October FAQs from our Stylists: Hair Color

We took a survey among our stylists of the questions they encounter the most from their guests. Because if someone else has asked, likely another wants to know! Read on for a little Carl Michael Salon Q&A on hair color…

What is the difference between balayage and ombre? Holly F. @hollynnhair breaks it down, “balayage is a technique and ombre is a gradient of color. Balayage is when the color or lightener is hand-painted on to create natural, sun-kissed look with no obvious regrowth lines.”

I’m ready to go blonde, we can get that done in one appointment, right?

Maybe! It depends on how your hair has been colored previously. For example, if you have box dye in your hair, you will have to come in for multiple appointments for get to your desired goals. Stylist Kara J. @karahooverjohnson says, “With the first appointment, if unsure about how the hair will react, we would do a test strand to see how possible their hair goal is. After the test strand, we would be able to figure out how many appointments it would take to transform their hair into their desired goal, while keeping the integrity of their hair strong.”

What is a glaze? Should I get it?

You can’t go wrong with a glaze! Dina R. @hairbydinarob gives us the lowdown: “A glaze is either a semi or demi permanent color with super conditioning properties! A lot of people love them because they smooth the cuticle of the hair down to eliminate a good amount of frizz. They’re also very hydrating & leave your hair ULTRA shiny! We often use them to tone the hair and deposit color; however there is a clear option in both the semi and demi permanent glazes which doesn’t deposit any color!”

What is the maintenance like for grey coverage?

Not all grey coverage is equal! Jessica A. @styledbyjessica.ash explains the difference:

“We can do something that will very subtle that will have very low maintenance, like lowlights or a demi-permanent color that will fade away slowly OR a permanent color that will leave a line of demarcation as it grows out. With a demi or lowlighted cover/blend, you could go as far as 10 weeks between color appointments, which would coincide with a regularly scheduled haircut. With a permanent color, you are looking at an appointment every 4 to 6 weeks, depending on your hair type.”