Have you ever been at a salon and heard a bunch of terms you just pretended to "get" or understand? You wouldn’t be the first! The beauty industry has its own language and clients often get lost in the lingo that is "beauty talk". The words and definitions below will explain the meanings of the many words your service providers are using so you can actually know what they are referring to! Want a more detailed explanation about a term? Don’t see a definition to a term your beauty professional has used? Email us and we’ll get the details for you!

A
Arrector Pil : Each hair follicle has a tiny muscle called the arrector pili attached to it. When you’re cold or when you’re scared, the muscle pulls the hair up, making your hair stand on end. That’s what goose bumps are: the muscles in your hair follicle contracting!

B
Bacterial Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye): This is among the more annoying eye infections. This condition results in an infection of the conjunctiva or membrane covering the whites of our eyes. This condition, A.K.A. "pink eye" typically results from bacterial or viral infection of the eye. The more common symptoms include red, inflamed and watery eyes. Some patients will report their eye is burning or they feel a scratching sensation within the eye. Others may notice a slight discharge coming from the eye. Unfortunately this condition is very contagious. To help prevent spread it is important you wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your infected eye. Sharing cosmetics or other facial products (tanning bed eye wear protection) may contribute to spread of bacterial conjunctivitis.

Blepharitis : This condition results in inflammation along the eyelids. This condition may result chronically from poor hygiene, but more often occurs in people with related skin conditions including dandruff or oily skin. Many people develop bumps along their eyelids as a result of this condition. The most common symptoms include scratchy, burning eyes accompanied by excessive tearing and accumulation of crust or pus along the eyelid. Antibiotic ointments are sometimes prescribed to help treat this condition. It is possible to develop a contagious form of this infection and so it is very important that proper precautions are taken to prevent the spread of this condition. Eye make-up applicators and tanning bed eye wear can be contaminated and spread this condition quickly. Proper care of these beauty tools should be handled by a professional if they are to be shared among customers.
Brassiness : Brassiness is used to refer to hair that is overly warm or yellow in tone. This can be the result of color buildup, color that is not processed properly or improperly formulated color. Brassiness is generally corrected by applying a toner or a color glaze to counteract the yellow.

C
Condition : Your hair’s condition can affect the final color result. Your stylist will evaluate your hair’s condition in order to determine if you need special pre- or post-color conditioning services, and create a color formulation that is best for you.

Consultation : Before every color service, you should expect an in-depth consultation with your stylist. This conversation is where you will exchange information and ideas about your hair and the look you want to achieve in order to get your color recommendation. During the consultation your colorist will assess the condition of your hair to help determine what kind of color product is most appropriate for your hair’s needs.
Contrast : Contrast is a value applied to highlights. High-contrast highlights are much lighter than the surrounding hair and provide a dramatic look. Lower contrast highlights result in a more natural look.

Cool : Cool is a tonal value that can apply to blonde, brunette, and red shades. A color is said to have "cool tones" if it tends toward blue or violet. Cool colors include platinum blondes, ash browns, and plum reds.

Coverage : Coverage is the measure of a hair color’s ability to cover gray. Some hair color formulations are too transparent to effectively cover gray hair. Covering gray also requires a special color formulation in order to avoid flat or unnatural results. Redken Color Gels Permanent Conditioning Hair color provides exceptional gray coverage with resistance to fading.

D
Decolorizing : Decolorizing is r emoving any hair color using a lightener (bleach). This is the first step in a double-process hair service. There are on-scalp decolorizers and off-scalp decolorizers.

Demi-permanent hair color : Demi-permanent hair colors deliver incredible color, shine, and condition to hair with little or no lightening of the natural pigment. They do not remove or lift color. They are ideal if you want to enrich your natural color, brighten dullness, or refresh previously colored hair. Redken’s Shades EQ Equalizing Conditioning Color Gloss is a demi-permanent hair color. See also glazes.

Depth: The depth of a hair color shade is determined by the amount of darkness in the color. Deeper shades contain more pigment and absorb more light, while lighter shades are more transparent and reflect more light.

Dimension: Dimension is a function of the range of tones in your hair. A head of hair that is all one color is said to be "flat" or lacking dimension. Your stylist can add dimension to your hair with highlights and lowlights.

Double-process : A double-process hair color technique is used to achieve dramatic color changes, such as going from very dark to very light hair. First, the hair is lightened with a decolorizer. Then the new color is deposited on the hair. Your stylist will determine if a double-process is right for you.

E

EFT Membership : Electronically Drafted Membership offered at Planet Beach Tanning Salon. Special discounts are available for members that have this membership. Call Planet Beach for more information, (205) 344-5558, today.

F

Fading: Hair color fades for a variety of reasons, including exposure to water, air, sun, and harsh shampoos. To counteract fading, use professional color maintenance products. Such products are usually guaranteed when sold at a salon or other professional beauty establishment. Anti-fading or color protecting products by Redken, Matrix, Paul Mitchell, and others sold at beauty salons are the best choices when protecting your color.

Finish: The appearance of the hair’s surface, the polish or texture. Different hair color products result in a different finish.

Formulation: (Color Formula) A formulation is the precise mixture of hair colors and chemicals your stylist combines and applies to your hair. Your unique formulation should be created according to your hair’s condition and your desired results. Professional colorists often catalog your specific formulation so they can refer to it at future appointments.

G
Gloss: A color gloss, such as Redken Shades EQ, delivers shiny color with no ammonia. It is a demi-permanent color.

Gray coverage: See coverage.

H
Highlights: Highlighting hair means isolating select strands in the hair and treating them with a hair color, lightener, or toner. Highlights add dimension by contrasting with the natural hair color and lowlights. Highlights are created with foils, a cap or special combs or brushes used for "painting."

I

Integrity: The overall strength and condition of the hair. Hair with poor integrity may require pre-treatment before a color service.

L
Lift: Lift is the chemical process of lightening the color of the hair. Different hair color formulations have different lifting abilities. Bleaching, decolorizing, and lightening are also terms that are used when referring to this chemical process.

Lightener: A lightener is a lifting agent—it lightens the color of the hair. Bleaching, decolorizing, and lightening are all terms used interchangeably by stylists to describe the lifting process.

Lowlights: Lowlights add dimension to your hair. Coloring strands of hair a darker color will balance and effectively complement the natural color. Lowlights are typically created with foils, caps, or combs.

M
Maintenance: Color "maintenance" includes periodic salon visits for color touchups and refreshing and regular at-home support with post-color care products such as Redken’s Color Extend and UV Rescue hair care collections. Be sure to ask your stylist how to best maintain your color.

Master Colorist: Master colorists are more than just hair experts. They are also a hair artists. Master colorists have been trained how to use various hair coloring techniques and processes. These beauty professionals often deliver exceptional hair coloring services to their clients because of their education and professional experience. Locate a master colorist here!

Medical spa: The combination of a cosmetic surgery office and a European day spa. This means that all of your aesthetic needs can be met in one location. Clients can get laser hair removal, Botox treatments, undergo sessions to help reduce cellulite, and get a traditional facial or a session of message therapy all at the same place.

Melanin: Cellular compounds that serve predominantly as skin’s pigment, absorb UV- rays, and transforms UV energy into heat.

Microdermabrasion: A skin-freshening technique that helps repair facial skin damaged from the sun and the effects of aging. The device used for service is like a fine sandblaster that sprays tiny crystals across the face, mixes gentle abrasion with suction to remove the dead, outer layer of skin. As with other skin rejuvenation techniques, more than one treatment may be needed to reduce or remove fine wrinkles and unwanted pigmentation.

O
Off-scalp decolorizer: An off-scalp decolorizer works quickly and is stronger than many other decolorizers. It’s typically used in highlighting.

On-scalp decolorizer: An on-scalp decolorizer is a lightening agent typically used for double-process hair services and for some types of highlights.

Overprocessed: Hair that has been overprocessed via bleaching, straightening, or other services can be porous and challenging to color. If your hair is overprocessed, your stylist may suggest that you choose pre-treatments and a gentle color products such as Redken Shades EQ .

P
Permanent hair color: Permanent hair color does not wash out. It can be used to achieve subtle or dramatic color changes, to lighten hair, and to color hair that is up to 100% gray. Redken Color Fusion Advanced Color Crème is a permanent hair color that provides long-lasting, healthy-looking results with beautiful color dimension.

Porosity: Your hair’s porosity determines how it will absorb color. Hair that is very porous, due to overprocessing or other chemical exposures such as swimming, will absorb color more readily.

Protein: Hair is 70-80% protein. Proteins provide strength and resilience.

S
Single-process: Single-process hair color will permanently transform your hair in one application—there is no separate decolorizing step, versus double-process hair color. Single-process hair color is generally used to boost or lighten natural color and to cover gray.

Sleep Apena : a serious disorder that causes people to experience loud snoring and brief spans of time during which they actually stop breathing.

Stylist: Your salon stylist is your partner in achieving your hair color goals. In order to best benefit from his or her expertise, give your stylist as much information as you can about your hair and the hair color look you want to achieve during your consultation. A stylist who specializes in color services may also be referred to as a "colorist" or “color specialist” depending the education they have received.

Semi-permanent hair color : Hair color that is designed to last through five to seven shampoos, depending on the processing time selected and the porosity of the hair. Semi-permanent colors do not lighten hair. Redken does not offer a semi-permanent hair color product.

T
Texture: Texture, as defined by the diameter of an individual hair strand, is generally described as fine, medium, or coarse. Your stylist will factor in your hair’s texture when determining your best color formulation.

Tone: Tone, in hair coloring, is the term used to describe a specific color—"golden" blonde, "coppery" red, "ash" brown. Colors are divided into warm tones and cool tones.

Transparency: Transparency is a value used to describe the amount of pigment a hair color formulation will deposit on the hair. Highly transparent colors will provide subtle changes.

W
Warm: Warm is a tonal value that can apply to blonde, brunette, and red shades. A color is said to have "warm tones" if it tends toward yellow or red. Warm colors include golden blondes, auburn brunettes, and coppery reds.