Transforming Traditional Highlights Into Babylights

Traditional highlights are a common technique used throughout the UK but  they aren't a one size fits all. Therefore to update your hair to a cleaner all-over lift, traditional highlights need to be transformed using the babylights technique.

For our client today, she has always had traditional highlights, and therefore to lift her to a cleaner all-over blonde, we will be using a babylights technique and a soft root tap.

Step 1:  The formula we will be using to lift our client's hair is RedKen Flash Lift Bleach, starting with 10 volume and increasing to 30 volume as we move up the head, with Olaplex.

Step 2:  Section the hair into 4 and begin at the bottom, weaving your babylights and your 10-volume formula. We are aiming for only the root here, leaving the lengths that have already processed and lightened free to prevent over-processing.

Step 3: Work your way up the entire back of the head, before moving to the face frame and sides, using the babylights technique throughout.

Step 4: Keep a close eye on the back of the head where you applied your first foils, and once developed remove the foils to slow the processing while the rest of the head continues to lift.

Step 5: To preserve the quality of the hair, you may need to start rinsing sections of the hair, before you continue to apply foils to the front sections, so your client may move back and forth from the chair to the basin as you monitor your foils.

Step 6: As you remove your foils, pull the excess bleach through to the lengths of the hair, as this will help to clean out and lift any old brassiness and give a cleaner overall finish.

Step 7: To further clean the hair, we are now going to bleach bath the hair. Section out a piece of the client's hair and begin applying bleach to the ends to remove any yellow tones from the hair.

Step 8: Take your time to work through the lengths section by section, using a brush to pull the bleach through the hair, before then rinsing and washing your client's hair.

Step 9: For our root tap we are going to be using RedKen Shades EQ in 8N (5g), 9G (5g) and gel, and for our mids and ends we will be using 9VG (30g), 10VV (8g), 9V (2g), 9AA (4g) and gloss.

Step 10: Starting with our roots tap, we are applying our formula vertically, applying a small amount of our toner which has been matched to our client's natural colour, which will help to soften any foil lines as well as allowing the colour to grow out softly.

Step 11: As the root tap toner develops, you can apply your mid-lengths and ends toner as the basin, using a brush to pull the colour through the hair and ensure even coverage.

Step 12: Apply a conditioner to the hair and leave for 10 minutes to allow the hair to rehydrate after going through an intensive process and making it easier to brush through the hair thoroughly before drying and styling!