Brassiness
Brassiness is used to refer to hair that is overly warm or yellow in tone. This can be the result of colour buildup; colour that is not processed properly or improperly formulated colour. Brassiness is generally corrected by applying a toner or a colour glaze to counteract the yellow.
Condition
Your hair’s condition can affect the final colour result. Your stylist will evaluate your hair’s condition in order to determine if you need special pre- or post-colour conditioning services, and create a colour formulation that is best for you.
Colourist
See Stylist.
Consultation
Before every color service, you should expect an in-depth consultation with your stylist. This conversation is where you will exchange information and ideas about your hair and the look you want to achieve in order to get your colour recommendation. During the consultation your colourist will assess the condition of your hair to help determine what kind of colour product is most appropriate for your hair’s needs.
Contrast
Contrast is a value applied to highlights. High-contrast highlights are much lighter than the surrounding hair and provide a dramatic look. Lower contrast highlights result in a more natural look.
Cool
Cool is a tonal value that can apply to blonde, brunette, and red shades. A colour is said to have “cool tones” if it tends toward blue or violet. Cool colours include platinum blondes, ash browns, and plum reds. See also warm.
Coverage
Coverage is a measure of a hair colour’s ability to cover gray. Some hair colour formulations are too transparent to effectively cover gray hair. Covering gray also requires a special colour formulation in order to avoid flat or unnatural results. Permanent Conditioning Hair colour provides exceptional gray coverage with resistance to fading.
Creative Colour
A combination of 2 or more colour techniques, Usually an all over color and the top section is foiled (option 1) or an all over color and up to 1/2 head is foiled (option 2) these techniques are used to create a personalized multi dimensional effect.
Decolourising, Pre Lightening or Bleaching
Removing natural or artificial hair colour with a lightener (bleach). This is the first step in a double-process hair service.
Demi-permanent hair colour
Demi-permanent hair colours deliver incredible colour, shine, and condition to hair with no lightening of the natural pigment. They do not remove or lift color. They are ideal if you want to enrich your natural colour, brighten dullness, or refresh previously coloured hair. Our Conditioning Colour Gloss is a demi-permanent hair colour. See also glazes.
Depth
The depth of a hair colour shade is determined by the amount of darkness in the colour. Deeper shades contain more pigment and absorb more light, while lighter shades are more transparent and reflect more light.
Dimension
Dimension is a function of the range of tones in your hair. A head of hair that is all one colour is said to be “flat” or lacking dimension. Your stylist can add dimension to your hair with highlights or lowlights.
Double-process
A double-process hair colour technique is used to achieve dramatic colour changes, such as going from very dark to very light hair. First, the hair is lightened with a decolouriser. Then the new colour is deposited on the hair. Your stylist will determine if a double process is right for you.
Fading
Hair color fades for a variety of reasons, including exposure to water, air, sun, and harsh shampoos. To counteract fading, we recommend you regularly use colour maintenance products such as Kerastase Reflection products.
Finish
The appearance of the hair’s surface, the polish or texture. Different hair colour products result in a different finish.
Formulation
The formulation is the mixture of hair colours your stylist applies to your hair. Your unique formulation will be created by taking into account your hair’s condition and your desired results.
Foils
See Highlights.
Gloss
A colour gloss delivers shiny color with no ammonia. It is a demi-permanent colour.
Gray coverage
See coverage.
Highlights
Highlighting hair means isolating select strands in the hair and treating them with a hair colour, lightener or toner. Highlights can add dimension by contrasting with the rest of the head of hair and are created with foils, or special combs or brushes used for “painting”.
Integrity
The overall strength and condition of the hair. Hair with poor integrity may require pre-treatment before a color service.
Lift
Lift is the chemical process of lightening the color of the hair. Different hair color formulations have different lifting abilities.
Lightener
A lightener is a lifting agent. It lightens the colour of the hair. Bleaching, decolorising, and lightening are all terms used interchangeably by stylists to describe the lifting process.
Lowlights
Adding darker strands to the hair to balance a too light look. Lowlights are typically created with foils, or combs. The effect complements the natural colour. Lowlights can add dimension to your hair.
Maintenance
Colour “maintenance” includes periodic salon visits for colour touchups and refreshing and regular at-home support with post-color care products such as Kerastase Reflection. Be sure to ask your stylist how to best maintain your colour.
Over processed
Hair that has been over processed via bleaching, straightening, or other services can be porous and challenging to colour. If your hair is over processed, your stylist may suggest that you choose pre-treatments such as Olaplex or PhBonder and a gentle colour product such as a colour gloss.
Permanent haircolour
Also called a Tint. Permanent hair colour does not wash out. It can be used to achieve subtle or dramatic colour changes, to lighten hair, and to colour hair that is up to 100% gray
Porosity
Your hair’s porosity determines how it will absorb colour. Hair that is very porous, due to over processing or other chemical exposures such as swimming will absorb colour more readily.
Protein
Hair is 70-80% protein. Proteins provide strength and resilience.
Single-process
Single-process haircolour will permanently transform your hair in one application. There is no separate decolorising step, versus double-process hair colour. Single-process haircolour is generally used to boost or lighten natural colour and to cover gray.
Stylist
Your salon stylist is your partner in achieving your haircolour goals. In order to best benefit from his or her expertise, give your stylist as much information as you can about your hair and the haircolour look you want to achieve during your consultation. A stylist who specializes in colour services is a “Colorist or “Technician”.
Semi-permanent haircolour
Hair color that is designed to last through five to seven shampoos, depending on the processing time selected and the porosity of the hair. Semi-permanent colors do not lighten hair. We do not currently offer a semi-permanent haircolour product.
Texture
Texture, as defined by the diameter of an individual hair strand, is generally described as fine, medium, or coarse. Your stylist will factor in your hair’s texture when determining your best colour formulation.
Tint
See permanent color.
Tone
Tone, in hair colouring, is the term used to describe a specific color such as “golden” blonde, “coppery” red, “ash” brown. Colours are divided into warm tones and cool tones. See also warm and cool.
Transparency
Transparency is a value used to describe the amount of pigment a haircolour formulation will deposit on the hair. Highly transparent colours will provide subtle changes.
Warm
Warm is a tonal value that can apply to blonde, brunette, and red shades. A colour is said to have “warm tones” if it tends toward yellow or red. Warm colours include golden blondes, auburn brunettes, and coppery reds. See also cool.