Balayage
Nope, not a Hawaiian dance. This French word refers to the sweeping motion a brush makes when highlights are handpainted onto hair, says Sharon Dorram, owner of Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger in New York City. If you want sun-kissed color without noticeable regrowth (and who wouldn’t?), ask for this technique.

Lowlights
The opposite of highlights, these are darker strands of color that give hair depth and dimension. Looking to go a bit darker for fall but worry that an allover shift will look flat? Ask your colorist to weave some of these into the shade you’re currently sporting.

Semipermanent
When you get a gloss or a glaze at the salon, this is what you’re getting. Semipermanent dye (you can find it in at-home box color, too) doesn’t penetrate the hair’s cuticle, so the color washes away after several shampoos. Try this if you’re craving a change without major commitment.

Demi-Permanent
This dye lasts a little longer than semipermanent—perfect if you don’t want to deal with root regrowth right away.

Warmth
When you hear this from your colorist, she’s saying that your haircolor has golden or red tones. If it gets too golden or orange (from the sun or aggressive shampoos), it’s considered brassy—a bad thing. When that happens, ask your colorist to apply a toner to cool down those unwanted tones.

Cool
This refers to blue or violet tones in hair and tends to work best on skin with similar undertones. If that’s not you, your colorist can warm up your hue with a red or gold gloss.

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