Foiling vs. no foiling highlights... which do you stand by?

I used to foil every single highlight application for like 5 years straight. Then about 6 months ago I tried balayage without foils on a client with thick coarse hair and it came out way more natural looking. Now I mix it up depending on the hair type but I still wonder if foils give better lift for certain clients. What's your go to method and why?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.gavin10d ago

Have you ever thought about how the SHINE factor plays into this? The thing nobody talks about is that foils can create a weird texture difference. When you pull sections through foil and bake them, the hair sometimes comes out with this almost crispy sheen that doesn't match the rest of the head. I had a client last month with fine, wavy hair. I foiled her highlights and when I took them down her ends looked way shinier and stiffer than her natural roots. It was distracting. Balayage on her next visit fixed that completely because the open air processing lets the lightener hit more unevenly, giving a softer blend. For thick coarse hair, foils trap heat so well you can get that bright lift without overprocessing, but you gotta watch for that fake-looking gloss where the foil was.

theathomas10d ago

Omg YES my friend Sarah had the exact same thing happen with her foils last spring. Her hair came out with like this weird metallic shine on the highlighted pieces while her natural parts just looked flat and dull. It drove her crazy until she got someone to do a gloss treatment over everything.