What’s the Difference Between Hair Foils and Highlights?

If you want to add a touch of colour and dimension to your locks, you’re likely to come across two terms often used interchangeably: highlights and foils.

Understanding the difference between hair foils and highlights can be confusing. Discover the various highlighting techniques available and what to expect during a highlighting session so you can decide on the ideal method to transform your look.

What are Highlights?

Highlights are a hair colouring technique used to lighten or colour certain strands of hair, giving your hair depth, dimension, and a sun-kissed appearance. The goal of highlighting is to create a natural-looking variation in hair colour, similar to what the sun might do if you spent a lot of time outdoors.

Highlights can create various effects, from subtle, natural-looking colours to bold, dramatic looks. It all depends on the technique used, the colours chosen, and the placement of the highlights.

As highlights grow out, they look more natural than an all-over colour, especially if placed around the face or sparingly throughout the hair. Because of this, they can be an excellent low-maintenance option for changing your hair colour.

Types of Highlights

Highlights are a versatile way to switch your look without committing to an all-over colour. There are numerous highlighting techniques your stylist can use to help you achieve your desired hairstyle, including:

• Traditional highlights: This technique involves using a full head of foils and isolating small sections of hair to be lightened. Traditional highlights typically cover the entire length of your hair, from the root through the mid-lengths to the tip, and can be applied evenly throughout for a uniform look or sporadically for a more random, natural look.
• Balayage: Balayage is a free hand-painted technique that applies the lightening agent onto the hair to create a graduated, more natural-looking effect. The results can be subtle or more dramatic, depending on the contrast between the highlight and base colours.
• Ombre: Ombre hair highlights transition from darker at the roots to lighter at the ends, with no dark pieces left on the bottom. The transition is more noticeable compared to balayage.
• Sombre: Sombre ‘subtle ombre’ highlights are achieved by using a similar tone to the natural hair colour or only a few shades lighter, with a gradual transition towards the ends. The highlights are delicately placed throughout the hair, starting slightly away from the roots, and are typically painted in a freehand manner or using a balayage technique. As a result, the colour shift is gradual and subtle, giving the hair a soft, lived-in look.
• Babylights: Babylights are super subtle highlights that mimic the sun-kissed hair colour of a child. They are created by applying a very fine colour to small sections of hair and are a great way to add dimension without a dramatic change.
• Lowlights: While technically not a highlight, lowlights involve adding sections of colour darker than your current hair colour. Lowlights can be used in combination with highlights to add depth and dimension.
• Chunky Highlights: These are thicker, more noticeable highlights that can be used to create a bold, dramatic look. Section thickness can vary depending on hair type and how prominent you want the highlights to be, but they are typically between 1cm and 2.5cm wide, which is slightly narrower than a money piece.

The best type of highlight for you will depend on your base hair colour, desired look, how much upkeep you’re willing to do, and your style. Always consult your hairdresser to determine which highlighting technique is best for you.

What are Hair Foils?

Hair foils are a hair colouring technique used to isolate certain sections of hair that will be lightened or coloured. The technique gets its name from the thin sheets of aluminium foil used during the process. These foils prevent the colour or lightning agent from spreading or bleeding onto other hair strands, ensuring precise application.

Here’s how it works:

• Sectioning: Your hairstylist sections off parts of your hair that you want highlighted or coloured with clips.
• Applying the foils: Working with one section at a time, the stylist will take a small subsection of hair and place a foil strip underneath it. The subsection size may vary depending on the desired result and the thickness of the hair strands. The foil isolates the hair from the rest of the hair, preventing the colour from bleeding or transferring to adjacent sections.
• Applying the colour: Once the foil is in place, your stylist will carefully apply the hair colour or bleach to the hair using a brush or comb.
• Folding and sealing the foil: After applying the colour, your stylist will fold the foil to enclose the coloured hair securely. This process ensures that the colour remains in contact with the hair and processes effectively. The ends of the foil are folded and sealed to prevent any leaks or smudging.
• Processing: Once all the foils are in place, you’ll need to wait for the colour to process. Depending on the desired result, this can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. The darker your hair, the longer the processing time.
• Rinsing: Once the processing time is complete, your stylist will carefully remove the foils and rinse the hair thoroughly. They will then apply toner if necessary to achieve the desired tone and neutralise unwanted warmth.

What is Foilayage?

Foilayage is a hair colouring technique that combines traditional foil highlights and the freehand painting method of balayage. The term is a blend of ‘balayage’ and ‘foils’ because it delivers the vibrancy of foils with the soft, natural growth patterns of balayage. It’s an innovative technique designed to create sun-kissed, natural-looking hair colour with beautiful depth and dimension.

The process involves painting the hair freehand, much like in balayage, and then each painted section is wrapped in foils. The foils generate heat that helps to enhance the saturation of the colour, allowing for a greater lift and resulting in brighter, more vivid highlights. This is particularly advantageous for people with darker hair tones wanting to go significantly lighter or for anyone seeking a more dramatic colour contrast.

Foilayage can be tailored to each client, with the stylist varying the amount of hair coloured and the degree of lightness to create a bespoke look. The outcome is a gradient of colour that blends seamlessly from the roots to the ends, creating a low-maintenance look that grows out beautifully.

Which Highlighting Technique Should I Get?

Choosing the right highlighting technique for your hair can depend on several factors. The following are a few considerations to help you make your decision:

• Your base hair colour: If you have darker hair and want to go lighter, techniques like foilayage or traditional foils might be more suitable due to their ability to lighten hair more dramatically. If you want to enhance your natural colour with subtle brightness, techniques like balayage or babylights may be more appropriate.
• Desired maintenance level: Some highlighting techniques require more maintenance than others. For example, because traditional highlights involve colouring close to the roots, your hair requires more frequent salon visits to deal with regrowth. Techniques like balayage or ombre typically involve less frequent maintenance since they often leave roots in a more natural state.
• Desired look: Do you want something subtle or dramatic? Balayage or babylights are a great choice for a soft, sun-kissed glow. Consider traditional foils or chunky highlights if you prefer a bolder, more distinct contrast between your base colour and highlights.
• Hair health: If your hair is already damaged or brittle, you may want to avoid heavy bleaching techniques. Discuss your hair’s health with your stylist to determine the safest way to achieve your desired look.
• Your stylist’s expertise: Not all stylists are skilled in all techniques. Make sure to choose a stylist who specialises in the technique you want.

Arrange Your Consultation Today!

Choosing the right hair highlighting technique can transform your look, accentuating your natural beauty while adding that extra flair of personality. Whether it’s the bold contrasts achieved with traditional foils, the natural sun-kissed effect from balayage, or the hybrid brilliance of foilayage, each technique offers its unique charm and style.

Hair highlighting isn’t just about changing your hair colour; it’s about expressing your personality and boosting your confidence. Book your foils appointment with the stylists at Intaglio today to transform your look.