Had to choose between balayage and foil highlights for my first client yesterday

I'm a newer cosmetologist and my first walk-in client yesterday wanted something to lighten her dark brown hair but wasn't sure what. She had medium length hair and wanted a natural summery look. I was torn between doing a hand-painted balayage or going with traditional foils. Balayage felt safer because it blends softer but I was worried about it taking too long since I'm still slow. I ended up going with foils because she wanted more noticeable lift in the front pieces and I figured I could control the sections better. It actually came out pretty even and she was happy with it. But my timing was terrible, it took me like an hour and a half just for the application part. Any tips on speeding up foil placements without messing up the pattern?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark4912d ago

Hey that first client pressure is real lol. Foils sounds like the right move since you could control where the lightness went, especially for that brighter front piece thing. The time thing is totally normal, I remember my first few foil jobs taking forever too. One thing that helped me was pre-cutting all my foils before the client even sits down, like 30 or 40 of them ready to go. Also try working in smaller sections but don't stress about perfection, the pattern will blend out anyway once you style it. You'll get faster, it just takes reps.

ellis.jennifer11d agoMost Upvoted

Actually, pre-cutting 30 or 40 foils before a client sits down is probably overkill for a first timer. You'll end up wasting a lot of them when you realize you need different sizes or placements. Isn't it better to just cut as you go until you get a feel for their head shape and desired pattern? I usually cut about 10 to start, then adjust based on the section I'm working on. Also, smaller sections are great but make sure you're not making them too thin - I've seen newbies do these tiny weaves and then wonder why it takes 4 hours. Just keep each section about a quarter inch wide and you'll be fine.