Weaving

involves taking 1/8th inch (0.3 cm) hair sections by making a straight part at the scalp, then separating select strands using a tail comb to go in and out of the section; lightener or color is applied only to those strands.

Tertiary Color

intermediate color achieved by mixing a secondary color and its neighboring primary color on the color wheel in equal amounts.

Hair Color

(two words) natural color of hair.

Tone

AKA tonality, refers to color balance.

Aniline Derivatives

contain small, uncolored dyes that combine with hydrogen peroxide to form larger, permanent dye molecules within the cortex.

Intensity

the strength of a color

Permanent Haircolors

lighten and deposit color at the same time and in a single process because they are more alkaline than demipermanent colors and are usually mixed with a higher-volume developer.

Toners

permanent haircolor products mixed with a low-volume developer that are used primarily on prelightened hair to achieve pale and delicate colors.

Natural-Based Haircolors

AKA vegetable-dye haircolors; colors, such as henna, obtained from the leave or bark of plants.

Haircolor

(one word) professional, industry-coined term referring to artificial haircolor products and services.

Color Wheel

a chart, usually circular, used as a tool that visually represents the relationships between colors; shows harmonizing and contrasting colors and illustrates the rules and guidelines of color theory.

Metallic Haircolor

AKA progressive haircolor; haircolor containing metal salts that change hair color gradually by progressive buildup and exposure to air creating a dull, metallic appearance.

Conditioner Fillers

recondition and equalize porosity on damaged hair; they condition, strengthen, help extend haircolor longevity, and make the haircolor formulation cover hair evenly from scalp to ends.

Color Fillers

equalize porosity and deposit color in one application to provide a uniform contributing pigment that supports the desired finished haircolor.

Highlighting

refers to any technique that involves partial lightening or coloring, coloring some of the hair strands lighter the natural color to add a variety of lighter shades and the illusion of depth.

Hydrogen Peroxide

H2O2, oxidizing agent that, when mixed with an oxidative haircolor, supplies the necessary oxygen gas to develop the color molecules and create a change in natural hair color.

Developers

AKA oxidizing agents or catalysts; have a pH between 2.5 and 4.5, when mixed with an oxidative haircolor, supplies the necessary oxygen gas to develop color molecules and create a change in hair color.

Foil Technique

highlighting technique that involves coloring selected hair strands by slicing or weaving out sections, placing them on foil, applying lightener or haircolor, and then sealing them in the foil for processing.

Semipermanent Haircolor

deposit-only haircolor that is not mixed with a developer and is formulated to last through several shampoos.

Complementary Colors

primary and secondary color positioned directly opposite each other on the color wheel

Double-Process Haircoloring

AKA two-step blonding or double-process blonding; coloring technique requiring two separate procedures in which the hair is pre-lightened before the depositing color is applied to the hair.

New Growth

AKA regrowth; part of the hair shaft between the scalp and previously colored hair.

Demipermanent Haircolor

formulated to deposit but not lift (lighten) natural hair color; haircolors meant to deepen or change the tone of natural hair color; two types include acidic and alkaline.

Strand Test

determines how the hair will react to the color formula and how long the formula should be left on the hair.

Line of Demarcation

visible line separating colored hair from new growth.

Off-Scalp Lighteners

strong and fast-acting lighteners; powdered clay lighteners that cannot be used directly on the scalp; oil, cream, and some powder lighteners considered (if specified by the manufacturer).

Slicing

coloring technique that involves taking a narrow, 1/8th inch (0.3 cm) hair sections by making a straight part at the scalp, positioning the hair over the foil, and applying lightener or color.

Activators

AKA boosters, protinators, or accelerators; powdered persulfate salts added to powder lightener to increase its lightening ability.

Law of Color

system for understanding color relationships.

Soap Cap

a common industry practice used to refresh permanent haircolor; involves using a combination of equal parts of a prepared permanent color mixture and shampoo and worked through the hair during the last five minutes of the service.

On-Scalp Lighteners

lighteners that can be used directly on the scalp by mixing the lightener with activators.

Secondary Color

color obtained by mixing equal parts of two primary colors.

Volume

measures the concentration and strength of hydrogen peroxide.

Base Color

predominant tone of a color.

Gloss

hair treatment and product that contains oxidative dyes and designed to add extreme shine to hair.

Level System

measurement system that colorists use to determine the lightness or darkness of artificial and natural hair color.

Contributing Pigment

AKA undertone; the varying degrees of warmth exposed during a permanent color or lightening process.

Strand Test

determines how the hair will react to the color formula and how long the formula should be left on the hair.

Glaze

or haircolor glaze; describes a haircolor service that adds shine, warmth, and color to the hair.

Temporary Haircolors

nonoxidative haircolors that make only a physical change - not a chemical change - on the hair shaft. this nonpermanent haircolor has large pigment molecules that only deposit a coating of haircolor on the cortex, which may be removed by shampooing the hair.

Balayage

AKA free-form technique or free-style hair painting; painting lightener (usually a powdered or clay off-the-scalp lightener) directly onto clean, dry hair for a more natural-looking highlight.

Pre-Lightening

first step of double-process haircoloring; used to lift or lighten the natural pigment before the toner application.

Single-Process Haircoloring

process that lightens or deposits color in the hair in a single application.

Lightener

AKA bleach or decolorizer; chemical compounds that lighten hair by dispersing, dissolving, and decolorizing the natural hair pigment.

Lowlighting

technique of coloring strands of hair darker than the natural color.