Balayage, Airtouch, and Babylights: hair lightening techniques are the most popular choice for those who want to brighten their face in a natural way. Sometimes, a few strategic highlights, done with a wise face framing, can “open up” a face, even taking away a few years of age.
The latest professional techniques, among other things, precisely because they keep the hair at the root of its natural color, have transformed the regrowth effect into a distant memory. Choosing the most suitable option, however, is not always easy, especially if the differences are not clear and the terminology is not known.
For this reason, we asked Mirko Schioppa, artistic director of the prestigious Intercoiffure Italia, the association that brings together the best hairdressers in the world, to explain the main differences among the different hair lightening techniques.
“Don’t be enchanted by catchy names and terminology,” Mirko states at the outset. “Hair lightening is not easy to classify because its effect varies depending on skin color, head shape and, above all, the base hair color. A good hairdresser will never replicate them in the same way from one head to another, because he knows that the results will still be different.”
“However,” continues Mirko, “orienting oneself among the terminologies is important to understand what the hairdresser has in mind to do and, therefore, to be able to choose the degree of lightening and the effect it will have on our hair.”
What happened to highlights and wicks?
“They seem like a distant memory: we don’t talk about them anymore. The classic hair lightening techniques with highlights and wicks, in reality, are still the basis of current techniques. I think it’s wrong to consider them outdated. They allow you to perform lightening with the most customizable results and to obtain much lighter hair than Balayage or Babylights.”
Let’s come to the differences of Balayage from Wet balayage?
“Balayage is the trendy technique. It creates plays of light and shadow within the hair. We know it as a lightening technique, but in reality it is a work of plays of light and soft contrasts. It is performed starting from the lengths and ends to gradually reach the root, which remains darker. Balayage is certainly a complete and very harmonious work. In addition, it does not require a lot of maintenance. However, pay attention to the cut, which, to enhance it, will have to follow soft and non-geometric lines”.
“Wet balayage, on the other hand, is not strictly a lightening technique. It is performed on wet hair. This technique can only give a little light to hair that has already been lightened or for blond hair. It does not have an impactful result. Rather, it “caramelizes” light brown hair and brightens blonde hair. In short, it is a refresh of blonde and light brown hair.“
Why is Shatush falling out of favor?
“Five years ago it was the most requested technique. It only lightens the lower part of the lengths and the ends and, therefore, has a clear detachment from the upper part, which remains darker. It does not create streaks, but, precisely because of this strong contrast, even if blended, its effect is perceived as less natural than that of Balayage and Airtouch.“
What is Degradรจ?
“Degradรจ is not to be considered strictly a lightening technique. In fact, it creates light-dark effects by juxtaposing different shades and not lightening. It leaves the roots natural. For this reason, it respects the health of the hair and has effects that last a long time. The technique was created in 1990 by Claudio Mengoni of Joelle and has never gone out of fashion since then.”
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What are Face framing and Soft shadow?
“In Face framing, hair lightening is done only around the face to brighten it, Soft shadow is a technique that creates almost imperceptible light-dark contrasts. It is performed with a maximum of two nuances: it creates an effect of “sun-kissed” hair.“
“As regards natural results for summer, we can’t forget Babylights, with their micro-effects of light on the lengths. Decoloration is done on very fine strands, leaving the roots natural.“
We hear a lot about Airtouch: what do you think?
“Airtouch is a lightening technique that starts slightly after the roots and continues on the lengths with a volumizing and three-dimensional effect. The technique, invented by Russian hairstylist Vladimir Sarbashev, was born to counteract the visibility of regrowth. It is performed with the help of a hairdryer to separate strand by strand the shorter and younger hairs, that will not be bleached.“
What advice do you have to avoid making mistakes in choice?
“The natural effect should always be the guiding principle. On dark bases, I advise against drastic lightening to avoid weakening the hair. It would be better to opt for caramel, hazelnut, mahogany and red shades. On blondes, on the other hand, honey, sandy and cold shades can be created. A good hairdresser should guide you, with his advice, towards natural results. He should be consistent with the base color of your hair, without overdoing it.“