The act of adding highlights to the hair has been traced back as far as Ancient Greece. In the 6^th century BC, Ancient Greeks would add lighter tones to their hair by applying a concoction of olive oil, gold flakes, lemon juice, and pollen before letting their hair bake in the sunlight. Thousands of years later, although the process has developed, the trend continues to thrive. If you are looking for a way to create the illusion of depth in your hair, highlights are the way to go!

Traditional Highlights

Traditional highlights are applied using foil. The hairstylist will section off the hair, apply coloring product, and wrap the hair in foil. Wrapping the hair in foil allows for the coloring product to completely saturate the hair and ultimately produce a more developed result. The foil method was revolutionary to the history of highlighting hair. It was originally introduced in the mid-1970s and continues to be the most popular method today.

Babylights

Babylights are very similar to traditional highlights. In fact, they are accomplished by using the same foil method as traditional highlights. The main difference is the size of the highlights. Babylights are compromised of smaller, thinner sections of the hair that are closer together. This allows the highlight color to blend more naturally with the base color.

Balayage

“Balayage” is a French word that means “to sweep.” Often misunderstood as a style of highlights, balayage is actually a technique that was introduced in France in the 1970s. It is done by freehand painting the coloring product onto the hair in a sweeping motion. Balayage is used when a natural transition is desired from the roots to the ends of the hair.

Foilyage

As the name implies, foilyage is a method that combines foiling and balayage techniques. The coloring product is applied to the hair using the balayage’s freehand painting but is then placed inside of foils to help the color process fully. This method maintains the subtle sweeping look produced by the balayage method but with more dramatic coloration caused by using foils.

Ombré

“Ombré” is another French word meaning “shaded.” Unlike balayage, ombré is a style of highlights, not a method of applying highlights. While traditional highlights focus on applying a lighter color to the roots of the hair, ombré highlights appear as a quick transition from a darker color at the roots of the hair to a lighter tone at the roots. Ombré is usually better for those who wish to make more of a statement rather than achieve a natural look.

Sombré

Sombré is a similar style to ombré, the main difference is the duration of the color transition. While the ombré transition is quick, the sombré transition occurs more gradually. This results in a more natural look as the hair slowly changes from a darker color at the roots to a lighter color as it progresses towards the ends of the hair.

No matter which highlights you choose, the Beauty Lounge can help you achieve the look you’ve always wanted! Schedule an appointment today!