Hair colouring terminology used by hairdressers

[CharlieMouseWillDoIt]

I'm a complete novice when it comes to hair colouring, but I am considering getting my hair dyed at the hairdressers to cover up the increasing number of white hairs coming through in my dark brown hair.

So, what is the difference between "colouring" and "tinting", "highlights", "flashlights" and "toner"?

[ItsintheBag]

Highlights(or low lights)- part of the hair is coloured in foil/meche(plastic packets) to give part of the hair colour either "high" blonder/lighter or "low" reder/darker/warmer

Colouring/tinting are the same thing usually refering to colouring the whole head. Ie. directly onto the scalp.

Flashlights are when you do highlights but usually with an all over colour too, so instead of one color you have one base color and then high/lo lights going through it.

Toner- doesn't have peroxide in so is very gentle, often used on top of a full head tint to add some warm color or on blonde highlights that are too yellow to tone them down.You don't need this-it will not cover grey.

Depending on how bad your grey is you could either 1. have low lights that would add back in more of your dark brown hair but would leave some grey.
Or. full head tint/color which would grow out but cover all grey.They can match this up to your natural color. you will need a skin test 24 hour prior to this every time you have a color,any salon that doesn't offer or tell you this avoid

[CharlieMouseWillDoIt]

Thank you - that is really useful information. I think I want/need an all over colour to completely cover up the grey, but when I started looking different salons' price lists I got really confused with the terminology!

[CharlieMouseWillDoIt]

Oh and yes re: the skin test. The salon I'm considering makes it very clear on their website that you must have a skin test 48 hours in advance.

[ItsintheBag]

No problem, I am sure they will explain it to you anyway.If I was choosing I would have had the full head tint too.
The one I am always rolls eyes over is the flash lights which is basically high lights over a tint.
But in a salon is "multi-dimensional " color