What Is the Difference Between Highlights & Lowlights?

Highlights and lowlights add dimension to one-tone color.

Highlighting and lowlighting involves placing color on select strands of hair and leaving the rest of the hair in its natural color. Both color applications can be used separately to add color dimension to hair or in conjunction with each other.

Highlights

Highlighting adds strands of lighter color to the hair. Blond, light red, caramel and beige are popular highlight colors.

Lowlights

Lowlighting adds strands of darker color to the hair. Chestnut brown, auburn, mahogany and black are popular lowlight colors.

Technique

The techniques used for highlighting and lowlighting are identical. Foiling is the most common application technique, followed by using a frosting cap or simply combing the color onto the hair.

Uses

Color creates dimension, interest and movement. Color also blends away gray hair and adds warmth to mousy, drab hair colors.

Appearance

Highlighting and lowlighting usually result in a subtle color change. However, some application techniques, such as chunking, result in clearly defined chunks of color.

References

• "Milady's Standard Textbook of Cosmetology"; Milady, Diane Carol Bailey and Margrit Attenburg; 2008