Highlights: The Most Versatile Color Technique in Hair
Highlights have been a cornerstone of hair coloring for decades, and for good reason — no other technique offers the same combination of versatility, dimension, and broad appeal. At their core, highlights involve lightening select strands of hair to create contrast against the base color. This contrast adds visual depth, the illusion of volume, and a natural-looking brightness that single-process color simply cannot achieve.
What makes highlights so enduringly popular in 2026 is the sheer range of techniques available. The category has expanded far beyond basic foil highlights to encompass a diverse family of methods, each producing a distinctly different result. Whether you want a barely-there sun-kissed glow or a bold, high-contrast transformation, there's a highlighting technique designed specifically for that outcome.
Types of Highlights: Finding Your Match
Understanding the differences between highlighting techniques is key to getting the result you envision. Here are the most popular methods available today.
- Foil highlights: The classic technique. Hair is sectioned, lightener is applied, and each section is wrapped in foil to process evenly. Produces consistent, precise results with even lightness from root to tip. Available in full-head (all-over brightness) or partial (top layers and face frame only).
- Babylights: Ultra-fine highlights using very thin hair sections — sometimes just a few strands at a time. The result mimics the natural, delicate highlighting seen in children's hair after a summer outdoors. Extremely subtle and natural-looking.
- Money piece: Concentrated face-framing highlights, typically two to three inches of lightened hair on each side of the part. Creates maximum brightness around the face with minimal overall processing. High impact, low commitment.
- Chunky highlights: Thick, bold sections of contrasting color that create a deliberate, graphic pattern. A fashion-forward choice that cycles in and out of trend. In 2026, chunky highlights are making a strong comeback with a modern, blended edge rather than the hard lines of the early 2000s.
The right choice depends on your hair goals, maintenance tolerance, and personal style. Try each variation on your selfie with Visio AI to compare how they look on your face and hair before committing.
Highlights for Every Base Color
One of highlights' greatest strengths is their universality. They enhance every natural hair color and every skin tone — the key is choosing the right lightening level and tone for your base.
On brunettes, caramel, toffee, and honey highlights create warmth and dimension that prevents flat, one-note color. On blondes, lighter highlights add brightness and prevent the hair from looking dull between full color appointments. On black hair, espresso or chestnut highlights introduce subtle movement that catches the light without a dramatic contrast. On red hair, copper and strawberry highlights amplify the natural vibrancy and warmth.
For skin tone considerations, warm-toned highlights complement warm and neutral complexions, while cool-toned highlights (ash, champagne) suit cool and neutral skin. Your colorist will formulate the highlight shade to work with both your base color and your complexion — but seeing the result in advance on your actual photo with Visio AI eliminates uncertainty entirely.
Maintenance and Longevity
Highlights are a moderate-maintenance color service, falling between the low upkeep of balayage and the high demands of all-over blonde. Full foil highlights typically need refreshing every eight to twelve weeks as new growth becomes visible. Partial highlights and babylights are more forgiving, often looking natural for twelve to sixteen weeks because the finer sections blend with regrowth.
Between appointments, use a sulfate-free shampoo to prevent color stripping. If your highlights lean cool or ashy, a weekly purple shampoo session keeps brassiness in check. A deep conditioning treatment every one to two weeks maintains the health and shine of the lightened strands, which are more porous and prone to dryness than your natural hair.
Try Highlights on Your Photo
Upload a selfie, tap "Highlights," and see the dimensional transformation in seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of highlights should I get?
The best type depends on your desired look. Foil highlights create even, all-over brightness and work well for a noticeable change. Babylights use very fine sections for a subtle, natural effect that mimics child-like sun-lightened hair. A money piece concentrates brightness around the face for maximum impact with minimal processing. Chunky highlights create bold contrast for a fashion-forward statement. Preview each style on your selfie with Visio AI to compare before deciding.
How often do highlights need redoing?
Full foil highlights typically need refreshing every 8–12 weeks. Partial highlights and babylights can go longer — 12–16 weeks — because the finer sections grow out less noticeably. Money piece highlights may need touching up every 6–8 weeks since they're concentrated at the hairline where regrowth is most visible. Using the right maintenance products can stretch time between appointments.
Can I preview highlights before my appointment?
Yes. Visio AI lets you upload a selfie and see how highlights would look on your hair before booking an appointment. The AI simulates highlighted strands on your actual hair color and texture, giving you a realistic preview that helps you communicate your desired look to your stylist and avoid costly color corrections.