Airtouch hair colour: what it is and how it works

Airtouch is a lightening technique in which each section is blown through with a hairdryer: the shorter hairs fly out, and I lighten only the longer ones that remain. That is what Airtouch hair means in practice: the light hairs blend with your natural colour, giving a soft gradient from root to tip with no hard line. It grows out gently, so touch-ups can be infrequent or skipped altogether.

How Airtouch works in practice

I take a thin section, hold it taut and run a stream of air from the dryer along it. The shorter hairs that every section contains (they are simply younger and haven't caught up yet) get pushed back towards the root. The longer ones stay, and those are the ones I place on foil and apply lightener to.

As a result there are only a few light hairs near the root, finely woven into your base. Further down the length there are more of them, and the ends can be fully light. That gives a gradient from your own root to blonde without a visible step. Ordinary lightened strands work differently: the whole strand is lightened right from the root, and after a month or two you can see the regrowth line.

What happens to the hair during lightening

Lightener creates an alkaline environment. It opens the cuticle, and the oxidiser (hydrogen peroxide together with the persulfates in the powder) penetrates the hair and breaks down melanin, the natural pigment. The process can't be reversed: oxidised melanin doesn't come back.

As the dark pigment breaks down, the underlying warmth shows through, a yellow or yellow-orange tone. That is why I always tone after lightening: the toner neutralises excess warmth and gives the shade of blonde we agreed on. Untoned lightened hair rarely looks polished.

Lightening always changes the structure of the hair to some degree, and nobody can honestly promise "no damage at all". The risk can be reduced considerably, though: choosing the right developer, not over-processing, using quality products and doing a reconstruction treatment straight after lightening.

How Airtouch differs from highlights and balayage

Classic highlights are lightened from the very root. They can be fine or chunky, but the line always shows as they grow out. I go into this in more detail in highlights or Airtouch.

Balayage is painted onto the surface of the section, often without foil. It gives a softer transition than highlights, but the level of lift is usually less predictable. There's a separate comparison of the two: Airtouch vs balayage.

What sets Airtouch apart is the way the blonde blends with your own colour. The light hairs are spread evenly across the head and the density can be adjusted, from a subtle brightening to almost full blonde with your own dark roots. And the grow-out is soft because there's no solid light band at the root. Another advantage: Airtouch camouflages grey well, since grey hairs get lost among the light ones.

How long the appointment takes and what's included

Airtouch takes time. An appointment usually runs from four hours, and on thick or long hair it can be longer. That's normal: every section has to be separated, blown through, placed on foil, and then the lightener needs as long as it needs, without rushing.

My appointment has several stages:

• chelation, to clear metals and mineral build-up from water out of the hair;
• lightening using the Airtouch technique;
• toning, to get the shade of blonde you want;
• reconstruction, to help the hair recover from lightening.

I do chelation because metals and minerals from water interfere with lightening. Under the powder they dry the hair further, add unwanted yellow and stop the reconstruction actives from getting in.

Who Airtouch suits

This technique works well for anyone who wants noticeably lighter hair but doesn't want to colour their roots every six to eight weeks. If up to half of your hair is blonde, I recommend a touch-up roughly every four months, or you can skip it entirely: the hair simply grows out smoothly. With a lot of blonde the line is more defined, so you'll need touch-ups more often. I explain this in my piece on the Airtouch touch-up.

Airtouch is also handy as a stepping stone. From it you can move safely to full blonde, go back to your own colour, or simply grow your length. I deliberately choose techniques that can be changed and corrected in a controlled way. I wear long blonde myself and test every decision on my own hair first.

Getting Airtouch done with me

I'm a colourist in Odesa specialising in blonde and light hair, and I work with the professional brand Viart. Airtouch with me includes chelation, lightening, toning and reconstruction and costs from 3,200 UAH. The price covers all zones. If you only want to refresh the most visible areas (the face frame, the top, the temples), a partial service is possible.

So I can tell you whether Airtouch suits you and how long it will take to get there, message me on Telegram: t.me/le2chris. Send a few photos of your hair in daylight and briefly tell me what's been on it over the last few years. That way the consultation will be specific.