Published 30th August 2019
The colour you choose for your hair is very personal, and you want to get it just right. Whether you are adventurous with your colour and want to try rainbow hair, a hidden streak, or bright colours, or whether you want more natural-looking hair that adds volume and depth.
Perhaps you know exactly what you want when it comes to colouring your hair, but you don't know the correct terms to describe it to your hairdresser.
Maybe you have seen the perfect image in a magazine that you want to try and replicate on your hair but don't know what the technique is called.
Don't worry, experienced hairdressers will be able to listen and understand what you are looking for, but to help you, we've created a quick list of well-known hair colour terms and what they mean:
Babylights – A light and delicate version of traditional highlights. A subtle effect that results can lift the hair and make it look like it’s been kissed by the sun.
Balayage – A hand-painted technique for a natural-looking, easy to maintain hair colour; great for busy lifestyles but still with great style!
Base Colour – A colour applied to your hair as a base for other colours or techniques. Often a base colour is followed by highlights to add colour, body and movement.
Contrast – This is the name for the shade of your highlights. If you want your highlights to be strong and noticeable, then you want high contrast, for a more subtle look, ask a low contrast.
Cool Tones – This is looking at the tonal value of the colour and dye you are using. Cool tones include shades of blues and greens and can range in shades from platinum to blueish black – depending on the tone.
Dimension – This helps dyed hair take on a more natural look. Highlights and lowlights are used (along with many other techniques) to add movement and depth and so add dimension to hair that perhaps previously looked flat.
Double Process – This simply describes having two separate processes applied to your hair at the same appointment. For example, this can be a base colour and then a lowlight.
Foils or Foiling – This is the process of separating your hair with strips of foil while highlights or lowlights are created.
Ombre – A technique similar to balayage where the colour is faded throughout the hair for a natural look and is great for a low maintenance style.
Pintura – Another hand painting technique that is relatively new; this paints patterns around the edges and bends of curls within curly hair to give an unusual but effective result.
Tone – This essentially means the colour you want to dye your hair. Discuss what you like in detail with your hairdresser to get the exact tone you're on the search for.
Rainbow Hair – This is where sections of the hair are coloured in different colours for a rainbow effect.
Hidden Colour – If you want a flash of colour in your hair, or perhaps your job prohibits you from having the all-over bright blue hair you have always wanted, you can hide the bright colour between sections of your naturally coloured hair – only to be shown when you want.
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