HAIR LIGHTENING: 10 OF THE MAIN TECHNIQUES

The hair lightening that we have seen proposed by the greatest hairstylists over the years, to create striking special effects, have undergone evolutions, but also several revisitations. We’ve got ten of them.

Abandon the traditional highlights that were so popular in the 80s and 90s, with locks of hair bleached in a decisive way in which the gap between the reflection and the base color appeared clear and artificial or the "highlights" with less accentuated but still unnatural lightening, in recent years techniques have multiplied to propose heads with expertly highlighted highlights distributed, for "sunkissed" effects very similar to those produced by a summer holiday.

One of the most well-known techniques, highly requested especially in the summer period, is “Balayage”, carried out free hand and designed to lighten or color the hair in a natural way. less evident on the roots and more marked on lengths and ends. Balayage creates irregular lightening, some broad and some thinner, some distant from the root, others instead attached to the root itself, the final effect of which will be a general lighting of the hair, with points of light concentrated on some locks, just as if they were natural reflections generated by the sun. Balayage can be done on any base and on hair of any length as long as the right shades are identified to give the hair the best contrasts.

Less frequent than Balayage, but still present, is ”Reverse Balayage” it is the opposite of the previous technique, i.e. it starts from the root, creating shades that darken as they reach the tips.

How not to mention then the "Shatush", perhaps a little out of date but still required, where the lightening is carried out by applying the bleach on hair cotted at the root, compactly, from half lengths up to the ends.

Balayage and Shatush seem to give quite similar final results, but in reality the two techniques are very different from each other. While Shatush is just bleaching, Balayage can involve bleaching but also color, used at the same time to obtain more plays and shades. Both are freehand techniques even if the evolution of Balayage can involve the use of foil. Balayage also does not involve backcombing, a classic characteristic of Shatush which is particularly invasive for those with fragile or already treated hair, for whom, therefore, Balayage is more suitable.

For the summer, "Shadow roots" are in great demand, a play of shades that leaves the roots darker, as if to create a shadow (hence their name) limiting lightening to lengths only, shaded lighter, to reproduce an extremely natural effect, like hair lightened by the sun. The studied "shading" of the roots allows you to camouflage the unsightly effect of regrowth and is therefore particularly suitable for the holiday period.

And speaking of shadows, even the “Sombrè”, also known as “soft ombré” has returned among the trends of summer 2023. It is an ideal technique to give the “sun-kissed” effect ” to hair of any shade, without abandoning the natural color. The "shading" mentioned in its name, in this case means the transition from one nuance to another in an imperceptible way, without evident chromatic contrasts. Only the tips and partly also the lengths are involved in the treatment, while the roots and top remain excluded. Normally two shades of the same color family are mixed, so the shading is extremely delicate, with gentle, natural and barely perceptible lightening.

Another effect of great trend is the "Face Framing", a lightening technique that is limited to the two side locks that frame the face. You can do it on dark and light hair, short and long, but you have to study it carefully, taking into account the shape of the face and the basic shades of the hair and, precisely because it is limited to a precise area, it becomes essential not to make mistakes!

They depopulated in the summer of 2022, but this year they are very popular: are the "Babylights", a mode of vertical discoloration characterized by very thin lightening, which give light and volume even to very fine hair, thanks to the clever play of lights and shadows created by the slight alternation of dark and light tones.

The name "baby" alludes to the size of the riflessature, but also to the effect that wants to recreate, similar to the natural lightening that illuminate the hair of children towards the end of the summer holidays.

The Babylights can be made in the shade you prefer, usually a few shades lighter than the initial one and, depending on your taste or your complexion, can turn on warm colors and honeyed or on cooler tones. 

Being a very delicate lightening, they are suitable both for those who just want to have reflections that give an effect of greater brightness, both for those who intend to lighten the hair, but gradually. The technique involves a vertical movement where the strands, divided into very small tufts, are slapped from top to bottom, starting from the height you prefer.

But the most popular trend for summer 2023 comes from social media, where everyone talks about it with more or less positive comments. This is the SCANDINAVIAN HAIRLINE, the "reverse highlights", i.e. the discoloration of only the roots which create a look around the face thin line of lighter hair. It is a Scandinavian technique which involves the application of the bleach directly along the hairline without any foil, also capturing the so-called baby hair, i.e. the very short and unruly hair present in the area of the forehead and temples.

The effect obtained is to create around the face a kind of clear halo, which gives an angelic appearance, similar to that of a Nordic goddess. The scandinavian hairline is usually carried out on already blond hair, to strengthen the detachment with the face, but it is a technique that is also used for dark hair, limiting itself to lighten the area of the junction of two tones compared to the original color.

Compared to the traditional lightening like the "balayage" that only lightens the lengths without reaching the attachment thus creating a modulated and nuanced effect, this technique is much more homogeneous and clear and the result obtained is definitely brighter.

However, you can not help but find some critical. The technique of "scandinavian hairline" in fact requires that the bleach is applied directly to the skin, without the barrier of the stagnole, thus determining possible skin reactions ranging from redness, itching, burns and, in the case of particularly aggressive products, to real burns.

We at H.K.Hair Kulture, for all bleaching techniques, offer FORCE BLU DECO', our bleach without ammonia and aggressive lighteners, which allows you to obtain excellent shades, without compromising the health of your scalp and hair. In particular, for the SCANDINAVIAN HAIRLINE, given the application carried out directly on the skin at the hairline, to avoid irritation and adverse reactions, we recommend to mix FORCE BLU DECO' with the DERMAL PROTECTION protective cream from the IKS trichological line.

Whatever the technique applied, bleaching remains an invasive operation for the hair, especially if carried out with very aggressive products.

It is therefore essential to assess their condition before subjecting them to certain treatments, just as it is absolutely necessary to reserve special care and attention to the bleached lengths, which must be washed, hydrated and nourished with appropriate products, aimed at restoring their natural balance.

The IKS trichological line of solutions according to nature, offers specific shampoos for destructured lengths, free of aggressive and restructuring surfactants, based on vegetable proteins and other natural extracts which, used regularly, help the hair regain its original structure, helping it recover shine, volume and softness.

To then avoid returning from vacation with hair from the disastrous “straw effect”, it is advisable to scrupulously follow the basic rules for the protection and prevention of damage caused by the aggressive action of the sun's rays and salt on already weakened hair, it is decidedly amplified.

It is also advisable, periodically, to be checked with the appropriate computerized microcamera which detects even the slightest imperfections, from your H.K. hairdresser, a specialist in hair health and beauty, and undergo the professional Reconstruction treatment, very valid both for correcting already established damage and as a form of prevention .