5 Tips For High-Impact Foiled Blondes
@lowheeler_davis’ Secrets To Bright, Sun-Kissed Blondes
Regardless of the season, our routine blonde clients love to see a punch of brightness around their face-frame. Get high-impact blonding with a soft, natural root down pat with this technique by California, beachy blonding specialist and Kenra Professional Brand Ambassador Lo Wheeler Davis (@lo_wheelerdavis).
As the “Queen of Beachy Hair,” Lo has a stacked clientele of professional surfers, clothing designers, travel bloggers and more. The secret: Her signature (and trademarked) “BeachWashed” look created with a combo of foils and balayage. Keep reading to see how it’s done!
Check out this “BeachWashed” before and after!
1. Equip your station with self-toning lightener.
Lo’s beachy blonding technique is all about addressing heavy regrowth on fragile, prelightened hair. With a goal to keep her application time within 45 minutes, Lo needs a powerful but protective lightener to maintain the integrity of her client’s hair. The solution: Kenra Color Simply Blonde® Blue Powder Lightener.
This all-in-one lightener:
- Is suitable for everyday lightening services
- Accommodates add-in bonding products for fragile strands
- Reaches up to eight levels of lift
- Contains anti-yellow blue pigment
Lo also recommends mixing your lightener to a yogurt-like consistency and combining your lightener with 20-volume developer if you client isn’t below a Level 6.
Pro tip: Lo recommends using Kenra Color Demi-Permanent Coloring Creme in 9PV (Pearl Violet) as an all-over toner to neutralize any leftover yellow in the hair.
Thinking of adding Simply Blonde® Blue Powder Lightener to your color bar? Click here to learn more.
2. Map out your blonding game plan with slices & weaves.
The best part about Lo’s tried and true, beach-worthy blonding method? It’s completely customizable. How stylists recreate Lo’s technique all depends on each individual client. Are they heavily (or overly) highlighted—or do they have major overgrowth?
Depending on your client’s hair and their blonding goals, you can combine a pattern of slices and weaves for the results you want to see. Remember, slices create impact and weaves create dimension.
Lo sets the stage for her “BeachWashed” technique with simple sectioning:
3. Kick off your foiling with front slices.
After sectioning the top of her client’s head into two even sections, Lo starts her slice-and-weave combination with a panel just above the ear.
These panels will merge brighter sheets of color with woven dimensional color for a lived-in overall look. For example, Lo placed a soft weave right above her first slice to break up the interior. Continue to alternate medium weaves with slices throughout the section, then repeat on the opposite side.
Pro tip: When applying lightener, make sure to feather lightly near the scalp. We want the most coverage possible, but not to overload the foils so much that they bleed.
To create high-impact dimension, Lo alternates between weaves and slices:
Like what you see? Click here for more education from Kenra Professional!
4. Use angles to create softness.
Just like you would cut an overdirected section to make a soft layer, you would overdirect to create softness in your foil placement. These angles are key to creating Lo’s bold money piece with three panels angled at a slight diagonal from behind the ear into the front of the hairline.
Keep this in mind: The more you work up towards the front of the crown, the softer the angle you will need to take.
Pro tip: As you section out your weaves and slices, make sure you can see through them from maximum lift.
Angles = dimension!
5. Once the front & sides are foiled, switch tactics for coverage.
Lo’s beach-worthy blonde is all about brightness in the front and dimension in the back. Here are the steps you need to follow to make it happen:
- End your side sections with weaves rather than tip-outs for a subtle, organic transition from the bold money piece to the back of the hair.
- Angle your subsequent sections at a soft diagonal that’s wider near the back of the recession.
- Move from heavy slices and ribbony pops of blonde to thin slices. Diffuse down the crown with a soft weave.
Lo’s lived-in result requires a smooth transition from bright to dimensional through placement:
Watch the entire “BeachWashed” how-to with Lo’s pro tips, blonding formulas and go-to products on BTCTV!
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