Basic Foil Highlighting

Foil highlighting is the process of using foil to separate strands of hair which will be lightened from strands of hair which will remain its natural colour. The process is done by applying lightener to the hair that has been woven and separated using an applicator brush. The foil is then folded to protect the hair and surrounding area during the “processing” time. This is the amount of time required to achieve the desired results. In highlighting hair, hydrogen peroxide mixed with pigment is used to change the colour of the strand. This process is also used in applying “lowlights” to the hair. In this process, hair dyes are used to create strands of hair that are darker than the natural colour.

Hair Painting

Hair painting is a method of highlighting hair that may be done at home. Hair painting methods are often permanent and employ a simple hair-painting brush. Hair painting is also used with temporary and semi-permanent types of brushes. While brushes are commonly used in hair painting, one may also use combs to paint or highlight thin-sized strands of hair. Balayage is a technique referring to free-form painting on clean, styled hair. The results are subtle, and thus more natural-looking than foiling or chunking.

Frosting

Frosting refers to the process of free-hand lightening the tips of the hair, and is generally performed on men with short hair.

Chunking

Chunking refers to a style of highlight which is larger and thicker than a traditional highlight. Chunky highlights are generally offered in a wider variety of bold natural colours, as well as a large number of artificial, or unnatural, colours and are used to create more contrast, rather than subtle texture as in traditional, thinner highlights.