Naturally, the way to approach short hair for a color service is different than that of medium or longer lengths. Short hair has its own set of best practices. 

Carlos Rojas is a Dallas-based colorist and member of MODERN SALON's Artist Connective. He specializes in beautiful, sunkissed balayage--on hair of any length.

So often we talk about balayage on long hair, we wanted to pick Roja's brain about the best ways to approach a lightening service on short hair.

Before even lifting up your color brush for any color service on short hair, remember to make sure the haircut is completed first. Rojas says this is vital for perfect placement.

"The worst thing is having cheetah spotted highlights on the back of your head," he says.

Once the haircut is finish, be purposeful with your color application--from placement to contrast. 

Choose your sectioning pattern carefully and thoughtfully, depending on the look you're trying to achieve. For example, Rojas rarely goes past the occipital bone when highlighting short hair, as that is what he calls his "no-no zone."

"Remember, short hair shows every mistake," Rojas says. "Be neat with your placement of whatever technique you use whether that be balayage or foil work."

As a soft way to add contrast, Rojas uses a wet balayage technique. He says it’s a more forgiving method because the water acts as a buffer.