B

Brassiness: Brassiness is used to refer to hair that is overly warm or yellow in tone. This can be the result of colour buildup, colour that is not processed properly or improperly formulated colour. Brassiness is generally corrected by applying a toner or a colour glaze to counteract the yellow.

C

Condition: Your hair's condition can affect the final colour result. Your stylist will evaluate your hair's condition in order to determine if you need special pre- or post-colour conditioning services such as a Redken intense conditioning treatment and create a colour formulation that is best for you.

Colourist: See Stylist.

Consultation: Before every colour 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 colour recommendation. During the consultation your colourist will assess the condition of your hair to help determine what kind of colour 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 colour is said to have "cool tones" if it tends toward blue or violet. Cool colours include platinum blondes, ash browns, and plum reds. See also warm.

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

D

Decolourizing: Removing natural or artificial haircolour with a lightener (bleach) such as Redken's Up to 7. This is the first step in a double-process hair service. There are on-scalp decolourizers and off-scalp decolourizers.

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

Depth: The depth of a haircolour shade is determined by the amount of darkness in the colour. 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 colour is said to be "flat" or lacking dimension. Your stylist can add dimension to your hair with highlights or lowlights.

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

F

Fading: Hair colour fades for a variety of reasons, including exposure to water, air, sun, and harsh shampoos. To counteract fading, use colour maintenance products such as Redken Colour Extend.

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

Formulation: The formulation is the mixture of hair colours your stylist applies to your hair. Your unique formulation will be created by taking into account your hair's condition and your desired results.

G

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

Gray coverage: See coverage.

H

Highlights: Highlighting hair means isolating select strands in the hair and treating them with a haircolour, lightener or toner. Highlights can add dimension by contrasting with the rest of the head of hair and 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 colour service.

L

Lift: Lift is the chemical process of lightening the colour of the hair. Different hair colour formulations have different lifting abilities

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

Lowlights: Adding darker strands to the hair to balance a too light look. Lowlights are typically created with foils, caps, or combs. The effect complements the natural colour and can add dimension to your hair.

M

Maintenance: Colour "maintenance" includes periodic salon visits for colour touchups and refreshing and regular at-home support with post-colour care products such as Redken's Colour Extend haircare collection. Be sure to ask your stylist how to best maintain your colour.

O

Off-scalp decolourizer : An off-scalp decolourizer works quickly and is stronger than many other decolourizers. It's typically used in highlighting.

On-scalp decolourizer: An on-scalp decolourizer 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 colour. If your hair is overprocessed, your stylist may suggest that you choose pre-treatments and a gentle colour product such as Redken Shades EQ.

P

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

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

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

R

Redken Certified Haircolourist: Redken Certified Haircolourists provide top notch service and guarantee exceptional haircolour results. There's a certain level of acclaim associated with being a Redken Certified Haircolourist. Members of this elite group are recognized for their expertise and commitment to excellence.

S

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

Stylist: Your salon stylist is your partner in achieving your haircolour 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 haircolour look you want to achieve during your consultation. A stylist who specializes in colour services is a "colourist."

Semi-permanent haircolour: Haircolour that is designed to last through five to seven shampoos, depending on the processing time selected and the porosity of the hair. Semi-permanent colours do not lighten hair. Redken does not offer a semi-permanent haircolour 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 colour formulation.

Tone: Tone, in hair colouring, is the term used to describe a specific colour—"golden" blonde, "coppery" red, "ash" brown. Colours are divided into warm tones and cool tones. See also warm and cool.

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

W

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