Unlike traditional foiling (where the color is brushed onto the hair in no particular way and covered with foil to process quickly), the Pintura technique is the hand painting of color onto each strand of hair that needs to be accented. The Pintura technique defines the curl and caters to the way the hair falls for a more natural look. I have had my curls colored with both techniques and here I compare what is the best way to dye your curly hair:
FOILS
My hair was dry detangled with a comb and stretched during this process. Do not allow your colorist to do this! If you will not be wearing your hair stretched or straightened the majority of the time, do not have your hair stretched while coloring. How will you know where the color will fall when you’re rocking your curls?
The bleach was applied to my hair in sections with a very heavy hand. It was brushed onto the entire section, with more product distributed on the very ends, and then wrapped in foil to process. Although my curls didn’t suffer much damage after this method, there were clear lines of separation in the color.
My roots were my natural dark brown, but you could clearly see where the color was applied and there was a harsh line between extremely dark and extremely light. It did not look natural, nor did it enhance my curls or make them pop. In fact, it had the exact opposite effect.
PINTURA
Bleach was applied to my hair in small sections with a light- handed stroke. My colorist was very careful and strategic with where she placed the color. She examined the way the curls fell (granted, this was immediately following a fresh hair cut so I’m sure that was helpful) and followed their pattern.
Where I wanted the color to be lighter (on the ends), my colorist applied the color with a heavier hand, but not too heavy. She put an emphasis on creating the most natural looking color. When she was done there were bursts of color in various parts of my hair that emphasized the curl pattern and most importantly- looked natural.
I definitely recommend Pintura highlights to add definition to curls and for an overall more natural look. Have you tried Pintura highlights? Have you had luck with foils? Comment below…
