Every time a client sits in my chair for a color appointment, I always ask if they have any inspiration photos that they’d like to share with me. Many of the pictures that my clients show me are beautiful blended highlights with contrast and dimension. I can't lie—sometimes the thought of recreating these seamless color melts stresses me out. These colors aren’t your run-of-the-mill root touch ups and color refresh applications. We need to apply highlights precisely in the right locations while creating deeper dimensions in other areas to get the color to really pop. And, doing that is not an easy task.
Through trial and error, I’ve discovered a few tools and tips that have made my color melting and balayage applications a lot easier! The right product makes a huge difference. It's important to use something that can blend easily and deliver brilliant color results for our guests. The tools we use are just as important. Not all brushes will do the same job, so we need to select the right tool for the right task. Let’s dive in to a few tips that I’ve learned that can make your next color melt application a lot easier.
SELECT THE CORRECT BRUSH. I use mostly Framar and Redken color brushes. My favorite brush for an open-air-balayage is the FRAMAR Power Painter. This Brush has soft bristles in a large size that makes it easy to paint large surfaces. It's also great for moving color to create a blend while painting with lightener. My favorite Redken brush is the Wide Short Bristle Color Brush. This brush grabs only a small amount of color, great for applying the perfect root shadow. Once the root shadow is applied, I switch to my Redken Wide Long Bristle Color Brush to melt the ends into the root.
USE DIAGONAL AND VERTICAL SECTIONS. Balayage and colormelted looks are both soft and blended, so we need to make sure we are applying our haircolor in the softest manner. Hair naturally falls horizontally, so by applying color in diagonal and vertical sections, we can ensure that every color blends seamlessly when it falls into its natural position. The blend is caused by overdirection, which is when we move hair side to side out of its natural falling position. Try using vertical subsections to apply a root shade, and then apply a lighter formula to the ends and colormelt in the same vertical sections to achieve a seamless blend.
USE THE RIGHT HAIRCOLOR LINE. My favorite haircolor line is Redken Shades EQ Gloss. Not only is it the perfect liquid consistency for colormelting, but it also makes the hair shiny, soft and manageable! It’s a great product to use after highlights or after global lightener applications. My favorite Shades EQ Gloss Platinum Blonde Formula is .5OZ 09T + .5OZ 09V + 1OZ 000Clear + 2OZ Shades EQ Processing Solution.