Blonde hair glossary: lived-in, bronde, money piece, root melt and 15 other terms

Saving a photo is easy; describing it is hard. These are the terms you will hear at Anna Vaz Concept and at any good color studio around Boston, so you can ask for exactly what you want.

Placement techniques

• Balayage: hand-painted highlights, soft at the root, brighter at the ends. Grows out without a line.
• Highlights: foiled sections from the root for maximum brightness.
• Babylights: very fine foiled highlights for a natural, diffused look.
• Foilyage: balayage placement inside foils, for more lift on dark hair.
• Teasylights: sections are backcombed before lightening so the root blends.
• Money piece: brighter face-framing pieces at the front hairline.
• Partial vs. full: partial covers the top and face frame; full covers the whole head.

Looks and tones

• Lived-in blonde: low-maintenance blonde with a shadowed root and blended ends, designed to look good for months.
• Bronde: brown + blonde. Caramel, honey and golden ribbons on a brunette base. In Portuguese, moreno iluminado.
• Expensive brunette: a rich, glossy brown with subtle dimension and no warmth you did not ask for.
• Beige, sand, champagne blonde: neutral blondes that are neither yellow nor ashy.
• Icy or platinum: the lightest, coolest blondes. Highest maintenance.
• Old money blonde: soft, neutral, multi-tonal blonde with a natural root. Think quiet luxury.
• Strawberry blonde, copper, cowboy copper: warm red-golds, very popular in New England in fall.

Finishing and maintenance

• Toner: the color applied after lightening to shift the shade (removes yellow, adds beige or cool tones).
• Gloss: a sheer, shine-boosting color service. Refreshes tone between sessions.
• Root melt / root shadow: a darker tone blended at the root so regrowth is invisible.
• Bond-builder: an additive used during lightening to protect the internal structure of the hair.
• Purple shampoo: violet-pigmented shampoo that neutralizes yellow. Use once a week, not every wash.

Problems your colorist will mention

• Brassy: unwanted orange or yellow warmth. Fixed with the right toner, not with more bleach.
• Banding: visible horizontal stripes from previous color jobs.
• Hot roots: roots that lifted lighter than the ends because of scalp heat.
• Box dye: drugstore color. It makes lightening unpredictable; always tell your colorist.
• Color correction: any service that fixes a previous result before the new one can be done.

Frequently asked questions