glosses just to make the hair...well, glossy but toner corrects undertone. (Hair color and toners have gloss in them.) They may just be calling a toner a gloss. Toners are actually just permanent or demi permanent color applied to correct tone. (Demi color washes out slowly without a line of demarcation.) Warmer may or may not be the right thing. What doesn’t she like about the color? It may need to go more ash to kick back any brass. Ash, blue, violets are typically used if that’s the case, depends on the color system they’re using. I’m assuming they used color and not bleach. ? Does she know what brand and line they used? Did she take a photo in originally? Either way, definitely take one when she goes back to eliminate any communication gap.

i hope they’re able to get a color your daughter likes. It’s not fun walking around with hair you don’t care for.

eta if she doesn’t want to ask a bunch of stuff, just show the photo first and go from there with a solution.

eta again - I know people personally that when they hear ash they think it’s going to give them an cold drab color but it can achieve a different shade of ‘caramel‘ for example. It can achieve slightly cooler but still be a warm color if that makes sense. In general, the correct tones never give drab results but will brighten and liven up a complexion.

I have medium brown longer hair and I have often used highlights. I have done it myself with the Frost and Glow. It had been a long time and I decided to get it highlighted professionally. They bleached it using foils and did not put any toner on it. I really liked it.

I decided to add some more highlights and get my roots touched up. This time they did the same thing but added a toner...to add a golden color to the highlights. To be honest, I think I preferred the bleaching without the toner. That was just my personal opinion given the pretty color with my own ash brown hair. Most pros will definitely use a toner after lifting the color with the bleach.

How long does the toner usually last? The only time I ever had professionally applied toner, it faded to nothingness in less than two weeks.

Sheeisback and aktillery,

thanks again for your explanations. Well she came by my house after her appointment today and she is much happier. She said the girl called it a toner and then after that they did a gloss. She thinks that is what it was called. Anyways it looks much better today.

the colorist mentioned that yesterday her stylist had told the colorist to use something in the mixture that completely takes all color out of your hair strips., today the colorist says she should have taken out only part of the color so she would have got a more golden color. I am not sure of the exact terminology for all this because it was all said in French.

anyways as of now all is good. Thanks.

Ida -It depends with the toner. I wasn‘t all impressed with Demi permanent as a toner for a long time because it didn’t seem to last long. (Side note-Demi permanent is nice to use as an overall solid color for someone that’s under 50%- closer to 25 is better-gray since it avoids that grown out line and fades evenly.). The only one I had consistent experience with was Matrix Color sync. My friend and fellow hair dresser uses Wella Color Touch Demi as a toner. They have a really nice range of browns. Anyhow, I think it lasted longer on my hair hands down. For both brands that’s also using color shampoo and conditioner (I like Goldwell Dual Senses these days for my normal fine hair.) cooler water, and I don’t wash it every day. Sadly, like anything else professional color isn‘t created equal. Boo.

Lyban I’m guessing she used bleach and feels she should have used color for the lift. I’m glad your daughter ended up with good results! I hope the salon keeps client hair info. and made notes for if she goes back in the future.