My advice is to give up perfection. Every weave doesn't have to be perfectly sized and spaced. Natural hair is not perfect. Force yourself to speed up and get a little bit messy. Not with the color but with the sectioning and the weaving out of hairs. Sounds bad to give you advice to get sloppier but if you've ever watched someone who is FAST and been a colorist for 20+ years, you will see they are much sloppier than you. It almost looks better when every weave is not perfectly spaced and even in each hair block you take out. Most of us got quicker with foiling during the holidays when we were crunched for time and had to finish a head in a really short amount of time. We all discovered that it looked just about the same as when we took the time to get every strand & foil perfect. Naturally highlighted hair from the sun is not perfect. I book very tight and have learned to move FAST. Having every thing ready and at your fingertips helps too. A rollabout color tray is handy. All the foils cut and ready to go is good. Do that at the start of your day so you can just grab a stack of foils and get to work right away. I've also learned that unless people request otherwise, I don't put as many foils from mid head down to bottom. Its more natural to have more highlights on top & front and less in the middle/bottom. Thats where most of the hair is so you cut time by not putting as many in. Retouches should be much shorter in time as you are not putting color all the way thru ends. I use various bleach type lighteners most of the time so I have to WORK FAST so the end result is more even. If you think about that, it may speed you up. I can do a full head of foils in under 30 minutes. If you can cut your time in half, then you can cut it again in half later on when you get faster. Practice and repitition helps but giving up perfection is key. Good luck!

----Karla/Flip Salon

Thank you so much! Giving up perfection and the idea that it has to be perfect has got to go. It's so funny 'cause as I'm sitting my client down and getting them ready that's what I'm thinking in my head that I'm gonna go fast, not do it as perfect etc, but as I get going I give my self a hard time when I let a section go. I'll try it on my next client and keep working it out as I go on. I hate having to book 3.5 hours out for a weave and cut.  I don't know if it's my positioning, but when I stand in front and foil to the back it feels awkward and clumsy, but I keep doing it because so many others say how much closer the foils get to the head, just not sure I'm seeing it though. I so don't want to get out the ol' mannequin again, but I need to find the time 'cause I've got to speed up!

I stand on a chair behind the client and get a good vantage point of the head. I step off of the chair as i work my way to the back.

 

Donna