Lianna Albrizio, Assistant Editor03.30.23
While at a recent lecture hosted by motivational speaker Tony Robbins to “Unleash the Power Within,” Connecticut-based hairdresser and colorist Michelle Jacoby thought hard in response to the question “what are you afraid of?” Jacoby, who has been coloring hair for over 30 years, couldn’t help but think of the heap of foils jettisoned after each highlighting service.
“I’m afraid of balayage,” she said with a coy smile. “Processing color and the mess it leaves, and the amount of foil I throw away. It used to drive me crazy.”
And then, the idea hit her: plastic sheets that served the purpose of being equal parts reusable and see-through. It would make her job as a colorist a lot easier to decipher when hair is ready without peeking into the foil. Plastic sheets, she thought, would save her both time of making the mistake of under-processing hair and having to do it all again and throwing away up to four trash bags full of foils per day.
Atira Clear Color Sheets
Jacoby’s Atira Clear Color Sheets are patent-pending and made from 100% recyclable material. The name “Atira” translates to “earth goddess” in Native American. The environmentally friendly paper-thin sheets are reusable and easily washed off with water after each use and left to drip-dry on a rack. They work in the same way as foils, except the hair pieces are painted with color in between each clear plastic sheet and then clipped at the top to be held in place.
Atira Clear Color Sheets, which comes in three sizes, 8x4, 12x4 and 12x5, are great for a retouch, TZ lights and balayage, for the sides and back of the hair, said Jacoby said. For the colorist, the sheets help provide for more accurate timing; they make it easier to see the color as it is being processed.
“Foil does generate a little more heat, but sometimes it’s uneven,” said Jacoby. “If somebody gets a lot of foils, you’ll see that halfway down their head it’ll start to get a little broken apart because the color has worked a little too quicky. This keeps it nice and even.”
Atria sheets are not recommended for use under a heat lamp, as excessive heat can warp the plastic.
Jacoby exhibited at the International Beauty Show in New York City at the Javits Center after her product was well-received at the Las Vegas show this past winter.
Each box, which contain 25 pairs of sheets retail for $50 on clearcolorsheets.com.
With proper care, the sheets can be used more than 100 times, according to Jacoby. She currently rotates two boxes per day on her clients.
Jacoby is currently running the beauty show circuit. Her brands next demonstration will be at America’s Beauty Show in Chicago next month.