Color theory teaches cosmetology students the basic principles and foundations for hair care and cosmetics in the cosmetology field. Providing a basis for further cosmetology, cosmetic and hair care education, the Designing Beauty Academy in Windsor, Colorado, for example, will not allow students to advance on to laboratory activities and courses until a satisfactory passing grade is achieved by the student in theory studies.
Color theory begins by teaching students about hair color and the components used in creating it. It then discusses the techniques used in assessing the current hair color and condition of a client and the natural and/or artificial tones and highlights that exist. Combining the fundamentals of color and the ability to evaluate the client's hair, the instructor moves into the actual hair-coloring process with the students. During this step, the chemical reactions that are taking place are analyzed as well as various techniques to use for different hair types. Once these steps are covered, color theory begins to explore the variations of hair coloring--highlights, bleaching and tinting, noting the combination of practices and chemical reactions involved with each step.
Color theory is applied when doing both temporary and permanent cosmetics applications--focusing on skin pigmentation and the technical application of both temporary and permanent cosmetics. Deciphering various skin types, pigments, cool or warm application process, and the basic color wheel are all areas of interest in color theory courses as they relate to cosmetic application. As with hair care, it is found to be essential "that your color theory knowledge is as enduring as the permanent cosmetics you apply to your clients," says the World Wide Learn website.
With color theory being such a fundamental course in achieving a cosmetology degree, it is incorporated into the curriculum early, generally one of the first classes a student begins, and is further studied until graduation. A mixture of lecture style classes and lab experimentation, the course averages 160 contact hours for its completion when pursuing a cosmetology degree, according to the Houston Community College principles of hair coloring and related theory course guide.
Mixing the wrong chemical coloring agents together or using the wrong types back to back can cause great damage to a client's hair. Math skills are extensively used when dealing with percentages of developers and pigments. If these numbers are carelessly combined, it can take months or years for your client's hair to repair itself. When dealing with permanent cosmetics, even a slight mix-up in this area can be drastically devastating to a client, thus a strong foundation in color theory can help avoid these circumstances.