Decided foil isn't always better after a balayage meltdown on a blonde client yesterday

I was at my chair mid-section, pulled my foil too tight and left a line right across her crown, so now I'm reheating my technique with just freehand painting to avoid those hard bands... has anyone else abandoned foils for certain looks?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_lisa1mo ago

Wait, cardboard strips?? Like actual cardboard from a box or something? That's wild lmao, I never would've thought of that. I can totally see how it'd work for sectioning though, way cheaper than those fancy plastic dividers. Honestly might try that next time I'm doing a heavy blonde lift just to see if it keeps things softer.

miller.emery1mo ago

my friend kristen over at the salon down the street had this exact thing happen last month. she was doing this super blonde balayage on a bride to be and her foil slipped, left this dark stripe right across the back of the head. bride was not happy. kristen spent an extra hour trying to fix it with freehand painting, and honestly the end result looked way softer and more natural than any foil work she'd done before. she told me she switched to just using a small brush and some cardboard strips for sectioning on her lighter clients, and it saved her a ton of headache. i think it's one of those things where you learn the hard way but then your work actually gets better.

lee8471mo ago

Hold up, cardboard strips for sectioning? That's not really something you want to do. Cardboard is porous so it can suck up bleach and cause hot spots or even breakage if it gets wet enough. Plus it's not waterproof so it'll just fall apart once you start applying your lightener. Kristin was probably just talking about using them as cheap dividers between sections to keep things clean, not actually wrapping them in the foil or anywhere near the product. You're better off using those plastic wrap things or even cut up grocery bags if you want to save money. Freehand painting though is definitely the way to go for that soft blended look, once you get the hang of it you won't miss foils at all for balayage.