How to Do Foilayage on Curly Hair

If you’re a hairdresser wondering if foilayage suits curly hair, the answer is a resounding yes! Not only that, our exclusive curly foilayage technique will help you attract new clients. This method, when combined with innovative products, will make your curly hair services stand out like never before. 

Read on for our pro tips on the benefits of foilyage for textured hair and discover our favorite products to enhance color! Additionally, don’t miss our course at the end of this blog. It offers full step-by-step instructions on how to foilayage curly hair, empowering both you and your clients.

Foilayage vs. Balayage 

Foilayage is similar to the popular Balayage but with the addition of foils to intensify the lightening process. This creates brighter results and a more vibrant, dimensional look. 

The combination of hand-painted pieces and foil wrapping creates a bespoke color that’s perfect for any hair type but works especially well on darker bases and on textured hair. 

Foilayage uses foils to amplify brightness and definition. It creates a beautiful gradient that enhances the overall appearance of the hair. Unlike traditional highlighting or Balayage, which often relies on a uniform or open air application, foilayage provides a more customized approach, allowing for greater control and creativity in color placement.

The Benefits of Foilayage for Curly Hair

Curly textures often benefit from a tailored color approach due to their unique shape and natural volume. Foilayage takes advantage of this by strategically placing darker shades between lighter highlights. This not only adds depth and dimension but also accentuates the natural movement of curls. By highlighting specific curls, foilayage creates a dynamic interplay of light and shadow, which can soften the appearance of dense midsections and ends, giving the hair a more balanced and polished look.

By illuminating and defining individual curls, foilayage can emphasize the natural curl pattern, making it appear more vibrant and defined. This targeted approach avoids the flat, monotone look that can sometimes occur with more traditional coloring methods. The precision of foils ensures that the color application is both controlled and effective and allows for a more personalized and detailed finish. This method also creates gradual color transitions, which can be particularly beneficial for clients looking to achieve a more natural or sun-kissed effect.

How to Foilayage Curly Hair

Here’s a guide that will help you to foilayage curly hair (after your initial consultation, of course).

1. Preparation: Start by assessing the hair’s current condition and determining the desired end result. Select the appropriate lightener and foil size and length and be sure you have a board, clips, tint brush, foils and pin tail ready.
2. Sectioning: Divide the hair into manageable sections. For curly hair, it’s often best to work in smaller sections to get even coverage.
3. Technique: Apply the lightener using your preferred technique. For our model we have opted for Magnet™ Blondes Ultimate Powder 7. Ammonia-free*. Paint the lightener onto the hair in sweeping motions, focusing on areas where the sun would naturally hit (or to your clients preference), such as around the face and the ends of the hair.
4. Foil Application: Wrap the painted sections in foil. For curly hair, you may want to use larger foils to accommodate the volume of the curls. Wrapping the sections in foil helps retain heat, which intensifies the lightening process.
5. Curved Sections: To create a more natural and dimensional look, pre-lighten with zig-zag or horizontal sections around the frontal area. This helps avoid harsh lines and creates a nice blend with the natural hair color.
6. Processing Time: Allow the lightener to process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep an eye on the lightening process to get the desired level of lift without damaging the hair.
7. Cleanse and Tone: Once the desired lift is achieved, cleanse and rinse the hair thoroughly and apply a toner. This helps neutralize any unwanted tones and enhances the overall color.
8. Aftercare: Provide your client with aftercare instructions to maintain their foilayage. Recommend using gentle, color-safe shampoos such as RE/START™ CURLS Nourishing Cleanser: and RE/START™ CURLS Nourishing Conditioner & Leave-In and advise on minimal heat styling to protect the curls.

Maintaining Color

To help keep your clients’ hair tones from fading, recommend that they book in toning sessions and to use professional products. Here are a few tips to help your clients’ new color last beautifully until their next visit.

• Schedule regular touch-ups to refresh the color. A glaze with Color Excel every 4 weeks to 3 months can maintain the best look for curly hair and keep the desired color. For our model, we used 8.342 which is a stunning Bronzite tone which treats, colors, and adds shine in half the time.

• At home, advise clients to use minimal heat styling and professional care products to protect their curly foilayage. We recommend using the RE/START Balayage Hair Care Cream, a leave-in treatment that strengthens, shields, and revives colored hair until the next touch-up.

• For styling, encourage clients to embrace the natural texture of their hair with UniqOne™ Curly Hair Treatment. This revolutionary hybrid formula treats and styles every type of curl in one step. It leaves curls soft and bouncy, whether they are loose waves or tight coils.

When it’s time to shampoo, we love to use a Magnet™ Ultimate Post-Technical Shampoo directly after the coloring process but, for home use, we suggest gentle, color-safe options like the RE/START™ Color Protective Micellar Shampoo or a sulfate-free cleanser from the RE/START CURLS products, which is Curly Girl Method compliant.

Now that you have the lowdown, it’s time to master the full technique so you can confidently say, “Yes!” when your client asks, “Can you foilayage my curly hair?” Visit the Revlon Pro Always On exclusive course, our exclusive 24/7 educational platform to learn how to foilayage on curly hair from our pros! 

Don’t forget that you can also head over to our Revlon ProShop for all your professional hair care products. You can also choose a color for your clients with our handy Revlon Pro Color App for Android or IOS Apple.