Getting the perfect color isn’t always as easy as it might seem. It takes the skill and artistry of a seasoned professional who’s also up to date on the latest techniques and products. And as with most hair services, you get what you pay for. Here are some of the most popular color services at Radiance and a little about what’s involved:

Single-process color: Single-process color is when your stylists colors your full mane with a single fresh base-color. It’s ideal for covering your gray or giving your natural color a much-needed lift. And while highlights and balayage have been trending, sometimes a simple, perfectly executed single process color is just what you need for a terrific new look. But while it may seem simple, we’ve seen way too many DIY hair color disasters, so it’s best to opt for a professional colorist who will take into account your hair and skin tone and hair chemistry to help you find the perfect shade.

Base glaze: A base glaze is a gorgeous, shiny coating for your hair. A glaze can be a semi-permanent color that also adds tons of shine. There are also clear glazes available if you’re happy with your natural color but want to add some gorgeous gloss. Glazes are an excellent choice for dull or damaged hair and are also a perfect pick-me-up between appointments color. Even our low-maintenance, not-so-sure-about color clients love a good glaze as it gives a radiant, healthy and natural look.

Full Highlights: If you have dark hair and are going for an all-around lighter look, you’ll want full highlights. They’re a terrific, time-tested way to brighten your hair without going overboard. Those cute little foil squares we use to separate the hair that’s getting highlighted from the rest are still the most effective way to get a gorgeous look from your highlights. Even with a raft of new techniques, classic highlights are still just right for so many of our clients. But be sure to pick a stylist who has an understanding of the latest colors and techniques so your highlights don’t look like tiger stripes from 1991.

Partial Highlights: If you want a more subtle brightening change, partial highlights around the face can be an ideal approach. They’re perfect if you have lighter hair that just needs some brightening or if you’re coming in for a touch-up between full highlights. They’re quicker and less expensive than full highlights and are often exactly up-front boost our clients are looking for.

Balayage: Balayage is the hot trend of the last few years. So many of our clients are looking for it, but not everyone is exactly sure what it is. Balayage is similar to highlights but requires a little more skill and artistry from your stylist for a more natural look. Your stylists paints your color on carefully selected strands of hair without using foil to give it a smooth, natural blend. Balayage comes from the French word to sweep, and with its sweeping strands, it creates a look that’s softer and less noticeable than traditional highlights. Because it’s a less dramatic look with less contrast with your natural color, balayage tends to require a little less maintenance than other highlights–another plus for our busy clients. But balayage is even more difficult to get right than traditional highlights, so it’s even more important to have a top-notch professional colorist who knows exactly what they’re doing.

Corrective Color: Every single colorist we know has a horror story of a DIY color job gone wrong–and a heroic tale of how they saved the day. In most cases, what we hear is that the color on the package wasn’t what actually came out of the box. Then there’s the fact that pink hair doesn’t actually look very good on some of us. The rainbow color/mermaid hair trend is big, and while splashes of color can be absolutely gorgeous when done right, crazy colors can lead to epic fails when done at home or by the wrong salon.

But fixing a color fail usually isn’t easy and often takes longer than a typical session with a colorist. Hair color uses a chemical reaction to change the color of your hair, so most corrective services require several steps–sometimes over more than one visit, depending on the problem we’re trying to solve. When clients go too dark, we may need to use bleach or a color remover to try to get back to the desired shade. We may also need to add highlights to restore brightness. Whatever the problem, the most important thing is to find a trusted knowledge of the color palette available and how it will react with your current color. It’s a challenge and usually not a cheap one, but our clients are usually delighted and grateful to be saved when disaster strikes. After a corrective color procedure, our goal is to keep up with your color to protect your hair moving forward and to keep it as strong and healthy as possible.

Color and Highlight Services at Radiance

There’s really nothing quite as satisfying as getting just the hair color you’ve been dreaming of. But it usually doesn’t happen quickly or cheaply. There are so many nuances to great color–from hair chemistry to skin tone. It’s a process that takes patience and plenty of skill.

When you’re looking for a color change, the most important step is choosing a professional colorist from a reputable salon. At Radiance Salon, our team of experienced, highly skilled colorists, who are up to date on all of the latest techniques, can give you exactly the look you want. You’ll find it’s well worth the cost and the time involved.