Liven up your spring hairstyle with neon hair highlights. Neon strands have become a big trend for the upcoming warmer (YAY! Triple yay!) season. Maybe it’s because we’re no longer wearing bulky clothing and woolie hats; we can now show off our hair again and this is the perfect trend to do it! Color-wise, the neon trend is an outgrowth (sorry for the pun) from the creative colors that celebs like Kelly Osbourne and her lilac locks, designer Chris Benz and his head of pink hair, or any shade that Katy Perry or Riri’s been wearing.
A photo posted by Fox And Jane Salon (@foxandjane) on Jan 19, 2016 at 6:31pm PST
Yes, those bold shades are called “creative color.” What colorists are using now are a very long way from the Kool-Aid or Manic Panic formulas you might have tried in your tweens or teens.
Neon highlights are a fun trend and less of a commitment than doing your entire head. If you dye all of your hair a shade not found in nature, you must keep re-freshing it or it’ll fade. Neon highlights on the other hand, can either be maintained, or left to fade out. Either way, they’ll continue to look pretty. They may start out bold, then they’ll fade to mermaid hair.
A photo posted by Fox And Jane Salon (@foxandjane) on Jan 23, 2016 at 7:04pm PST
Depending upon the color (or colors) and the placement of the highlights, you can create a subtle or bold look. Get a sprinkle of bold pink or blue highlights scattered like kisses on your tresses, or edge your hair in zingy yellow!
Top hair colorist Lorean Cairns, who has styled hair for numerous New York Fashion Week shows, is a Denver transplant that made a splash at the famous celeb-driven Rita Hazan salon before branching out on her own. She and co-owner Billy Canu, now have five Fox and Jane salons (San Diego, Brooklyn, Upper West Side, Lower East Side and the East Village).
A photo posted by Fox And Jane Salon (@foxandjane) on Feb 8, 2016 at 6:56am PST
I’m always up for trying something new, so I visited Lorean at her East Village salon to get the lowdown on the new neon trend and try it out for myself. Her salon has a relaxed vibe; think of Steel Magnolias’ salon combined with your BFF’s living room. Everyone chats with everyone; dating woes, sales, life in general. Sentences and laughter zing through the air. Pretentiousness is not welcome here.
Lorean and I had a long chat about creative color and what you can expect if you’re going to wear this trend. I can’t stress this enough—before you get any type of service done to your hair, talk, really talk to the hairstylist or colorist. Get a funky vibe in your tummy while chatting? Then get up and politely walk away. It’s better to do that before the cut, color or what have you, rather than going home to cry your eyes out, or attempting to shoot your stylist like that woman in California.
A photo posted by Fox And Jane Salon (@foxandjane) on Feb 14, 2016 at 6:12pm PST
Lorean and I agreed to go with one highlight, but as things progressed, we decided to really go for it! Since my hair had all ready been dyed blonde, I didn’t have to take an extra step to bleach out my locks before the fashion (creative) color was applied (more on that below…). I ended up with blue, pale-ish purple, and pink highlights that were scattered along the back of my hair. I also had a smattering of blue highlights flicking around my face.
Once done, my hair looked very My Little Pony. I actually screamed in the salon that I had My Little Pony Hair. I felt as if I had gone from looking cute-ish to a seriously sexy and chic looking woman. The condition of my hair felt excellent. It was shiny, touchable and very soft.
The next few days were heady for me; I was stopped on the street, in the subway, on a bus... almost everywhere I went people wanted to know where I had gotten the color done. Compliments rained down on my ears, which has never happened with my hair before. Talk about a heady (sorry for the pun) experience!
Even with these glorious highlights, I wasn’t out of place in conservative or fashion-friendly environments. It all came down to how I styled my hair. If I had to look “adultish”, I braided it, wore it up, used barettes and wore pony tails.
Although I asked Lorean lots of questions before the process (because I want you to understand what you'll be dealing with if you do this spring trend), I also emailed her after the process with more questions. Now, if you should decide to zing up your hair, you’ve been prepped with information.
Q: What should you know about the process before you sit in the chair and what type of research should you do?
Lorean: It is really important that guests understand what to expect before walking into the salon for neon highlights, or any fashion color service. At Fox & Jane, we request a complimentary consultation before any creative color is booked. Whether with us or on your own, you may want to understand these five very important topics:
How much bleaching is needed; if you have virgin hair (non-bleached, color treated hair), you will have to have [your] hair bleached in order for the color to stay and be visible.
What is possible (previously colored hair may not be able to reach [your] desired goals).
Is [your] desired goal attainable? Can it be done in one session? Or do you need to come back a few times before getting [the] desired results? Are you looking for one or three shades scattered in highlights? Or, do you want to have your entire head covered in multiple shades?
Maintenance plan – Will you invest time and money to keep the color fresh, or is this a one time thing?
Associated costs. How much will it cost you to keep the highlights as bright and bouncy as the day you got them.
It's important that guests understand that in order to achieve most of the tones we see in creative color such as pink or lavender, you must fully bleach those sections of the hair to almost pure white. Hair that has been previously colored may not be able to achieve this in one session.
Q: Is there anything you need to do or prep your hair before you go into a salon to get creative color or neon highlights?
LC:
Be realistic. This process may take five or more hours to do if bleaching is required prior to applying your desired shade.
Be open. Creative color is an unusual science and is somewhat less predictable than services like foils or balayage.
Be prepared to pay. Because these services are quite time consuming, they are generally more expensive that one step color services or highlights.
Be consistent. After care, such as using special shampoos and conditioners, is very important in keeping the longevity of your neon or pastel color. Using special products such as Overtone can help extend the life of your investment.
Q: Are there any particular highlights that you pair with natural shades (blondes, brunettes, redheads)?
LC: No. The fun thing about creative color is that you can truly be as creative as you want. I have seen and tried just about every combo at this point, if done well, creative color can look amazing next to your natural shade if you prefer not to opt for the full head look.
Q: Are there any particular highlights that just won’t work with natural shades?
LC: If you do not want to bleach your hair, you will not be able to see most creative colors, neon shades, or pastels.
Q: If you’re adding neon highlights over color treated hair, what should you know before you take the plunge and, do you need to use a hair mask or anything to prep color treated hair before you add the highlights?
LC: Hair masks are a great way to prepare the hair for bleaching. Most fashion colors require bleach to remove color that was previously applied or lift our natural pigments. Prep your hair for one to three weeks before your appointment by doing deep conditioning treatments one time per week.
Q: How many highlight shades can you do at one time?
LC: Well, I suppose the possibilities are endless. However, modern hair color generally uses one highlight shade and a base color to create contrast. Adding too many shades to the hair can start to create challenges in maintenance, evenly fading and recreating the color.
Q: Is it better to have them done as a foil or balayage?
LC: One isn’t better; they’re both different ways to achieve highlights. Foil highlights have been the more popular method for the last few decades; however balayage has begun to dominate in the last five years. Foil highlights, can create more change at one time, because hair is wrapped by a section in foil, using the insulation to create a more powerful method of bleaching. Often, the results of a foil highlight are just a little more obvious that you've gotten your hair done, but effect does vary.
Balayage uses hand painting to customize highlights for your haircut, texture or desired result. At times, it can take longer if your goal is to have a big change, but the benefit is that it has a very easy re-growth. So you don't feel required to get touch ups as often. Both methods create beautiful effects; ask your colorist what may be best for you.
Q: Is there anything you can do to either prevent fading or slow fading of the color?
LC: Using products that are color safe, is a great way to extend the life of your hair color investment. Color fade can occur from using sulfates that are common in many shampoos and conditioners. Wash your hair less often than you normally would, as frequently washing your hair will make the neon, fashion or pastel shades fade faster. Use products with SPF in them when outside or at the beach.
Q: After you’ve achieved your results, should you go back to the salon and get a toner to freshen the color?
LC: Yes! All color fades to varying degrees. We recommend a four to six week touch up on glosses and toners.
Q: How long does the color last?
LC: Because glosses/toners are demi permanent color, they only last between four to six weeks. Demi permanent is a gentle wash of color that only deposits tone and shine. For this reason you can use them many times without damaging the hair.
-PJ Gach
Queen of Style
Instagram