Highlighting hair, how do YOU do it?

[mobilehair]

For years I only did highlights using a cap and bleach with 12%/40vol peroxide, last year I decided to have some training in foil highlighting which has helped loads but I still struggle. I'm scared of doing foils with bleach and the first foils overdeveloping and damaging the hair but when I use high lift tint I don't always get enough lift!!:irked:

A friend suggested Matrix colour graphics which I think is like L'Oreal Majimeche? I think it acts a bit like high lift tint and bleach so it can be left on longer than bleach and will lift up lighter than highlift tint.

I think one of my problems is also that as a new to foil hairdresser it takes me a while to get the foils in place!! I'm really struggling with this and would love people to tell me how they do highlights ... please help!! :cry:

 

[minky]

For years I only did highlights using a cap and bleach with 12%/40vol peroxide, last year I decided to have some training in foil highlighting which has helped loads but I still struggle. I'm scared of doing foils with bleach and the first foils overdeveloping and damaging the hair but when I use high lift tint I don't always get enough lift!!:irked:

A friend suggested Matrix colour graphics which I think is like L'Oreal Majimeche? I think it acts a bit like high lift tint and bleach so it can be left on longer than bleach and will lift up lighter than highlift tint.

I think one of my problems is also that as a new to foil hairdresser it takes me a while to get the foils in place!! I'm really struggling with this and would love people to tell me how they do highlights ... please help!! :cry:

Hi mobilehair, if you make a mix of thick conditioner and hairdessers talc
I find if you pactice and practice on your head block you will soon pick up speed ,
if you are worried about being slow with clients start off with colour releaser
and bleach ,
Wella blondor powder is good and can be left on for a while

and if you need to take the bleach off some of the foils because they are ready
just use a wet cloth and remove the bleach and take off the foils that are done
and then get on with the rest,

you can stagger the peroxide strength higher towards the end
so it will catch up with the others

hope that made sense :hug:

 

[mobilehair]

thanks for the reply Minky, useful information there, I have been told to use different strenghts of peroxide before. When you said use colour releaser do you mean like 3%?

 

[natsel]

I understand what you mean by worrying about bleach bleeding into the hair when I was first learning to do foils I thought I would never achieve it, but you do get there with plenty of practice as minky said I used to mix conditioner and talc together and literally just spend hours practising I used to even stand there with a tail comb just weaving hair to get the practice in,timing can be an issue with bleach but you just have to assess the hair before your foiling

If the hair is long and thick and you feel it will take you a while start with maybe a 6% vol and then as you work up the hair go from 9% up to 12 %on the top of the hair , always check as your going along to see the development of the bleach and if you think it is done, take the colour off with cotton wool then Ispray it with water and add a bit of conditioner on it (up to you though)

every head it different though and over time you will be fine

I dont work with matrix so cant advise on that, but when I use highlift sometimes I add a tiny bit of bleach into the mix just to give it a boost ,

goodluck

 

[minky]

thanks for the reply Minky, useful information there, I have been told to use different strenghts of peroxide before. When you said use colour releaser do you mean like 3%?

Hi, you can start off with 1.9% colour releaser ,
it will allow you more time to work on the rest of the hair , :hug:

 

[Summerfly]

I generally use a meche powder, lightening cream and bleach (20/30/40 vol depending on the task at hand). Meche powder such as Wella blondor Lightening system helps reduce overprocessing by slowing down the lightening process when development time is complete. Downside is definitely cost but there are alternatives out there such as XP.

I still use pre-lightener from time to time starting off with a lower vol of peroxide working upwards over the head.

 

[mobilehair]

thanks all, some great advice coming in, nice to know others have felt like this too!!!

Summerfly ... I don't really understand the meche powder products to be honest, they have a set development time by the sound of it but as far as I could work out they lift lighter than a highlift? I'm not worried about cost to be honest, I would rather offer a good result even if it costs me a bit more to do it.

 

[Summerfly]

thanks all, some great advice coming in, nice to know others have felt like this too!!!

Summerfly ... I don't really understand the meche powder products to be honest, they have a set development time by the sound of it but as far as I could work out they lift lighter than a highlift? I'm not worried about cost to be honest, I would rather offer a good result even if it costs me a bit more to do it.

Yes, where a highlift colour will lift a few shades and tone a meche powder will lift like a bleach (therefore it can be used on already coloured hair ). They lift mostly in the first 15mins then the auto mechanism slows down and lifts gradually. The end result is an even lightening process.

You mix some of the powder sachet with the lightening cream then add the desired vol of peroxide. Start weaving your meches and by the time you have reached the top of the head the bottom ones have lifted and slowed down significantly allowing the lightening process to continue on the top sections.

I hope I have explained this ok x

 

[mobilehair]

Thanks Summerfly, so when the bottom ones have lifted but the top ones are still lifting you don't need to remove the bottom ones?? I always hate having to start yanking foils out halfway through if they are done as I end up in a mess!!

 

[nora525]

Hi, I use idfferent strengst of peroxide depending the kind of high lights I am doing.
Usually if I need a lot of lift, I try to do dual h-lights, just to add a bit of interest on the what I do, is lift the tint with vol 4o and lift the bleach vol 20 or 30. I also do the same if I do the whole head h-lights, I do the lower foils with a low volume and then the top with vol 40.
This way I do have more control on the lower foils and they would not over develop.
I think when doing h-lights, a little planning goes a long way.

 

[mobilehair]

Thanks Nora525, that's interesting to know, I agree about planning!! Thanks for your reply.

 

[Jeni Giles]

I start my students out with a heavy conditioner (we use cholesterol from Sally's) it has about the same texture and feel of bleach, but will slip a little easier. I add a few drops of food color, red or blue work best, and set them out on full head foils on their manniquin. The colored conditioner is visible if they get too close to the edge or if they mash their foils so they can see where they would have bleed marks.

As every one else does, start with a lower volume, I have them start in the back nape, since the hair is typically darker and this area is the hardest, then as they progress up the head I have them mix with higher developers. We usually start at the bottom of the subsection so that they don't have to fight gravity and the foils can rest neatly against the section.

Really it boils down to practice. More practice and then just when you think it's mastered, practice again!!

 

[mobilehair]

Hi Jeni, thanks for the info, like the bit about adding food colour, good idea!!

 

[jrobinson]

For years I only did highlights using a cap and bleach with 12%/40vol peroxide, last year I decided to have some training in foil highlighting which has helped loads but I still struggle. I'm scared of doing foils with bleach and the first foils overdeveloping and damaging the hair but when I use high lift tint I don't always get enough lift!!:irked:

A friend suggested Matrix colour graphics which I think is like L'Oreal Majimeche? I think it acts a bit like high lift tint and bleach so it can be left on longer than bleach and will lift up lighter than highlift tint.

I think one of my problems is also that as a new to foil hairdresser it takes me a while to get the foils in place!! I'm really struggling with this and would love people to tell me how they do highlights ... please help!! :cry:

Yep its definitly just practiise. as suggested use a conditioner to practise on a head. you can only gain speed the more you do it.
If someone wanted a full head of blonde highlights up to a bleach level i would start by sectioning off from the crowm to behind the ears on both sides and then down the middle at the back. then work your way up these sections using the lowest peroxide you can get away with eg 1.9% , 4% or pastel. Then work onto the sides switching to the next peroxide and so on.
this way it should all develop at the same time, if the back is ready first just take them out at the backwash and leave some conditioner in - it looks more professional than wiping with water and cotton wool if u can help it.
hth

 

[mobilehair]

Thanks for the advice jrobinson.

Does anyone else use meche type products??? Someone suggested that they could be left on the hair a lot longer than bleach so I am keen to hear other people's thoughts on these type of products. It seems as if most companies do a Meche type product like L'Oreal Majimeche. Indola and Clynol certainly seem to do one and also Matrix like I mentioned in my first posting on this thread.

 

[naca]

In my country we prefere to do hightlights on cap becouze after is easyer to put toner on them (we make toner with permanent colour) and it will not cought the rest of the hair that is not highlighted but can u tell me if l put some ready toner from wella for example t18 silver lady will it cought the rest od the hair or only highlighted hair and one more question pls l know that with bleaching hair l must get banana skin colour if l want toner to do the job (ready toner) and some times it take few bleaching to get this colour does these means l have to make hightlights with only bleach few times or l can leave bleach longer on hair and to get it from only one time bleaching?

 

[minky]

In my country we prefere to do hightlights on cap becouze after is easyer to put toner on them (we make toner with permanent colour) and it will not cought the rest of the hair that is not highlighted but can u tell me if l put some ready toner from wella for example t18 silver lady will it cought the rest od the hair or only highlighted hair and one more question pls l know that with bleaching hair l must get banana skin colour if l want toner to do the job (ready toner) and some times it take few bleaching to get this colour does these means l have to make hightlights with only bleach few times or l can leave bleach longer on hair and to get it from only one time bleaching?

Hi naca, as long as the hair is lifted up like a pale creamy colour with perhaps a tiny bit of yellow is ok just the inside of a banana skin
but try not to go past the creamy colour or the toner won't hold
and the hair will become weak

it is best to bleach up all in one go if you can but there are no set rules

if the scalp is sore or it isnt possible to re bleach all at one time
then as long as the hair is strong you can go back and bleach up the peices that are too yellow,
(if you are unsure if the hair is weak always do some test peices first)

over in the UK I dont think we have silver lady in Wella ,
but we have 0/6 in wella colour fresh semi (is this what you mean ? ) is this the same as silver lady ?

infact 0/6 in colour fresh semi is so mild and it has no peroxide in it
you can leave the cap on or off ,
it only tones the blonde bits

I usually take the cap off and refresh all over the hair with it too as it only tones the blonde hair and wont alter the darker hair and it will give it an all over nice shine too ,
I do the roots first ends last

but do check first if the silver lady is the same as the 0/6 silver semi toner in colour fresh :hug: minky

 

[naca]

MInky thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!! l dont know is it same really bezouz here we dont have them at all but silver lady they use in america and l think it is the same thing.Just one more thing tell me this 0/6 is semi ok but l have to mix it with something couz it is cream (as permanent colour or no?) and if it is not peroxide than what is it?

 

[scottydolly]

i dont tend to stagger the strenghths any more, but it is a very good method to use when picking up your speed,
i use goldwell bleach and foil, dont like those plastic packet thingies,
for a full head of highlights i would tend to weave the back and sides, and on top i always offer the client the choice of woven highlights over the parting or very fine slices, this way they can feel free to change their parting and u dont have to worry about accidentally dropping the hair on the parting, leaving the dreaded chequer board parting look, eeeek. This is also alot faster than weaving along the parting and can knock a good 10-15 minutes off ou total application time. . cx

 

[*JOANNE*]

Thanks for the advice jrobinson.

Does anyone else use meche type products??? Someone suggested that they could be left on the hair a lot longer than bleach so I am keen to hear other people's thoughts on these type of products. It seems as if most companies do a Meche type product like L'Oreal Majimeche. Indola and Clynol certainly seem to do one and also Matrix like I mentioned in my first posting on this thread.

I have used clynol meche system on a lady who had had woven bleach before and didnt like bleach(didnt like the way her hair felt), she came in for root regrowth so i used clynol meche system instead of highlift , and i was impressed with the colour , she was a base of 7 and the meche result was pretty good scince its hard to match up to the bleach this really came very close, closer than if highlift was used, first time i had used it, and i really like it.