Hair Highlights
How to use foils for professional results!

Learn the professional coloring secrets to getting natural looking highlights on your own with my tutorial on foil hair highlighting. This video shows me applying hair bleach and a foiling method, processing to the right level of lightness, and applying a toner to get the most natural look possible.

Please note that this is an advanced hair coloring process best reserved for those with some prior experience coloring hair. If this is your first coloring process, it may not be the best place to start, or at the very least, not on your own.

If you need another set of hands, call in a friend for some assistance.

Product recommendations  |  Questions or comments

 

Product Recommendations

TONER PRODUCTS

Though I haven't personally used this product, it has the qualities I look for in a toner. It is a true semi-permanent color formula. Deposit only, no ammonia. That's what we want!

Use the level 10N Light Natural Blonde if you've lightened your hair to pale yellow as in the video, and want to tone it to a light blonde.

Those with darker hair to begin with will have a harder time getting to the pale yellow stage and may need to use the 8N Light Natural Blonde to tone out any orange or resistant yellow pigments for a medium blonde highlight color.

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PROFESSIONAL PRE-CUT FOILS

This is a luxury item. You could just as easily use regular household aluminum foil, torn into 5inch wide strips.

But if you foil your hair regularly, having pre-cut foils on hand will minimize the prep time.

The Color Trak pre-cut foils from SallyBeauty.com are a great option, or check out their different sizes and colors!

If you have short hair, either tear your foils in half to decrease the length (and double your quantity) or buy the shorter foils from Sally's.

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GLOVES

A pair of sturdy hair coloring gloves will last you up to several years.

They fit the hand much better than the disposable plastic ones that come with kits for hair highlights. And because they fit better, you'll have more dexterity when applying the color.

That means better results and less frustration. A worthy investment if you do a lot of hair coloring.

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BLEACH POWDER

A basic bleach powder, mixed with peroxide developer (see below) is your best friend when it comes to lightening. Although any bleach powder will get your hair lighter, they are not all created equal.

This one has blue pigments in it to help counteract the orange hues that are exposed during lightening.

It won't provide enough toning that you won't need a separate toner, but it acts as a buffer of sorts, boosting the effectiveness of the bleach so that your toner doesn't have such strong yellow/orange pigments to contend with and you'll get better finished results.

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DEVELOPER

A peroxide developer, added to the bleach powder, is going to provide the lift you need for hair highlights.

Use either 10, 20, 30, or 40 Volume peroxide, depending on how much lightening you need. For hair that is already blonde, a 20 Volume will work fine.

For darker, or more resistant hair, up it to 30 or 40 Volume. So long as you're not using it right on your scalp. On scalp bleaching shouldn't be done with any higher than 20 Volume peroxide.

Peroxide for hair coloring processes is similar to the hydrogen peroxide you use on cuts and such, but it's buffered for use with hair colors. Rather than liquid, peroxide for hair coloring is usually in a cream form.

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Foiling Hair Questions & Comments

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