3 Tips for Proper Color and Layer Placement

Unknown 2 (1)
Courtesy of @ellendevinehair

Ellen Devine, a Sam Villa ambassador, explains the importance of mapping a plan of color and layers before starting a client's hair.

"Have you ever done horizontal highlights and then had a client ask for shorter layers? The highlights can end up looking choppy or spotty, depending on your elevation. Had you known prior, you could have shifted to a diagonal foil placement so the highlights could fall softer and add more visual movement to the layers," explains Devine. Image001 (21)Courtesy of @ellendevinehair

 Here are her tips:

  • To "highlight" is to create illumination on a specific detail…so a "full foil" doesn't have to be 100 foilsit simply has to add highlights throughout the entire head. 
  • Leave depth between highlights and choose foil placement with intention, based on the cut. Layers tend to make color sing because they move and reflect more light. Using a Sam Villa Signature Series InvisiBlend Shear to take out weight and softly blend layers creates the perfect palette for highlights. To remove bulk, elevate hair straight up and point-cut from the mid-lengths out.
  • Highlights make hair look lighter, but they also "highlight" details in the haircut. The presence of dark helps make highlights look brighter and lighter. In a painting, areas where the sun would hit and reflect utilizes lighter colors to draw attention to that area. The same goes for hair: Where the sun hits naturally and illuminates is where the highlights should be placed.
More in Color