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Professional Highlighting Methods

Today's professional highlighting methods help take everyday hair to celebrity status. Highlighting has evolved from the days of stripping hair strands of color.  Today's modern methods of highlighting and lowlighting can be tailored to each individual hair color and the better the hairdresser, the better the results. Foil highlighting, hair painting, chunking, and pulling hair through a cap are the traditional methods used at salons. With foil and cap being the most common, here is a quick overview of both.

Foil

The foil method is the best technique in achieving a multi-dimensional color in a single application. Highlighting and lowlighting can be applied simultaneously, providing a near exact color match. Sections of hair are separated and each section can vary in size. This method allows the color to be applied closer to the hairline and scalp. It is a painless process, providing no stress on the hair follicles. The skill of the hairdresser is rather important in the foil method. Foil is not available in all salons. Generally, this method takes longer to complete and is more expensive. Creativity is a huge benefit in this method, since several colors can be applied during one salon visit and can vary in size. There is a base price for foil and usually each additional color is $10. Like other methods, foil can be full, partial, or semi-partial. Full is throughout entire head and most expensive. Partial is top, crown and sides only and a little less expensive than full. Semi-partial is top only and the cheapest.

Cap

Another common method is pulling hair through a cap. This method applies one color per procedure. A cap is securely tied under the chin and hair is pulled through it using a hook. When color is applied, it does not reach as close to the scalp and hairline as foil. The cap is a cheaper highlighting method and is used on shorter hairstyles. Pulling the hair through with a hook can be painful. This method is quicker and more widely available. Experience of hair stylist is not as important. Using the cap is not recommended for curly hair, as it easily tangles during the hook-and-pull process. As with foil, the cap has three standard options: full cap, partial cap, and semi-partial cap.