Hair
Highlights, lowlights or babylights? What to ask for
The words sound alike, but they ask for very different things. A plain-language guide to highlights, lowlights, babylights, and full versus partial foils.
The short answer
Highlights are pieces of hair made lighter than your base colour. Lowlights are pieces made darker, to add depth. Babylights are very fine, delicate highlights that mimic the way children’s hair lightens in the sun.
Full highlights go through your whole head. Partial highlights cover the top and sides, the parts that show most, so they take less time.
Highlights
Highlights lift selected strands lighter than the rest of your hair, usually in foils. They brighten your overall colour, add dimension and help grey blend in. The width of each piece and how close together they sit decide whether the result looks subtle or bold.
Lowlights
Lowlights do the opposite: your stylist colours selected strands a shade or two darker than your lightest pieces. They’re the fix for a few common problems:
- Hair that has gone flat or too blonde after years of highlights.
- A blonde you want to take a little deeper for fall and winter.
- Grey coming in, where you’d rather blend it than cover it.
Lowlights add depth and make highlights stand out, which is why the two are often done together.
Babylights
Babylights are highlights taken in very fine sections, woven close together. Up close, you can hardly see individual pieces. From across the room, your hair just looks brighter and softer. They grow out gently, but because there are so many tiny sections, the appointment takes longer than regular highlights.
Full vs partial highlights
| Partial highlights | Full highlights | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Top, part line and around the face | All over, including underneath and the back |
| Best for | Brightening what people see, first-time colour, in-between visits | A big change, very blonde goals, even colour all over |
| Time | Shorter | Longer |
| Upkeep | Easy to alternate with full visits | More regrowth to refresh |
A common rhythm is full highlights once, then partials in between to keep the top and front bright.
What’s a money piece?
It’s a brighter section right around the face. Because it frames your face, a little lightener there makes a big difference, and it’s easy to add to a partial.
Lowlights vs highlights: which do you need?
- Want to look brighter? Highlights or babylights.
- Want more depth or to tone down an over-lightened blonde? Lowlights.
- Want dimension without going lighter overall? Both, woven together.
- Want the softest grow-out? Look at balayage too: balayage vs highlights.
Calgary’s seasons and your colour
Colour follows the weather here. Calgary gets around 2,400 hours of sunshine a year at over 1,000 metres of altitude, so blonde goes brassy and dry faster in summer. Many clients go a little brighter for Stampede and patio season, then add lowlights or a gloss in October, when the light gets lower and cooler.
Winter is also when Calgary’s hard water is hardest. The minerals dull blonde and can leave hair feeling coated, so a clarifying wash every few weeks and a toner between visits keep colour looking clean.
Questions we hear
How long do highlights take?
At Mood, highlights and balayage are each booked as about two hours. Full highlights on long or thick hair can take longer.
How often should I get highlights?
Every 6 to 10 weeks for foils that start at the root. Babylights and softer placements can often go a little longer.
Can lowlights cover grey?
They blend it rather than cover it. If most of your hair is grey and you want it gone, ask about all-over colour.
Talk colour with a Mood. stylist
The easiest way to get the colour in your head is a short consultation. Bring photos of what you love, and photos of what you don’t.
