A client pointed out my blending was leaving a harsh line on her highlights

I was doing a full highlight on a regular client, and she mentioned, super nicely, that she could see a definite line where my foils ended near her part. She said it looked a bit stripey when her hair moved. I mean, I thought I was blending fine, but I took a step back and really looked. I realized I was placing my foils in a perfect grid pattern every single time, which was creating that predictable line. Now, I start my first few foils about an inch back from the actual hairline and use a much more random, staggered placement, almost like a checkerboard but messier. It adds maybe five extra minutes to my sectioning, but the grow-out is way softer and the blend is seamless. Has anyone else had a client call them out on a technical habit you didn't even notice you had?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_murray825d ago

A harsh line seems like a pretty small thing to get hung up on. Most people are moving around, their hair isn't perfectly still under studio lights. That grid method is taught for a reason, it's reliable. Changing a whole system over one comment might be overkill.

piper_garcia2325d ago

Reliable" is the kind of word people use right before you see a really obvious line in someone's hair. The grid is a good start, but it needs a human touch to look natural, not like a paint-by-numbers. Sticking to it just because it's taught is how you end up with those same old problems.

kai_foster25d ago

Oh man, the grid pattern is such a classic trap. It looks so neat on the board, but hair doesn't grow in perfect squares. I used to do the same thing and got a similar note from a client. What helped me was actually skipping every other section in the first row back, so the color placement is more broken up. That predictable line is always from being too even.