Plain-English definitions for every term I use at the chair — balayage, gloss, toner, Olaplex, money piece, the works. If you've ever nodded along in a stylist's chair without knowing what they actually meant, this is for you. The better you understand the language, the better your questions can be.
A hand-painted color technique used to place brightness and dimension where it supports the finished shape.
Balayage is French for 'to sweep.' A colorist paints the placement by hand instead of following one uniform foil pattern. The point is control over where brightness and depth land, not a magic grow-out guarantee. How it wears depends on your starting color, history, contrast, condition, and maintenance.
Sections of hair isolated and lightened for controlled brightness, contrast, or dimension.
Highlights isolate selected sections, often with foils, so the colorist can control placement and processing. They can be fine and subtle or bold and bright. The right placement and return schedule depend on your starting point, desired contrast, condition, and how visible you want the regrowth to be.
Foil placement designed for a specific goal — face framing, brightness around the part, or dimension through selected areas.
Custom foiling is precision foil work where the number, location, and pattern are chosen for the goal in front of Rachel. It is not one copy-paste 'full head' formula. Your current color, haircut, part, history, and desired contrast all shape the placement.
Color work for an unwanted tone, uneven result, banding, or a complicated previous color history.
Color correction is the umbrella term for changing color that went sideways somewhere — box dye buildup, banding, an unwanted tone, or overlapping chemical history. The plan may involve testing, shifting artificial pigment, adding tone, or working over more than one visit. When the scope is unclear, the free color consultation is the honest place to start.
A clear or toned color service for shine and a visible tone refresh. The live menu reserves 60 minutes.
A gloss can be clear for shine or toned to nudge existing color cooler, warmer, deeper, or richer. Think of it as a focused reset, not a fix for every color problem. Ask Rachel whether a gloss fits your current color and maintenance plan or whether the placement itself needs more work.
A color formula used to adjust warmth, coolness, depth, or neutrality after lightening or within another color service.
A toner is the dial that adjusts how lightened hair reads: cooler, warmer, ashier, softer, or more neutral. Salon language can overlap with gloss depending on the formula and service, so do not worry about memorizing the label. Rachel can explain what the step is doing in your actual plan.
A two-part process that lightens the hair, then uses toner to refine the final shade.
Bleach and tone does exactly what the name says. First the hair is lightened, then toner adjusts the visible warmth and final direction. The starting color, previous chemical history, condition, and how the hair responds decide the pace. Platinum or pastel inspiration may still need a different or slower plan.
A very light blonde direction that asks a lot of the hair and comes with real maintenance.
Platinum is a very light blonde goal, not one guaranteed formula or timeline. Previous color, natural depth, current condition, and your appetite for maintenance all matter. The live menu separates a full platinum appointment from a retouch. If you are not sure your hair or budget is ready, Rachel would rather talk first than overpromise.
Color used mainly to deposit or adjust tone, with wear that changes gradually instead of one universal expiration date.
Demi-permanent color is common in glosses, tone shifts, and refreshes. It is the commitment-lighter side of salon color, but it is not a timer set to one exact week. Formula, porosity, wash routine, products, and starting color all change how it wears.
A brand of bond-building hair products that may be used during or after chemical services.
Olaplex is a brand of bond-building products for salon and at-home use. The live Square menu does not list Olaplex as an included service or add-on, so ask Rachel whether a bond-building product belongs in your proposed color plan and whether it changes the cost.
Color focused on new growth at the root for grey coverage or maintenance of an existing all-over color.
A root retouch is exactly what it sounds like: color focused on the new growth instead of automatically pulling color through every length and end. The live menu reserves 90 minutes for this starting service. Your formula, growth, and coverage goal decide the return rhythm.
A color technique that softens the contrast between grey and natural color so growth looks intentional, not 'rooty.'
Grey blending uses strategic lightness, depth, or tone to soften contrast instead of trying to erase every grey strand. It can make the transition feel more intentional, but it is not one fixed technique. The pattern of grey, current color, condition, and maintenance goal decide the plan.
A face-framing color placement that puts brightness or contrast right where people see it first.
A money piece lives at the front of the hair and can be whisper-soft or deliberately bold. It is a placement direction, not a fixed number of sections or a guaranteed effect. It may fit inside a partial or full custom color appointment depending on the amount of change.
Color designed with softer transitions and a maintenance plan built around the contrast you actually want.
'Lived-in' is the umbrella term for dimension that keeps a softer-looking transition near the root. The goal is less of a hard line, not zero maintenance or a guaranteed month-four miracle. Starting color, contrast, tone, growth, and home care still decide how it wears.
A branded curly-hair cutting approach commonly associated with dry, curl-aware shaping.
A DevaCut is a curly-hair method developed by DevaCurl. It is commonly associated with evaluating the pattern and shaping curls while dry, but a real curly haircut may use dry, wet, or combination work. Rachel is listed as a DevaCurl Advanced Stylist and chooses the approach after seeing the pattern, density, shrinkage, routine, and goal.
Hair with a natural wave-to-coil pattern that needs cutting and styling techniques specific to its texture.
Curly hair may call for different cutting, styling, and wash approaches based on pattern, density, shrinkage, and routine. Rachel is listed as a DevaCurl Advanced Stylist and confirms the specific approach for each guest during consultation.
Add-on hair installed for length, density, or both. Real commitment — not for everyone.
Extensions can add dramatic length, quiet fullness, or density where you want it. Rachel's extension page lists hand-tied weft, beaded weft, and tape-in options. The install price is not the whole picture: hair cost, home care, and maintenance timing vary. The live menu includes a free 30-minute extension consultation when you need to work through those details.
A free 30-minute color or extension conversation for reviewing history, goals, maintenance, and the clearest starting plan.
The live menu lists separate Color Consultation and Extension Consultation appointments at $0 for 30 minutes. Bring the real history, the goal, and the maintenance you actually want. It is the right move when the service, time, or cost is unclear, not a tollbooth every guest has to pass through.
Color or extensions? The live menu has a free 30-minute consultation for each. Bring the history, the photos, and every question you thought was too small.
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