Babylights: All About this Subtle Highlighting Technique

If you’re looking for a low-stakes way to refresh your current hair without committing to a big chop or drastic color change, babylights (AKA baby highlights) are worth considering. Like classic highlights, babylights can help brighten and add dimension to your natural hue without the need for an all-over dye job. However, the technique provides a softer, more subtle effect than traditional highlights—which typically makes them easier to maintain.

Here, we’re sharing all you need to know about babylight highlights, including what they are and how to get the look. Plus, you’ll find inspiration to bookmark for your next salon visit (or DIY coloring session).

What Are Babylights?

Babylights are ultra-fine, thin highlights designed to mimic the way hair naturally lightens after a summer spent in the sun. They’re usually hand-painted on for an effortless sun-kissed look, and are typically concentrated around the face rather than around the entire head. Babylights can be almost any color, but they tend to be low-contrast for a natural-looking finish.

Babylights vs. Highlights: What’s The Difference?

The biggest difference between babylights and traditional highlights is the size of the lightened streaks: Babylights are ultra-thin, while highlights can be thin or chunky (as is the case with ribbon highlights). The technique differs, too. 

To create highlights, your colorist will apply lightener to thicker portions of hair and wrap the streaks in foil to process. The technique results in a noticeable contrast between your base color and highlight color, with prominent, intentional-looking streaks placed throughout your strands. 

Babylights, as we explained, are typically hand-painted on thin portions of hair for a subtle brightening effect. They’re lower-contrast than traditional highlights and typically require less frequent touch-ups, as regrowth is less noticeable. Still, you’ll likely want to pencil in time for touch-ups once every eight weeks or so, depending on how quickly your hair grows.

Another bonus of babylights is that, because less hair is being lightened, they’re often less damaging than classic highlights. With that being said, it’s important to remember that bleaching always results in some degree of damage. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to minimize damage and keep your hair looking and feeling healthy (more on that later). 

What’s the difference between babylights and balayage?

Babylights and balayage are similar, with the primary differences being placement and contrast. Both techniques involve hand-painting lightner onto the strands for a lived-in effect. However, balayage tends to be higher-contrast and more noticeable than babylights, and the lightened strands are often placed around the entire head rather than just by the face. In many ways, balayage falls in between traditional highlights and babylights—the technique results in a noticeable brightness much like traditional highlights, but boasts the effortless appeal of ultra-subtle babylights. 

If you’re having trouble deciding between babylights vs. balayage vs. highlights, consider your desired end result and how much time you’re willing to dedicate to upkeep. Babylights are ideal for those seeking to subtly brighten their existing hue, while highlights are best suited for those looking for a more noticeable color change. If you want something relatively low-maintenance but noticeable, balayage may be your best bet.

How To Do Your Own Babylights

It is possible to DIY babylights at home, but there are a few things to consider before taking the plunge. First is your base color. If your hair is previously dyed, damaged, or very dark, it’s generally a good idea to visit a professional colorist, as these types of hair may require a special technique to lighten properly. You’ll also want to keep in mind that doing your own babylights could take more than one day. If your hair is dark brown, for example, you might need to bleach your strands more than once to achieve your desired result. 

If you’re ready to give DIY color a shot, you’ll need to pick up an at-home highlighting kit. The L’Oréal Paris Colorista At-Home Hair Bleach & Lightener Kit is a great option, as it comes with a brush applicator that makes creating evenly-spaced highlights a breeze. If you’re looking to create babylights on brunette hair, try the L’Oréal Paris Frost & Design in Caramel, which is designed for light to dark brown strands. Whichever kit you choose, be sure to follow the instructions exactly to ensure the best possible end result.

10 Babylight Ideas To Inspire Your Next Hair Transformation

If you’re considering getting babylights, keep scrolling—we’re sharing 10 of our favorite ways to embrace the trend, below.

Golden babylights on light brown hair

Fine golden streaks add warmth to a natural light brown base for a sun-kissed effect that stuns on those with warmer skin tones. 

Ash blonde babylights

Ashy babylights on blonde hair create brightness without adding any unwanted warmth. We love how this vanilla blonde hue complements cool, fair-toned skin—and how seamlessly the natural-looking color grows out. 

Strawberry blonde babylights

If you’re a redhead looking for a change that you can make without ditching your natural color, consider opting for strawberry blonde babylights. These thin, coppery streaks can help add dimension to your unique hue without overpowering it. 

Platinum babylights

If you love the look of platinum hair but aren’t willing to commit to the upkeep, consider giving platinum babylights a try. The fine highlights offer a similar brightening effect as an all-over platinum hue, but require far less maintenance. 

Honey blonde babylights

Honey blonde babylights add warmth, brightness, and depth to light brown hair. For a dimensional look, ask your colorist to weave the babylights throughout your mane (done properly, this babylight technique can help make fine strands look thicker).

Silver blonde babylights

If you find yourself spotting gray roots but don’t want to commit to covering them up, consider opting for silver blonde babylights instead. These fine silver streaks will help make your grays look more intentional—and help ease you into sporting silvery strands. 

Pewter babylights

Those looking to make their grays the star of the show, rather than the background character, may consider opting for bold pewter streaks instead. This silvery-gray hue pops on darker strands and creates a salt and pepper effect that’s undeniably cool. It’ll also make transitioning to gray (when the time comes) a bit easier. 

Chestnut babylights on dark brown hair

Medium brown tones, like chesnut and walnut, make for natural-looking babylights on dark brown hair. For a seamless end result, be sure your babylight color and hair color have similar undertones—warm-toned streaks pair well with warmer brunette shades, while ashier brown babylights pair well with cooler brown base colors. 

Babylights on black hair

Make your natural color pop by having your colorist place ultra-fine espresso brown streaks around the perimeter of your face. The barely-noticeably babylights can help brighten your complexion and make your glossy black hair appear even richer (that’s what we call a win-win).

Deep copper babylights

If you want to experiment with copper hair but aren’t quite ready to go full steam ahead, consider asking your stylist for dark copper brown babylights. The rich, spicy color can help add noticeable warmth and color to your mane without appearing overly vibrant. 

How To Care For Babylights

Color-treated hair requires special care to look and feel its best. Once you have babylights, it’s important to put together a hair care routine designed to keep your color looking vibrant healthy. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when putting together your routine. 

Use a color-safe hair care system

Standard shampoos and conditioners can sometimes be too harsh on color-treated hair. To help keep your new hue looking fresh, we suggest switching to a color-safe system, such as the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Bond Repair system. The three-piece collection consists of a bond-strengthening pre-shampoo treatment, a gentle shampoo, and a nourishing conditioner, which work together to help strengthen and repair damaged, color-treated hair. Plus, each product in the lineup is sulfate-free and suitable for all hair types and textures.

Use a toner

Consider adding a toning product to your weekly at-home haircare routine to help keep your color looking fresh. The L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Purple Shampoo and L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Purple Conditioner are great picks for those with ashy blonde babylights—just use the duo once per week in place of your usual shampoo and conditioner to help keep brassiness at bay. 

If your babylights are in the brown or red family, opt for a toning hair gloss instead. The L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss One-Step In-Shower Toning Gloss comes in a range of shades to complement different hair colors and helps enhance color, add shine, and deeply condition the hair in as little as five minutes. Use it once weekly or as needed to help keep your babylights bright.

Turn down the heat 

In addition to changing the products you use, you’ll also want to adjust the temperature in your shower. Frequently showering in hot water can cause your color to fade prematurely. It’s also a good idea to cut down on your use of hot tools, such as flat irons and blow dryers. If you must heat style your hair, be sure to use a heat protectant, such as the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Heat Slayer Leave-In, to help shield your strands from unnecessary damage. 

Next Up: How To Go From Brown To Blonde Hair While Keeping Your Hair Healthy