Hair & Hair Color Challenges

HCC Email/Question #3



Hi HCC
Are there any tricks to preventing foil bleeding when I am hi-liting hair? No matter what I do I always seem to bleed some color onto the natural, don’t know what I am doing wrong HELP...
Thank You
Mary-Jo



The dreaded bleeding;
I do have a few simple suggestions and insight that I can share and hopefully help you or any hairdresser that faces this very daunting challenge. In my experience I feel that bleeding is caused by application and runny products, and possibly digging to deep with the weaving, but mostly applying way to much product on the brush then onto the hair. I have seen this over and over again and every time I am amazed at this and what I feel is a bad habit that has been developed. Coloring small sections of hair is like painting details on a canvas and should be approached that way, having the correct width sized brushes not tinting brushes which cover more space, as well dabbing the brush into the color bowl picking up just enough color for the small sections you are coloring , after all we are coloring hair not painting a wall.



When we mix the colors you make sure that it is a bit thicker (pudding) texture this way the color will stick onto the hair and foil better which means no slipping. Always apply the color in the middle of the foil working up forwards the root, then back down towards the ends (remember it is much easier to go back into the bowl and get more color then getting rid of some after it is already on the hair and foil this is an overlap). I truly cannot give a measurement to as how far away from the root you stay when you are doing highlights because this depends of the natural texture, density of each individual, but what I can say is practise and keep practising and the real key is simply how much color you apply on the root area, be more mindful and don’t rush approach highlighting hair as an artist.