My hair color mentor Beth Minardi always says the first 20,000 foils are the toughest!
She is not wrong. We have all experienced some of the common foiling faux pas. As a colorist for 35 years and now a color educator the top three issues I see most are:
1. Foils that slip and bleed marks on the hair
2. What lies beneath: the real story of what is already on the hair
3. Improper lift and cutting the timing short
Most of the issues I see stylists having is a result of reaching for a higher level of developer for lightening services. What you may not realize (I did not until about 5 years ago) is that the higher developer will actually leave behind more of the gold/yellow in the hair. What happens is the strength of the developer dictates the speed in which the lightning action happens vs. how light you can get.
So in reality a 10 volume developer will actually get you a cleaner cooler lift it just takes a bit longer. It turns out after all these years that slow and steady really does win the race.
The 40 volume will work faster and more aggressively causing unnecessary damage and leaving the hair with just enough brass to make you reach for a glaze to attempt to cover it up.
I hope you enjoy these three short tip videos for how to avoid the common foiling faux pas.
Stay Colorful,
Elaine
Who is Elaine?
Elaine Travis has been working as a cosmetologist since 1986, with a focus on hair color. She has been featured in local and international magazines for her color expertise and recognized in several “Best of” categories as well as Salon Today Top 200 salons.
In 2012, Elaine started Expert Color Solutions, a hair color training program for new stylists just graduating beauty school to provide the skills and confidence necessary to begin a successful career in a salon.
She has personally trained all of her own stylists and taken them from beauty school graduate to confident colorist in less than one year earning over $60,000 annually.
She was nominated for the NAHA Award for Educator of the Year in 2021. Her love of hair color combined with her witty sense of humor creates an educational opportunity not to be missed.
Who is Elaine?
Elaine Travis has been working as a cosmetologist since 1986, with a focus on hair color. She has been featured in local and international magazines for her color expertise and recognized in several “Best of” categories as well as Salon Today Top 200 salons.
In 2012, Elaine started Expert Color Solutions, a hair color training program for new stylists just graduating beauty school to provide the skills and confidence necessary to begin a successful career in a salon.
She has personally trained all of her own stylists and taken them from beauty school graduate to confident colorist in less than one year earning over $60,000 annually.
She was nominated for the NAHA Award for Educator of the Year in 2021. Her love of hair color combined with her witty sense of humor creates an educational opportunity not to be missed.
