Hair Coloring Terms You Need To Know About

Hair coloring has become more than just another form of self-expression. These days, you can say that hair coloring is also an art or, more importantly, a skill that needs mastering in order to get the best and most beautiful results. If you’re new to hair coloring and you’re wondering about hair coloring lingo, we got you! Here’s a quick guide to some of the most commonly used hair coloring terms that you need to know about before you enter this scene.

1. Base color - this often means your natural hair color, but if you’ve already colored your hair before, it could also refer to the color of your hair now or the “main color” of the look you want to achieve. 

2. Highlights - simply put, highlights hair are those pieces of hair that are lighter than the rest of your hair or lighter than your base color. These are often used to add dimension to your hair so it doesn’t look flat. 

3. Lowlights - similar to highlights, lowlights are strands of hair that are used to add dimension and depth to your hair’s overall look. They’re also typically darker than your natural hair color or your base color. 

4. Balayage - the term balayage hair is used to refer to a hair coloring technique where color is handpainted on the hair. This technique aims to give the hair a very subtle and natural sun-kissed kind of look. 

5. Ombre - one of the biggest hair trends from the past years, ombre hair is a look that gradually goes from dark to light or light to dark. It started with natural colors (e.g. ash brown hair gradually fading into a medium to dark blonde) but people also started doing ombre with bold statement colors. 

6. Permanent - getting a permanent hair color means the color can last long enough until your roots grow out. This it the type of hair dye to go for if you don’t want to have to keep re-coloring or retouching your hair. 

7. Semi-permanent - compared to permanent hair color, semi-permanent hair color washes out faster. This type of hair color is ideal for those who like changing up their look every now and then.

8. Toner - this is a hair coloring product that is used to correct, enhance, or maintain your hair color. 

9. Bleach - another hair coloring product, bleach is often used to strip the hair of its pigment. This is often used/done when people with dark hair change their look and go for a light color instead. In a way, bleaching turns the hair into a blank canvas that’s ready to show whatever color you choose in its most vibrant form. 

10. Multi-tonal - to have multi-tonal hair means you’ll be using various colors to achieve the look you’re going for. This can be done with both natural and fantasy hair colors to give your hair more dimension. 

Coloring your hair is a fun and easy way to express yourself, change up your look, and experiment with different styles. If you’re a newbie, we recommend going to the pros to get your hair colored. When you’re comfortable and experienced enough to do it on your own, you can check out salon-quality hair coloring products from Hairsense and color your hair yourself right in the comfort of your own home.