Say Goodbye to Traditional Balayage and Hello to AirTouch: What it is and Why Your Hair Needs This Technique
Are you seeking beautiful, layered, fresh color to inject life back into your locks, but are a little bit over the whole balayage phase? You’re not the only one. While balayage and ombre may have taken over the entire hair beauty scene in 2018, there is a new method of hair dying that achieves beautifully blended locks and will never leave you with an end result that almost looks two-toned.
Yes – we are talking about the AirTouch technique. If you haven’t heard of the latest and greatest trend in hair coloring, not to fear. Here at Autumn Markley Salon in Fort Lauderdale, we absolutely love this method of hair coloring, and are here to give you the low down on all things AirTouch, including why you need this highlighting technique in your life.
The AirTouch Technique
The AirTouch technique is unique in that it uses air, versus traditional teasing and backcombing, to achieve a seamless blend of color. To attain this result, hair is parted into sections and highlighted in foils or clear film, as opposed to the freehand techniques that are used when creating balayage or ombre hair. The sections of the hair are then worked on in a more diagonal fashion, rather than the usual linear highlights that have been popular for the past few years.
Here at Autumn Markley Salon, diagonal work is our bread and butter. This method offers a more versatile and natural appearance to highlights, creating results that effortlessly blend and shine.
However, the most vital difference is in the process – while old school highlights were weaved into sections of hair in an attempt to create fine highlights, Air Touch allows the air to complete the weaving.
Your stylist will part your hair into sections. Then, a hair dryer is applied to the strands to push out the baby hairs, allowing only the longer strands to be highlighted. What does this mean for your natural locks? The thinner, or more fragile pieces are left outside the foil – so no further damage will be caused to your already sensitive strands.
Because of this fine blending technique, AirTouch is an incredible option for those who wish to inject a bit of color to their natural locks, but are concerned about the damage that other highlighting techniques may cause.
The final result is perfectly blended coloring that appears natural and seamless – teamed with shiny and soft dimensions that will grow out with ease.
Where Did AirTouch Come From, Anyway?
The AirTouch technique which uses air, versus teasing and backcombing, to create a seamless blend of color, can be attributed to professional colorist Vladimir Sarbeshev. The Russian hair guru said that he began experimenting with techniques outside of original balayage because of the challenges he and his clients faced when utilizing this method. Among these challenges, the most prominent was the retouch, or the backcombing and teasing of hair. Vladimir knew there was a method out there that would cause less damage to hair and save his clients and himself time in the process. And when he could not find that method, he developed his own.
AirTouch Vs Traditional Retouch
The AirTouch technique not only produces beautiful, blended results, but it also overcomes one of the biggest challenges that every other highlighting and lightening technique faces – the retouch.
The traditional retouch method backcombed and teased sections of hair before applying a lightening agent. Then, colorists would use a tail comb or re-weave every section of the hair in order to ensure that the highlights would not overlap on to previously dyed hair as the hair grew out.
Stylists using the AirTouch method take a more effective – and less damaging – route. Using a blow dryer on a low and safe setting, shorter and thinner hair is pushed away from longer strands, so that the new growth is the only section of hair that will require lightener. This not only saves your hair from possible damage, but it saves you and your stylist time, too. The best of both worlds.
AirTouch is becoming a global phenomenon because it is not only healthier for the hair but achieves more blended and natural-looking results. What’s not to love?
Why Choose AirTouch For Your Hair
The AirTouch technique is the perfect choice for your hair if you are searching for a safer and longer-lasting alternative to the original balayage or ombre method of highlighting. Here are just a few of the reasons we love the AirTouch technique over other lightening methods:
It is safer for your natural hair: Unlike the traditional retouch method, which can cause extreme breakage and damage to your natural locks, the AirTouch method was invented with the goal to lighten hair safely with minimum damage. Great results are achieved, without the damage other highlighting techniques may cause.
AirTouch technique is more time effective: The AirTouch technique is accomplished by parting the longer strands into sections, then blow dying the hair that is held tight in that section, only highlighting the foil of the remaining hair. Because of this, it can take less than 45 minutes to complete from start to finish, saving you time and hassle at the salon.
The technique perfectly blends with your natural hair: While saving time and damage is great, you are lightening your hair for the results, right? Well, AirTouch is not only a faster and safer alternative to original balayage or ombre hair – it provides better results, too. The end result is perfectly blended, natural-looking highlights that will grow out with ease.
Easier to touch up: Virgin baby hairs and thinner, shorter pieces will be a part of your hair no matter what. If you want to achieve results that blend well and last for up to a year, touching up your hair with the AirTouch method is simple, fast, and easy. Each head of hair is unique – so make sure to chat with your Autumn Markley stylist to see how often you should head back into the salon for a quick touch up!
It is a more comfortable technique: Clients love AirTouch over other highlighting techniques because it is much more comfortable on their scalp. Unlike the original highlighting and lightening method, which required extensive backcombing and teasing, AirTouch uses a blow dryer to part thick from thin strands and only lighten the stronger strands of hair. The air does all the hard work of weaving out the "baby hairs," leaving the longer sections to be highlighted.
Control the brightness results that you desire: Other highlighting and coloring techniques may not be able to adjust to a specific brightness or hue the way AirTouch can. Great news for the perfectionists out there who have their mind made up on a specific tone for their hair! By adjusting the amount of hair you blow-dry out of a specific section, your stylist can choose how light you wish for your end result to be. To achieve a darker result, the stylist simply has to push more hair out at the root, causing less hair to be dyed in the foil. For a brighter or lighter tone, less hair can be pushed out of the section so more hair is left in the foil.
Maintaining AirTouch Results – How Long Does It Last?
Here at Markley Salon in Fort Lauderdale, we train our stylists to become experts at the AirTouch technique. Our clients love it because it saves them time and possible damage, while achieving incredible results. And, on top of this, the best news is that it is even longer-lasting than other highlighting and balayage techniques!
When applied by a salon professional and cared for accordingly, AirTouch can be maintained for six months to a year. This really just depends on the extent of lightening that the client requests, and how well it is looked after and cared for over time. The highlighted hair will grow out slowly and smoothly, achieving gorgeous and natural-looking results long after your visit to Autumn Markley Salon.
Are You Ready to Try the AirTouch Method?
The incredible thing about the hair beauty world we live in today is that, through the internet and social media, we are exposed to transformative beauty trends around the globe. Whether we live in Fort Lauderdale, Tokyo, or Moscow, we are a few clicks away from discovering new methods that completely change the coloring and highlighting game.
This year, that method is AirTouch – and here at Autumn Markley Salon, we swear by the method and the results. If you are looking to lighten your locks without the time, pain, and potential damage of other methods, then AirTouch is perfect for you. Whether you are seeking a full head of highlights, or just need a natural-looking touch-up that won’t cause further breakage to your locks, the AirTouch method can help you achieve beautiful results that last. Contact our team of talented and trained colorists today to schedule a consultation and see if the AirTouch technique is right for you.