Lived-in color—the seamless blending of a flawless, yet effortless aesthetic—is trending in a big way. But getting that perfect shadow root, and achieving a progressive color effect can be less than straightforward.
Here, Lupe Voss, Owner and Operator at Hair Color Magic, shares her techniques for transitioning with ease. Read on to get Lupe’s quick-reference guide for achieving seamless dimension.
The Techniques
When blending from dark to light, you can use a variety of techniques, such as hair painting, balayage, tipping, and micro weaving—or any variation thereof. These techniques can help to achieve a perfect, progressive finish (or lived-in look). However, each of these techniques has the potential to cause lines of demarcation if not executed with care and caution. Lupe shares one technique for avoiding hard lines below.
Avoiding Hard Lines
Here, Lupe hand paints her highlights, plus uses a tipping technique to avoid an obvious contrast between light and dark. Keep reading to discover her tips and tricks.
Tip 1: “Once you’ve decided where you’d like your highlight to begin, place your fine-tooth comb into the hair, and backcomb up.” Push up one-inch past where you’ll place the enlightener. “That will be my blending,” says Lupe.
Tip 2: Starting one inch below the backcombing section, begin applying enlightener. “Make sure that your section is really nice and saturated,” advises Lupe. To accomplish this, vertically roll the hair back and forth with your brush.
Tip 3: Next, hand paint conditioner onto the backcombed section of hair. “This will prevent the enlightener from penetrating this area.”
Tip 4: Using your enlightener, fill in the one-inch subsection below the backcombed area. “The conditioner will dilute the enlightener, allowing for seamless blending.”
To get more tips and tricks for achieving a graceful grow out, and a seamless, blended effect, watch Hb Live #85, featuring Lupe Voss, here.
About: Founded by two like-minded hairdressers: Photographer and hairdresser, Randy Taylor, plus world-renowned educator and platform artist, Gerard Scarpaci. Both share a deep love for the industries professionals and the craft alike. www.hairbrained.me @hairbrained_official