HOW-TO: HIGH-IMPACT FACE-FRAME ON TEXTURED HAIR

How To Create a Bold Perimeter and Dramatic Dimension On Curly Hair

One of the biggest challenges when lightening textured hair? Creating dimension that doesn’t get lost! That’s why we grabbed these tips on how to get a high-impact finish on curly hair from Cassie Skovic (@cassiskovic) and Bianca Cox (@biancajcox) from Alfaparf Milano. Check out the video above and get the tips and formulas below!

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1. Create a bold perimeter.

Creating a high-impact face frame when a client has a fringe can seem intimidating, but it is all about placement. Bianca likes to start in the center of the fringe and her approach contains two sections. Her first section at the hairline is a soft teased application. “I like to create almost a softer shadow underneath to create the foundation for the perimeter,” explains Bianca.

The next section is what she calls a power piece. This section is where the high-impact drama comes alive. Bianca takes a pretty thick weave, leaving few hairs out, and uses a balayage technique just off the root to create low-maintenance drama. To create a strong bold perimeter, Bianca pulls her lightener higher up on her perimeter sections and lower on the interior. This creates a shadow of drama behind the perimeter and enhances it even more. 

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2. Connect all of your sections. 

Both Bianca and Cassie like to work with an intuitive placement method. This method is highly visual and allows for the artist to work with each individual clients head shape and desired result for a customized finish. In order for a face frame to really have that drama, all of the sections need to connect to form a bold perimeter.

“There is nothing worse than creating a black hole in your hairline,” says Cassie. In order to connect the fringe to the temple hairline, Bianca recommends a visual approach for placement. Bianca recommends separating the side of fringe into two sub-sections and teasing and tipping out those two sections to connect the fringe with the side of the head.

3. Take small sections and SATURATE.

“Section size depends on the level of control you are comfortable with,” explains Cassie. Taking a section you feel comfortable working with to ensure proper saturation and lift is important when working on curly hair. Curly hair generally requires more product to penetrate the cuticle and ensure it lays flat and is fully covered by product. Taking smaller sections ensures that all of the hair is fully saturated for a maximum even lift.

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4. Tie it together with a midlength base bump.

This genius trick from Bianca is “life-changing”, according to Cassie. The midlength area between the base color and the lightened areas can create too much contrast and need a little bump in tone in order to flow. Bianca likes to go in with Alfaparf Milano Evolution of the Color 000SSS and Oxid’o 20-volume developer and apply it one inch away from the scalp, fully saturating the mids and ends. “This formula creates the perfect brown tone on clients with dark starting levels. It only needs to sit for 8-15 mins depending on the texture and desired amount of lift,” says Bianca.

• Formula A (lightener)

  Alfaparf Milano BB Bleach Easy Lift 7 + 20 volume Oxid'o developer

   

• Formula B (midlength lift)

  Alfaparf Milano Evolution of the Color 000SSS+ 20-volume Oxid'o developer 

   

• Formula C (base)
  Alfaparf Milano Colorwear 6 + 5- volume Oxid'o developer
   
   
• Formula D (toner)

  Alfaparf Milano Colorwear 5g 9.31 + 5g 10BG + 1g 7UV + 5-volume Oxid'o developer