Sometimes finding your perfect hair color can be almost as challenging as finding your soulmate. One common dilemma many people face is choosing between highlights, full color, or a combination of both. Your stylist’s expertise can be invaluable in helping you to make a decision. Before committing, you might want to consider some pros and cons, including how frequently touch-ups will be required in order to maintain your new color. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of each hair color process.
Highlights are a versatile, low-maintenance way to add dimension to your hair. Since highlights are not applied to your entire head, they require less upkeep compared to full color. There are many different types of highlights to choose from, such as balayage, foils, or babylights, enabling you and your stylist to achieve a customized look. Highlights can give you everything from a natural sun-kissed effect to a perfectly-blended textural result.
If you are seeking a drastic change, highlights may not be the answer, since they provide limited coverage – which might not transform your color to the level you desire. Another factor to consider with highlights is that visible roots may appear sooner than with full color, depending on your base color and the rate of hair growth.
Full Color allows for a more dramatic change to your look because it covers your entire head with a new hue. This enables you to say goodbye to visible roots since full color ensures a uniform look from root to tip. If what you want is a very bold or vibrant shade, full color is the way to go!
However, you should consider that full color typically requires more frequent touch-ups to maintain its vibrancy and cover new growth. If you make the decision to go with a significantly lighter color, you should be aware that the process of applying full color can potentially be more damaging to your hair than highlights alone.
Combining Highlights and Full Color is a popular choice for those seeking “the best of both worlds.” This approach allows your stylist to create a customized look with the overall transformation of full color plus the additional textural depth provided by highlights. The frequency of touch-ups with a combination of processes depends on the type of color application you choose. With highlights, you can generally wait longer between salon appointments, approximately 8-12 weeks. Full color requires more frequent visits for touch-ups (typically 4-6 weeks) to maintain the desired shade and cover new growth.
Ultimately, your color choice will depend on the level of change that you desire, and to the amount of maintenance to which you are willing to commit. Consult with your stylist and colorist to arrive at the perfect hair color for you!
Enjoy your hair!!
Mickey