Mixed with lightener to activate and begin the lightening process. Different activator levels are used to achieve different amounts of lightness.

Literally meaning "to sweep" in French, balayage is a foil-free, hand-painting highlighting technique used to lighten specific pieces of the hair and add dimension. The result is a slightly graduated color with no line of demarcation. Balayage does not need to be touched up as often as traditional highlights and gives your hair a natural, sunkissed looked. If interested in baylage highlights, try our home highlighting kit, Light Set.

The dominant color at the roots or all-over before highlights or lowlights are applied.

Can lighten virgin hair as well as previously colored hair. Most commonly, bleach is used with a high volume developer to achieve platinum blonde results.

Unwanted warm (red, yellow or orange) tones that can appear as hair color fades.

Color cannot "lift" color, so a lighter color applied over a darker color will not lighten the darker hair. Instead, a color remover is used to lift the artificial pigments of dye from the hair, yielding slightly warmer results. After a color has been removed, then a new color can be established. We do not recommend applying Lightlab on hair that has been treated with a color remover since we're unable to predict or guarantee results.

Hair that has had any type of hair color or highlights.

A two-step process to achieve a darker color by re-pigmenting previously lightened hair. The first step is the fill, or adding back the missing pigments from the lightened hair. The second step is all-over color application.

The measure of difference between two colors in your hair. An example of high contrast would be a dark base color with very light highlights.

Tells how well a hair color is able to cover gray hair. "High coverage," for example, would be necessary to cover especially resistant grays.

Recommended for those with less than 25% gray hair. Lasts up to 24 washes and is ideal for refreshing previously color-treated hair or blending grays naturally. Demi-Permanent color typically is used with a 10 volume developer and processes between 10-20 minutes.

A hair color activator that contains hydrogen peroxide.

Refers to the range of depth in your hair. You can add dimension to your hair with highlights or lowlights.

When someone has two types of hair color treatments in the same sitting, for example, both a root touch up and an ends refresh.

The entire length of your hair below the roots/regrowth area.

An application technique where the product is applied at a steep slant toward the scalp, using the spine of a comb or the corner edge of a brush. The high peak of the slant should always be angled toward your face.

This application creates a soft, natural look for less noticeable regrowth and results you can love weeks after your application.

Refers to highlights applied throughout your entire head of hair.

A flowering plant whose leaves are used to color the hair. Henna is not compatible with hair dye because it coats and seals the hair, while hair dye opens the hair cuticle to add pigment. When a dye is applied over hair that has henna on it, the hair can break and may not take the new color. We also do not recommend using Light Set on Henna-treated hair since we're unable to predict or guarantee results.

Highlights are specific strands of hair that are lighter than the rest, giving hair a multidimensional look. It?s done by applying Lightener to isolated strands of hair and can be applied using several techniques, including foil highlighting, hair painting, frosting, chunking, and balayage. We offer balayage highlights, which give your hair a natural, sunkissed look. To learn more about our home highlighting kit "Light Set," click here.

A temporary treatment that helps smooth frizzy hair, and can also slightly reduce curls. The product is applied onto clean hair, blow dried and flat ironed, sealing the product into the hair. It will come out gradually with each shampoo.

While our hair color can be used 2 weeks after a keratin treatment is applied, we do not recommend using Lightlab on keratin-treated hair since we're unable to predict or guarantee results.

Your hair color's level reflects how light or dark it is, from soft black (level 2) to lightest blonde (level 10). Each color family includes multiple levels that indicate varying degrees of depth, for example, Light, Medium, Dark, or Darkest Brown.

Our hair color can currently lighten no more than 1-2 levels. Our highlighting kit, Lightlab, can lighten your hair by 2-3 levels in a single application.

To lighten the hair by removing the natural pigment.

Can lighten previously colored hair as well as virgin hair. It typically comes in a powder form that is mixed with different activators to achieve one?s desired lightness. Lightener gently removes hair pigment to achieve a lighter shade. During this process, your hair's underlying pigments come through, typically yielding warm tones that can later be neutralized with a toner.

Lightswept is a balayage-inspired highlighting technique where the highlights are painted on to create a multi-dimensional sunswept look without harsh lines or high-contrast roots.

It's also progressive, so your highlights will lighten with each highlight application for increased depth and dimension. It's also low-maintenance since the Lightswept application creates a soft, natural look for less noticeable regrowth.

Darkening specific strands of hair to create contrast and dimension, traditionally done through foiling.

The color of the hair as it grows out of your scalp. Also called virgin hair. This color may change over time.

To determine your natural color, start off with clean, dry hair since your hair will appear darker if it's wet, dirty, or oily. Then, under natural light, look at the uncolored hair closest to your scalp. This is your natural hair color.

When hair color is darker at the roots and gets gradually lighter as you travel down the strands.

When you apply dye on top of previously colored hair. These areas will darken, so we recommend that you follow your Personalized Instructions in order to avoid overlapping.

Refers to highlights applied to less than half of your hair, typically applied on the top of your head and around your face.

A curling process applied to straight or wavy hair that uses rods to determine curl-size. Perming liquid is applied to each rod to saturate the section of hair wrapped around it, and rinsed out once it has processed. Then a neutralizing liquid is applied to each rod and allowed to process. Finally, the rods are removed and the hair is rinsed.

While our hair color can be used 2 weeks after your perm treatment, we do not recommend using Light Set on permed hair since we're unable to predict or guarantee results.

Provides the longest-lasting results and is recommended for gray coverage or a color with intense tones. Permanent color typically is used with a 20 volume developer and processes between 30-45 minutes.

The amount of time you leave color and/or lightener on your hair; the time from when you first apply to when you shampoo. For the first 10 minutes, the cuticle of the hair opens, allowing the artificial pigments from the hair dye to penetrate the hair's cortex. The hair will color for the remainder of the processing time.

NOTE: Just like your color, your timing is personalized to your individual hair needs, and may differ from your roots to your ends. Your roots can have a longer processing time, while the ends will take color more quickly. Your Personalized Instructions will tell you the exact number of minutes you need to allow the color to fully process for your desired results.

A permanent chemical process in which a product, usually containing Sodium Hydroxide, is applied to new growth to reduce curly hair. This process must be grown out. Relaxers are harsh, and can damage the hair if overlapped. While our hair color can be used 2 weeks after your hair is relaxed, we do not recommend applying Lightlab on relaxed hair since we're unable to predict or guarantee results.

A professional technique used in salons to help blend and remove any possible harsh lines between the regrowth and the rest of the hair. It will help to loosen and dissolve any color remnants from the scalp, and revive the color on the ends. This should be done in no more than 1 minute, because wet hair processes color faster.

The natural hair that grows at the scalp after coloring, also known as regrowth.

When someone has only one type of hair color treatment, such as a root touch up.

Refers to the diameter of a single strand - not the amount of hair you have (density).

A treatment used on pre-lightened hair to enhance certain tones or eliminate unwanted warmth.

Also called hue, tone refers to how warm (with orange or red undertones) or cool (with blue or green undertones) a color is. Examples of tone in our color line include Golden, Copper, and Ash. The absence of tone indicates a neutral shade. Toners can be used to either enhance or neutralize certain tones.