"This small circled area on the head is called interior shadowing. The depth placement here...
"This small circled area on the head is called interior shadowing. The depth placement here decided wether someone has interior dimension or a solid color. This also depicts whether their hair has visible ribbons of color on the surface," Sea says.
"Notice where the depth is. There is purposeful depth remaining so still felt like a brunette....
"Notice where the depth is. There is purposeful depth remaining so still felt like a brunette. The other reasoning behind this much intense depth in these particular areas is so that her caramel pieces has something to POP against. Brunettes can be quite tricky with placement if you don’t understand where and WHY you place depth and brightness in certain areas. This is especially true when your brunette guests want to be “enhanced” and not have a whole transformative color. Also if you want to have ribbons of color and not overall a glow of color, depth placement is VERY important," Sea says.
"Notice where the depth is. There is ONLY intense depth in zone 2 and in one layer near the...
"Notice where the depth is. There is ONLY intense depth in zone 2 and in one layer near the nape. There is also depth in zone one but it’s muted. The reason behind not having cohesive depth tonality is so we could keep her roots softer and it wouldn’t make her appear darker. Would you believe she’s 90% gray?
Zone 1 was fully focused on her root touch up, we integrated brightness with balayage and I added interior depth with intent to make her blonde have more power," Sea says.
"When a brunette guest asked for dimension within the hair, this area of the head is a perfect...
"When a brunette guest asked for dimension within the hair, this area of the head is a perfect area to introduce natural-looking depth. When we want clients to have a range of luxury tones, your depth distribution is JUST as important as where light should live," Sea says.
"Did you know that this small circled area is the MOST IMPORTANT on the head to replicate an...
"Did you know that this small circled area is the MOST IMPORTANT on the head to replicate an actual sun kissed effect. I have studied where the sun actually kisses the hair and where it remains solid. Without this specific depth placement that I created, the overall color would appear saturated and artificial. When we want clients to have a range of luxury tones, your depth distribution is JUST as important as where light should live," Sea says.
"Without this specific depth placement that I created, there would be NO dimension. It would...
"Without this specific depth placement that I created, there would be NO dimension. It would just look rooted and blonde everywhere else," Sea says.
"Did you know that this small circled area is the MOST IMPORTANT on the head? Your depth...
"Did you know that this small circled area is the MOST IMPORTANT on the head? Your depth placement is CRUCIAL for the intensity of brightness you want to achieve," Sea says.
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"This small circled area on the head is called interior shadowing. The depth placement here...
1/7
 
Slider
"This small circled area on the head is called interior shadowing. The depth placement here decided wether someone has interior dimension or a solid color. This also depicts whether their hair has visible ribbons of color on the surface," Sea says.
"Notice where the depth is. There is purposeful depth remaining so still felt like a brunette....
2/7
 
Slider
"Notice where the depth is. There is purposeful depth remaining so still felt like a brunette. The other reasoning behind this much intense depth in these particular areas is so that her caramel pieces has something to POP against. Brunettes can be quite tricky with placement if you don’t understand where and WHY you place depth and brightness in certain areas. This is especially true when your brunette guests want to be “enhanced” and not have a whole transformative color. Also if you want to have ribbons of color and not overall a glow of color, depth placement is VERY important," Sea says.
"Notice where the depth is. There is ONLY intense depth in zone 2 and in one layer near the...
3/7
 
Slider
"Notice where the depth is. There is ONLY intense depth in zone 2 and in one layer near the nape. There is also depth in zone one but it’s muted. The reason behind not having cohesive depth tonality is so we could keep her roots softer and it wouldn’t make her appear darker. Would you believe she’s 90% gray?
Zone 1 was fully focused on her root touch up, we integrated brightness with balayage and I added interior depth with intent to make her blonde have more power," Sea says.
"When a brunette guest asked for dimension within the hair, this area of the head is a perfect...
4/7
 
Slider
"When a brunette guest asked for dimension within the hair, this area of the head is a perfect area to introduce natural-looking depth. When we want clients to have a range of luxury tones, your depth distribution is JUST as important as where light should live," Sea says.
"Did you know that this small circled area is the MOST IMPORTANT on the head to replicate an...
5/7
 
Slider
"Did you know that this small circled area is the MOST IMPORTANT on the head to replicate an actual sun kissed effect. I have studied where the sun actually kisses the hair and where it remains solid. Without this specific depth placement that I created, the overall color would appear saturated and artificial. When we want clients to have a range of luxury tones, your depth distribution is JUST as important as where light should live," Sea says.
"Without this specific depth placement that I created, there would be NO dimension. It would...
6/7
 
Slider
"Without this specific depth placement that I created, there would be NO dimension. It would just look rooted and blonde everywhere else," Sea says.
"Did you know that this small circled area is the MOST IMPORTANT on the head? Your depth...
7/7
 
Slider
"Did you know that this small circled area is the MOST IMPORTANT on the head? Your depth placement is CRUCIAL for the intensity of brightness you want to achieve," Sea says.

Hair colorist, educator and salon owner Jamie Sea has earned her reputation as an incredible color educator because she not only showcases the best techniques in lightening the hair, she also shares where to avoid lightening the hair.

These "pretty little placement" tips (she has a massive following on her @prettylittleombre Instagram page), will help give your balayage and lightened clients natural-looking impact, dimension and customized effects that will keep them coming back.

“Specific depth distribution is just as important as where light should live on the head,” she says. "Your depth placement is crucial for the intensity of brightness you want to achieve."

When Sea educates, this depth preservation is a topic she dives into frequently, breaking down where exactly depth needs to go on the head to achieve different illusions and effects.

“When you know how to achieve looks by particular placement patterns, application time is sped up tremendously,” she says.

In the gallery featured here, see how Sea takes her salon experiences, paired with her actual research of where sun kisses hair, to best design her color decisions.

"Comprehending depth placement actually saves you so much time and gives your color WOW factor," Sea says. "Cheers to working smarter not harder!"

Learn more about depth placement by attending one of Sea's Salt Society classes. and follow her on Instagram @prettylittleombre for daily motivation and education.

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