From highlights and babylights to balayage and blonding, foiling and painting are critical to the results many of your clients are looking for.
Whether you’re a seasoned hair colourist or you’re just starting out, there are so many tips and techniques that can not only help you in your lightening and colour process, but can also increase your efficiency behind the chair.
“I know stylists who are amazing with hair painting but have a difficult time with foiling,” says Karine Bélanger, a Montreal-based salon owner and Matrix educator. “And I know others who are great with foiling but don’t know how to hair paint. The results and techniques are different, as is the way each stylist works, but it’s important to know how to master both. Not only will it enable you to offer your clients more, but you can also let your imagination take over and create the looks that you want to create.”
Cue the Consultation
As simple as it may sound, asking the right questions during the consultation can really help you determine the right course of action when it comes to your foiling and painting techniques.
“Before I start anything, I need to know where the client parts their hair,” says Lisa Dinh, owner of Lisa Dinh Hair Studio in Toronto and a global colour ambassador for Moroccanoil. “This is a big indicator of what foiling placement or hair colouring technique I’m going to use. I also like to ask about lifestyle because I want to know what level of maintenance my client is looking for.
I want to make sure they’re aware of what’s required from them and see if they’re willing to come in as often as required. Those two factors will help me decide what placement and techniques to use.”
“During the consultation, I ask my clients how they normally style their hair and what they currently love about their hair because it gives me the opportunity to ask if the change they’re looking for is big or subtle,” says Heather Hall, a Vancouver-based stylist and portfolio colourist for L’Oréal Professionnel. “Then, I have to decide and let the client know if the change is something I can deliver. I really try to build that clear roadmap with my clients so they can know what to expect. I think a disconnect that a lot of new colourists are facing is that they overpromise and underdeliver because the consultation wasn’t there, so they lose credibility with the client and lose trust in themselves because the look didn’t turn out how they or the client wanted.”
PRO TIP
DINH SAYS SHE PREFERS TO SANDWICH THE FOILS TOGETHER INSTEAD OF FOLDING THEM. THIS ALLOWS HER TO ACHIEVE CLEAN SECTIONS AND HELPS SAVE TIME BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO FOLD EVERY FOIL SHE PLACES.
Foiling Failures
Before trying new foiling techniques, it’s important to understand why (and how) some of the most common mistakes, such as swelling, slipping, lines of demarcation and bleeding, can happen. “Oftentimes when we foil, we can experience some unwanted results,” says Eva Chamberland, a Quebec- based colourist and Pravana educator. “Leaking can happen due to product buildup or overheating, so I always have a separate bowl beside me. If the lightener leaks, I’ll add demi colour to that area.”
“Oftentimes when we foil, we can experience some unwanted results,” says Eva Chamberland, a Quebec-based colourist and Pravana educator. “Leaking can happen due to product buildup or overheating, so I always have a separate bowl beside me. If the lightener leaks, I’ll add demi colour to that area.”
“Lines of demarcation can also occur,” she adds. “So, after I’ve finished the lightening process, I’ll use a demi colour at the roots and use it to do a root tap, which can help eliminate the lines.”
To help prevent demarcation altogether, it’s all in the planning and sectioning, says Josie Vilay, owner of Hairology in Winnipeg and a member of Schwarzkopf Professional’s digital artist team. “My advice for avoiding things like bleeding and lines of demarcation is to take thin sections,” she says. “When you take thick sections, you end up overdirecting the hair, which can cause the foil to droop down and lead to things like bleeding or lines of demarcation. Taking thin sections can help you avoid those issues.”
Going back to the basics of foiling can also help you avoid any unwanted results. Clean sections and even saturation are two ways to ensure mistakes are prevented. In addition, using a scale when measuring product and making sure your product is mixed properly are key steps that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Peachy Placement
Earlier this year, Josie Vilay went to Germany to create her own look—The Peach Balayage—for Schwarzkopf Professional’s 2023 Essential Looks Spring/ Summer Collection. “My goal was to keep the hairline bright because it was the most flattering on the face. I then took diagonal panels in the back of the hair and alternated between different BLONDME toners [including Ice, Sand, and Peach Sorbet] to give the look dimension,” she says. “I use this diagonal panel technique often for clients who are looking for a lot of dimension. It’s also a great technique for clients who love the big blowout look because it helps add lightness and depth. The colours lay on top of each other and it creates a nice pop.”
PRO TIP
USING A PADDLE OR BOARD WHILE FOILING CAN HELP INCREASE YOUR EFFICIENCY AND PRECISION.
Foiling with Finesse
Whether you prefer to start at the nape of the neck versus the hairline or you’re looking to achieve a lived-in look, there are many different techniques that can simplify and improve your skills. “When I’m doing foils, I always ask if the client is looking for a softer, dimensional highlight or if they want a highlight that looks like it grew from the scalp,” says Hall. “If they want a softer look, I like to feather the lightener in the first eighth of an inch of the top of the foil, and if they want a highlight that looks like it grew out of the scalp, I like to push the lightener ever so slightly with my brush, as if I was shimmying it up to just before the top of the foil, close to the scalp.”
Vilay says it’s also important to consider the client’s head shape. “If a client has a rounder head, you have to work in thin sections at the back so that the foils don’t slip down,” she says. “Also, looking at the hair type and texture will determine the width of your sections. When I’m working on a client with thick or curly hair, I have to work in thin sections to ensure I’m getting the best lift possible.”
In today’s market, more and more clients are looking to save money and many don’t want to spend as much time in the salon as they did pre-pandemic. Considering foil placement may help you reduce the amount of time a client spends in the chair while still delivering a high-impact service.
“I’ve been offering what I call an express service,” says Dinh. “I use 15 foils or less and it’s something I’ve been teaching to my team as well as in my classes. It’s a great way to save time while still achieving the client’s desired look.”
“A THOROUGH CONSULTATION IS THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOUR CLIENT’S NEEDS ARE AND WILL ALLOW YOU TO CHOOSE WHICH TECHNIQUES YOU WANT TO USE TOGETHER.” — KARINE BÉLANGER, SALON OWNER AND COLOURIST, MONTREAL
“For this service, I always focus the foils on the hairline,” she adds. “You really want to pay attention to the area you can see. I often do three foils under the nape because when the client ties their hair up, this is what you see. I also do three foils around the hairline, specifically around the face, and then I do three on the top of the hair. This way, you’re covering a lot of area without a lot of foils and it’s much more manageable than a full-head service.”
Dinh also says she opts for a weaving method at the top of the head, which allows her to achieve a blended and dimensional look. She switches to a slicing method at the bottom, which provides a bolder pop of colour. For Bélanger, she prefers to work in triangular sections. “This allows you to keep deepness where you want it and you can position it depending on how the client’s hair will grow, the density and how you want it to look,” she says. “I also love to keep a small shadow root because if you don’t, when the grow-out starts, it shows so fast and it won’t look blended. If you keep a shadow root— even if it’s small—it will all blend very nicely.”
“I also recommend being careful at the top of the head where clients may have cowlicks,” she adds. “I always check with my hands first by taking sections of hair and putting my hand under it so I can see how the hair falls. This way, I won’t have a spot without highlights. This is a great way to make sure everything is even and balanced.”
Chamberland adds that foil placement is key. “The placement is so important because if you’re adding foils in the right places, you don’t need to use as much of them,” she says. “Of course, the pattern will differ based on the desired results, but I focus the foils around the face and the nape. It creates a halo section all around. When clients come in for foils, they usually want to be bright in those areas so when they put their hair up, the lightness can be seen. In the middle of the hair, I do a zig-zag pattern so I’m able to get the blend I’m looking for.”
PRO TIP: CHAMBERLAND SAYS THAT BACKCOMBING HAIR WHILE FOILING IS NON-NEGOTIABLE SINCE IT HELPS ACHIEVE A FLUID AND GRADUAL BLEND.
Going Beyond the Brush
Hand-painting can be a great alternative to foiling when you’re looking to achieve specific looks, such as warmer tones and balayage, as it can help you create more dimension or add pops of pastel or fashion colours into blonde shades. It’s also a great option for clients looking to achieve a lower level of lift since there are many techniques and methods to help ensure things go smoothly while avoiding any unwanted results.
“If your sections are too thin, the lightener will go through the section and end up on hair that you don’t want lightener on,” says Bélanger. “To prevent this, it’s important to remember to only fully saturate the ends of the hair. You can also use cotton between your sections just to be sure.”
When it comes to hair painting, Bélanger says she often sees colourists struggling with their lift, which may be attributed to an insufficient amount of product being applied. In these situations, ensuring that you have enough saturation and are using the correct type of lightener (with the right ratio) can help.
“A common mistake I see is stylists mixing the lightener the same way they would if they were foiling,” adds Hall. “The foiling mixture will be a little bit thinner than the painting mixture and they try to paint it on in a balayage pattern, which can allow the lightener to bleed through.”
“When it comes to painting, precision and a softer hand are key,” says Dinh. “You want to create softness with colour through feathering, and feathering requires you to have soft strokes with the colour. If you’re not using soft strokes and if you don’t have precision with those strokes, you can end up with demarcation. I would also recommend avoiding overpainting because you need pockets of depth for those painted parts to really pop.”
Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to hair painting is that you can use it in the salon to upsell your clients as add-ons to their services. “When you have a client who wants to have lightness in their hair but you don’t have the time for foils, hand painting is a great option,” says Bélanger. “For example, if I have a client that booked a root touch-up, but she saw and liked a picture on my Instagram of highlights, I can paint some lightener on the surface without using foils. It will be so fast, your client will get what she wants, and you can charge a bit more for it too.”
One of the colour trends that’s been taking over social media is the Scandinavian hairline, which is achieved when lightener is applied to the baby hairs on a client’s hairline. While the look is gaining popularity, Vilay cautions that it isn’t right for everyone. “The trend is good for clients that like a bold and bright look in the front of the hair,” she says. “For clients with darker hair, their grow-out won’t be so graceful so it’s a good option for people with a naturally lighter base. I take the baby hairs around the hairline and lighten them with a low developer to avoid any damage, and then I like to incorporate some blonde foils on the hairline too, so it blends everything together.”
With constantly changing trends and ever-evolving techniques, investing in education and pushing yourself to practice whenever you can will help improve your confidence and skill set.
“Of course, you can’t be perfect at everything,” says Bélanger. “As long as you keep practising and stay current on education, you can really improve your technique. The more you do something, the easier it becomes and the faster you get at it because you don’t have that hesitation. Practice makes perfect.”
PHOTOS: HAIR: KERRI DIMATTIA, DIMATTIA & CO., AUSTRALIA, MAKEUP: BILL FITZPATRICK, WARDROBE STYLING: CANDICE BATTERSBY, PHOTOS: AMBER TOMS, HAIR: JOSIE VILAY FOR SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL, INSTAGRAM, ADOBE STOCK
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