Babylights vs. Highlights: A Pro Shares The Difference Between These Two Brightening Techniques

If you’re unsure whether to opt for babylights vs. highlights, here’s what you need to know before heading to the salon.

By Leann Garofolo & Powered By L’Oreal Professional Products Division
Update Date: 19 Jul 2024

Babylights vs. Highlights: A Pro Shares The Difference Between These Two Brightening Techniques
Leann Garofolo

If you’re looking to brighten up your hair but aren't ready to completely abandon your base color, highlights and babylights are two options worth considering. Though the differences between babylights vs. highlights may seem subtle, each technique can create a vastly unique look—one provides a soft, seamless blend; the other, striking definition.

If you’re unsure which option is right for you, keep reading. We tapped L’Oréal Professionnel global ambassador Min Kim to explain what you need to know about getting highlights vs. babylights. Keep reading to learn how the methods differ, the results you can expect from each, and tips on preserving your hue once you leave the salon.

What Are Babylights?

Babylights are ultra-fine highlights placed around the crown and ends of the hair to enhance its natural dimension and add richness. According to Kim, this method often involves lightening hair ever-so-slightly (about a shade or two within your base color) to create a soft, sun-kissed effect. You may also hear babylights referred to as playground highlights—both monikers reference the way babylights mimic the subtle streaks that appear in a child’s hair after playing outside.

What Are Highlights?

Highlights are thicker streaks of lightened hair placed around the face or all around the head using foils or a hand-painting approach. As Kim explains, they're typically strategically placed to enhance the hair's natural movement and add depth and dimension to the hair. Unlike babylights, which tend to be super subtle, highlights are designed to create visible contrast against your base color. That being said, highlights are customizable—they can be thin and delicate, thick and chunky, and may be as muted (or as vivid) as desired.

Babylights vs. Highlights: What’s the Difference?

Before comparing the differences between highlights vs. babylights, it’s important to note that babylights are actually a type of highlight. However, the size, placement, and color of the lightened strands set these two coloring approaches apart:

• Size: Babylights are finely woven and meant to blend seamlessly with the rest of your base color. In fact, many people may not even realize that babylights are created in the salon since they can give off a naturally sun-kissed beach babe vibe. Highlights, on the other hand, are often used to make a statement. Chunkier sections of lightened hair give locks a noticeably brighter pop of color intended to stand out from your base.
• Placement: Your colorist will typically weave babylights onto areas of your hair that catch the light—think around your face, the crown of your head at your natural part line, and through the ends. Highlights are similarly placed, but they can also be added throughout the crown and underlayers of your strands or stacked in aluminum foils for a more uniform effect.
• Result: Simply put, babylights enhance the color you already have, while highlights yield a bigger transformation. “Highlights offer more contrast and can dramatically change the appearance of the hair, adding significantly more depth and dimension,” Kim says. “Babylights create a very subtle, natural look that makes the hair appear gently sun-kissed.”

Babylights vs. Highlights: Pros and Cons

Coloring your hair is a big commitment. Before making the jump into a new look, it’s important to closely weigh the pros and cons of your preferred type of highlight. Your hair type, budget, and desired upkeep schedule can all help dictate your decision. Knowing whether you want an understated or bolder look can also help you decide which method is best for you.

Here, Kim breaks down a few pros and cons of babylights vs. highlights to consider before hitting the salon:

Babylights

Pros:

• Suitable for anyone wanting a low-commitment, low-contrast color change.
• Yields natural-looking, subtle enhancement.
• Blends seamlessly with your natural hair color.
• Regrowth tends to be less noticeable.
• Ideal for those with fine hair or lighter hair colors.
• Damage is generally lower due to fine sections of hair being lightened.

Cons:

• Time-consuming application process.
• May require regular touch-ups to maintain the subtle effect.
• Price point can be a bit higher due to the meticulous application process.

Highlights

Pros:

• Ideal for individuals looking for more dramatic color contrast and dimension.
• Suitable for all hair types and lengths, but especially flattering for those with medium to thick hair or a darker base color.
• Can be customized to achieve various looks, from natural to dramatic.

Cons:

• More obvious regrowth if opting for traditional foils.
• Higher risk of damage, especially if large sections are lightened.
• Requires touch-ups roughly every 6-8 weeks to manage regrowth.
• Moderate to high price point, depending on the extent of the highlights (like partial or full).

How To Care For Babylights and Highlights

Whether you opt for babylights or highlights, the maintenance for color-treated hair remains the same. Below, discover four of Kim’s top tips to help prolong the life and vibrancy of your salon hue.

Use color-safe shampoos and conditioners

One of the best ways to keep your color looking fresh is to reach for products specifically formulated for color-treated hair. For highlighted blondes, Kim recommends L’Oréal Professionnel Blondifier Gloss Shampoo, which can help combat unwanted brassiness and warmth for a cool blonde effect. Follow it up with the corresponding Blondifier Gloss Conditioner to help hydrate, nourish, and smooth blonde hair while boosting shine and softness.

Indulge in deep conditioning treatments

Highlighting your hair will almost always require bleach, which can take a serious toll on your strands. As such, Kim advises adding a deep conditioning treatment to your routine to help keep hair hydrated and healthy-looking. Her pick for blonde highlights in particular is the L’Oréal Professionnel Blondifier Restoring Mask. This professional resurfacing mask helps replenish, smooth, and nourish blonde hair, enhancing its multidimensional shine and radiance.

Never skip heat protection

If there’s one cardinal rule to follow in haircare, let it be this: Always use a heat protectant when using hot tools to help prevent damage. From the L’Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox line, Kim is partial to the Concentrated Oil or High Protection Leave-In Cream to help prevent breakage and color fading. You also can’t go wrong with the brand’s versatile Absolut Repair 10-in-1 Leave-in Oil, which provides 10 treatment, styling, and protection benefits in one bottle.

Try to reduce wash days

Frequent shampooing (even with the right formula) can contribute to faster color fade. As Kim explains, overwashing your hair can strip it of moisture and natural oils, which are both essential in retaining fresh-looking color. If possible, try to limit your wash days (two to three times per week is ideal). And, when you do lather up, consider using lukewarm water—many stylists agree that cooler temps are gentler on hair color. If your roots look especially greasy between wash days, refresh them with a few spritzes of Redken’s Deep Clean Dry Shampoo, which helps absorb excess oil for fresher-looking hair.