Elevate Brunettes With “Glow” Highlights—Here’s How!

How To Brighten Your Brunette Clients With Glowing Highlights

Ever have a client come in not knowing what they want? Use these tips to recommend a subtle “hair glow” to your next client. The service sounds enticing (and expensive-looking!) but only takes a few foils. Create a glow on all of your dark-haired clients to make them feel brand new without bleaching them out! 

How To Recommend A “Glow” Service To Dark-Haired Clients

If you have clients wanting something different but don’t want to change their color, this is the perfect service to recommend. Best part? This technique grows out beautifully and does not require a lot of upkeep. 

This technique is perfect for clients:

• Wanting to begin a blonde transformation but are nervous to start, this is the perfect first appointment
• Who “don’t want to be blonde” but are asking for a more dimensional look
• Who come in not knowing what they want to change, but asking for a fresh new look
• Blending out grays on clients who are not ready to start scheduling full retouches

1. Use Micro-Slices For A Hand-Painted Look On Dark Hair

To elevate your client’s brunette without a huge change, all you need is about eight foils on each side of their part! L’Oréal Professionnel Ambassador Shelley Gregory (@shelleygregoryhair) recommends using thin, diagonal slices to create a subtle glow around the face. 

Micro-slices on dark hair will:

• Lift evenly from root to end
• Save major time during the appointment (no more weaving!)
• Process quickly because of the thin sections
• Grow out seamlessly like a balayage 
• Provide low maintenance color for the client

“Because the sections are so thin, it really looks like I painted everything when we rinse,” says Shelley. “The paper-thin sections on a diagonal make for a super subtle, even lift that will grow out like a balayage.” 

See how this micro-slice looks like weaved foil? THIS is why you want your slices so thin!

Want mega lift on your dark-haired clients quickly? Here’s a pro-kept secret!

2. Avoid Bleeding Foils With Oil Developer & Cotton

Since we’re taking such tiny sections close together, foils may heat up quickly and start to bleed. To avoid this, Shelley uses L’Oréal Professionnel BLOND STUDIO 9 Lightening Powder and BLOND STUDIO 9 Oil Developer. The oil-enriched developer does not allow the lightener to swell (causing bleed marks) from all the moisturizers in the formula. 

“If you want a little insurance on your micro-slices, just take a small string of cotton,” Shelley explains. “You can place this right at the root if you have clients who tend to heat up quickly. The cotton will catch any bleeding and save your foils.” 

3. Follow Your Client’s Headshape For A Bright Hairline

Since this technique creates such a subtle effect, you want to be sure your client can still notice a change. Shelley says to always create your side sections along the natural hairline, following the shape of the head. This will create natural movement and ensure your client sees the bright pops you added. 

Notice how Shelley takes the first side slice right against the hairline. “When clients pull their hair back or away from their face, they’ll really be able to see the dimension they were looking for,” she says.

Products Used

Lightener

Blond Studio 9 Lightening Powder

L'Oréal Professionnel

Up next—convert foils to balayage with these 7 tips:

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