Changing your hair colour doesn’t mean you have to do a dramatic transformation. If you’re colouring your hair for the first time, you might be feeling overwhelmed by all the different colouring methods out there. Highlights are a fantastic way to switch up your look without doing too extreme a change, and it’s a great option for first-timers. You can go for something simpler and more subtle like partial highlights, or opt for something bolder and more show-stopping like full highlights.
Before you book your next appointment at the salon, here’s everything you need to know about partial vs. full highlights. We’ll talk about the main differences between the two, as well as how to decide which one might be the best option for you.
What are highlights?
Let’s first define what exactly highlights are. Highlights are a colouring technique in which specific hair strands are strategically lightened using bleach, brightening up certain sections in contrast to your natural hair colour. The stylist can customize the size of each section depending on the type of look they’re creating, whether it’s thinner pieces for babylights or thicker pieces for chunky highlights.
Highlights are a great way to give the illusion of movement, dimension, and volume to your hair. It gives your hair a “sun-kissed” effect, just like when the sun naturally lightens your hair in the summer. It can also help to brighten up your complexion and camouflage greys.
During the highlighting process, the stylist will mix up the lightening agents, then apply the bleach directly onto sections of your hair. The bleached sections are usually wrapped in foils to help reduce product evaporation, retain warmth to speed up the lifting process, and ensure the colour is even and uniform. The foils also help to separate the bleached sections from your uncoloured hair, so it doesn’t bleed and the lines are more precise.
Popular styles of highlights
One of the best things about highlights is that they’re completely customizable, whether you’re looking for a soft blend with your base colour or a bolder, more pronounced look. Highlights also work well on all hair types, whether you have thin, thick, straight, or curly hair. Partial and full highlights are two of the most common styles, but there are also many other different styles you can choose from, including:
- Balayage: highlights that blend your natural colour with the new colour, creating a gradient effect
- Babylights: fine highlights that mimic the natural highlights in children’s hair
- Chunky highlights: thick highlights that create a high contrast with your natural colour
- Money pieces: face-framing highlights
- Peekaboo highlights: highlights on the bottom layer of your hair that “peek out” under the top layer
- Ombré: a colouring technique that creates a gradient effect between your darker roots to lighter ends
If you’re not sure what highlights would be the best fit for you, book a consultation with one of our expert stylists at PERFECT X HAIR. We tailor every set of highlights to suit your unique style, taking into consideration your face shape, hair type, and overall look.
What’s the difference between partial vs. full highlights?
The main difference between partial and full highlights is the amount of hair that gets lightened. “As the name suggests, partial highlights only lighten selected sections of the hair, whereas full highlights are done throughout the entire head,” says Zena, one of our stylists at PERFECT X HAIR.
Because there’s a significant difference in the amount of lightening, the end results vary quite a bit. Partial highlights give more of a subtle, sun-kissed glow, while full highlights offer a more noticeable, contrasting look.
Deciding between partial vs. full highlights really depends on your desired look, hair health, budget, and maintenance preferences. Below are some of the key differences between partial and full highlights.
Partial highlights
Partial highlights are more delicate, subtle, and natural-looking, which is perfect for anyone experimenting with colour for the first time or wanting a low-commitment change. The stylist can adjust the placement and brightness of the highlights to get the exact look you’re aiming for. As less of your hair is lightened, the results aren’t as dimensional as full highlights.
If hair damage is a concern, partial highlights require less bleach, and therefore cause less potential damage to your hair. Appointments are also quicker than full highlights, and you’ll spend less time in the chair for root touch-ups.
Since partial highlights take less time than full highlights and involve less product, it’s also typically lower in cost. If you’re concerned about budget, partial highlights are an excellent way to change up your hair without the higher price tag.
Full highlights
Full highlights offer a bolder and more striking look, thanks to the contrast between your natural and lightened hair. Having the highlights all over your head create much more depth, dimension, and movement to your hair. If a big change is something you’re craving, this might be what you’re looking for.
“With full highlights, you can create looks like an ombré effect, a soft gradient, or those subtle ribbons of lighter colour you see throughout long hair,” says Zena.
One thing to keep in mind is that full highlights require more bleach than partial highlights, which can cause more potential damage to your hair. Full highlights are also usually higher in cost than partial highlights. “Full highlights require much more product and take more time than partial highlights,” says Zena.
Are partial highlights lower maintenance than full highlights?
When it comes to maintenance at the salon, partial highlights are a bit easier to manage than full highlights. Because partial highlights involve colouring smaller and fewer sections, both the appointments and touch-ups are usually quicker than full highlights.
Touching up full highlights requires the stylist to spend more time blending the re-growth around your head, especially if your natural colour is very dark. Since highlights usually begin at the top of your head, the grow-out is more obvious than with something like a balayage, so touch-ups are needed more frequently for both partial and full highlights.
In terms of maintaining your new colour at home, partial highlights require about the same maintenance as full highlights. For both styles, you’ll want to use a gentle, colour-safe shampoo and conditioner to maintain the vibrancy and brightness of your new colour. One benefit of partial highlights is that because less bleach is used in the colouring process, your hair remains healthier and is therefore easier to take care of.
How do you maintain highlights?
While your highlights won’t fade back to your natural hair colour, they will lose their vibrancy and potentially become more brassy over time. It’s natural for the colour to fade as you wash it, but you can maintain it so that it stays vibrant for longer.
Here are a few ways you can help preserve your colour for a longer period.
Use a colour-safe shampoo and conditioner
You’ll want to use a gentle, colour-safe, and sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner to help preserve your new colour and keep your hair moisturized. Regular hair products can be harsh on coloured hair, which is why it’s crucial to use gentler products to protect your new highlights.
The bleaching process breaks down the outer structure of your hair strands in order to lighten it, and this can cause your hair to become more dry and brittle. Keeping your hair nourished and hydrated is key for maintaining healthy locks. Purple shampoo is also great for bleached hair, as it can help prevent your colour from turning brassy. Your stylist will recommend the best hair products for you depending on your hair type and condition.
Wash your hair with cold water
Yes, this does mean avoiding hot showers. Hot water opens up the hair cuticle, allowing colour molecules to escape more easily, while cold water helps seal the cuticle and prevent the colour from fading. Washing your hair less often can also help to slow down the colour fading.
Limit use of heat styling tools
Bleaching is a harsh chemical service, and it can cause your hair to become weaker and more prone to breakage. Adding heat to weakened hair can cause it to become even more damaged, so you should limit the use of heat styling tools to preserve your hair health.
Avoid excessive exposure to environmental elements
Too much exposure to environmental elements like chlorine, saltwater, and UV rays can cause your hair colour to fade a lot quicker. In some cases, it can potentially even cause discolouration and strip moisture. For this reason, you should limit swimming in both pools and the ocean, as well as avoid getting too much sun exposure.
Book regular touch-up appointments
Your hair colour will inevitably fade as you wash it, or even become brassy if you have naturally dark hair. For this reason, you’ll want to book regular touch-up appointments at the salon to keep your highlights looking consistently fresh and vibrant. Getting regular trims is also important to get rid of any split ends and keep your hair healthy.
Can you switch to full highlights after doing partial highlights?
Depending on the type of style you get, it may be possible to switch to full highlights later after doing partial highlights. If you do a thicker highlight at first, it might be harder to switch to something more subtle like babylights – so it really depends on the type of style you start with.
In many cases, with partial highlights, the stylist will be able to blend new highlights into your hair, adding brightness to new sections that weren’t coloured before. So, if you’re not entirely sure if you want to commit to full highlights yet, you can ask your stylist to begin with partial highlights first.
Can you achieve highlights without using bleach?
Bleach isn’t necessarily required for highlights, but without it, you might not get the results you’re hoping for. Bleach has the potential to lift hair up to 9 levels lighter, while high lift hair dye can typically lift 3 to 5 levels lighter.
“It’s possible to do highlights without bleach, however for most people, you won’t be able to see a significant change without using bleach,” says Zena, “We normally don’t recommend highlights without bleach, as the results won’t provide as much dimension.”
If you have Asian hair, it may also be more difficult to achieve the exact colour you want. Zena says: “Asian hair tends to pull warm when coloured without using bleach.”
Should you get partial or full highlights?
“Partial highlights are great for younger clients, like teenagers, or for anyone who wants to minimize overall hair damage,” says Zena. Less bleach is needed to lighten the overall hair, so your hair will remain healthier afterwards. Partial highlights are also a great way to dive into colour if you’re new to it. Plus, it’s a lower commitment option if you’re not sure if you want to completely change up your look.
“Full highlights, on the other hand, are recommended if you’re looking for more overall dimension and volume,” says Zena. If you want to lighten up your hair significantly without going full-colour, full highlights are an excellent option.
If you’re not sure whether partial or full highlights would be better suited for your hair, book a consultation at PERFECT X HAIR. Our stylists will take into consideration your hair type and condition, hair goals, and lifestyle, to determine the best style of highlights for your hair.
Get your perfect highlights at PERFECT X HAIR
Highlights help to brighten up your hair and give it more dimension, and it’s a great way to do a change without committing to full colour. Partial highlights are a great option if you’re concerned about hair health, budget, and spending less time in the salon chair. There is a limit to what you can achieve with partial highlights though, and if you’re looking for something a bit more dramatic and full-dimensional, full highlights are definitely the way to go.
Whether you’re thinking of doing partial or full highlights, it’s crucial to visit a salon that specializes in hair colouring services. Our stylists at PERFECT X HAIR are highly experienced in hair colouring techniques, and can help you achieve your dream hair goals while preserving your hair health. Book an appointment at one of our salons in Toronto and get your perfect highlights today!
