Babylights are the latest hair color trend taking the salon industry by storm. You might have noticed an influx of clients asking for this fun, fresh, and natural look recently, and if you haven’t, you most likely will soon.

So, what exactly are babylights? Put simply, they are superfine highlights used to create subtle, multi-tonal dimension to hair. The result is a low-maintenance, sunkissed look that is similar to the naturally sun-lightened hair often seen on children.

But remember: Babylights aren’t just for blondes! In fact, this technique can be performed on almost anyone—and with beautiful results. So whether you have clients who just want to dip their toes into the world of coloring/highlighting, who are transitioning between looks, or who are after a low-maintenance style, babylights may just be the way to go.

The application process for babylights is very similar to that of a normal foil highlight service; the key difference is the amount of hair in each foil. As micro-fine highlights, creating babylights means working with very small sections of hair—sometimes even single strands—which can make for a tedious process.

Keep reading for the step-by-step process of creating babylights!

How to Create Babylights

• Step one: Starting from the part, use the end of your comb to gather a very fine section of hair. Weave out strands of hair so that you are left with small pieces that will be lightened.
• Step two: Place foil underneath the section and paint your lightening formula onto the hair, wrapping the hair in the foil once complete. Continue this process over the entire head, focusing on the hairline to create a naturally sunkissed effect.
• Step three: Once you have finished applying babylights throughout the head, you can continue on to balayage the hair that was left out of the foils, if that is what your client has requested.
• Step four: Allow the hair to process to your desired level of lightness.
• Step five: Remove the foils and shampoo, rinse, and condition the hair as you normally would, using your preferred products.
• Step six: Once the hair is thoroughly rinsed, blowdry and style as necessary.

Considerations for Different Hair Types

Babylights can be used on just about anyone, no matter their hair color or type. That being said, there are a few things you should consider before you get started with your service. Depending on your client, you may have to make slight adjustments to your approach in order to achieve the best results.

For dark hair: While it might seem like creating babylights for a dark-haired client would be more challenging or difficult than doing the same for a blonde, the truth is that the process is exactly the same. Because the goal behind babylights is typically just to add some complexity and interest to hair, there really aren't too many considerations specific to performing babylights on a dark-haired client.

For curly hair: Highlighting curly hair is naturally a bit different from highlighting naturally fine hair, as careful attention needs to be paid to placement. That said, because babylights are performed strand by strand, by hand, it is by nature very easy to customize and perfect the placement, even on curly hair.

The key to working with curly hair is the same as it is with any hair: Just pay close attention to detail and don’t try to rush through the process.

For damaged hair: If your client has damaged hair but is requesting babylights, you may have to come up with an alternative solution. In general, we'd recommend avoiding lightening services of any kind on damaged hair in order to avoid further damage. Instead, consider performing restorative treatments to repair the damage.

Babylights for All

Babylights are a universal highlighting technique that can flatter almost any skin tone, hair color, or hair type. As with any hair coloring process, be sure to pay attention to detail and consider your client’s specific needs to plan your course of action for the best results possible.

Want more balayage tips? Check out our Blonde Bombshell Bundle!