Lowlights vs. Highlights: The Key Differences Explained by Stylists

If you find yourself itching to change up your hair color but don't want to undergo a full-on transformation, both highlights and lowlights are great options. That being said, there is a difference between the two, and knowing the details will help you achieve the hair of your dreams.

Simply put, highlights lighten hair with strands of a lighter color while lowlights add dimension with strands of darker color. You can ask your stylist to add both to your hair, which can give the illusion of volume, depth, and texture. But between, balayage, all-over color, highlights, and lowlights, hair talk can be confusing, so we consulted with the pros for some insight to help make the process simpler.

What Are Lowlights?

"Lowlights are dark pieces that are woven into the hair that introduce more contrast, generally used as a quick-fix for solid hair color from over highlighting," says Wollner. But, even if you're not trying to recover from getting one too many highlights, Woodstrom explains how lowlights are meant to give the hair dimension and by adding them, you can shift the actual tone of your hair. Lowlights for natural-looking hair can be darker than the lightest parts of the hair, but not darker than the darkest parts of the natural base.

Keep in mind, that lowlights are meant to be more subtle than streaks. Typically, the darker colors are spread throughout the hair evenly (versus leaving well-defined sections of color). The look can be enhanced even more with balayage, which gives the stylist more freedom to paint color rather than the more uniform foil technique.

What Are Highlights?

Woodstrom explains that highlights are sections of hair that are lighter than your natural hair color while lowlights are sections that are darker. "Highlighting the hair means to lift the natural base using lightener or hair color—typically when you lift or highlight the hair you are going lighter," she says. There are many different types of highlighting techniques, including balayage, "money pieces," and ombré.

Lowlights vs Highlights: What's the Difference?

According to Woodstrom, highlights are used to lighten the hair, while lowlights are used to bring dimension to the hair by adding shades of a deeper hue. If you're trying to decipher between lowlights and highlights, "Lowlights would be bringing the hair darker to offer contrast," she says. While many think of their hair color as being just one shade (brunette, blonde, black), it can have many shades within it (think: dirty blonde, which is a mix of blonde and brunette, or chestnut, which can show up as a mix of brown and red). Those lighter pieces are the highlights and the darker pieces, which add deeper dimension, are lowlights.

Can You Mix Lowlights with Highlights?

The short answer: yes, especially when it comes to considering your natural hair color. Your stylist may suggest adding a few lowlights in with your highlights to complement your base color. "Most clients would use a highlighting plus lowlighting technique to give a very blended, natural look," says Woodstrom. "This technique is best for a natural grow-out process. If your stylist chooses a soft, fine weave you could go several weeks without needing a touchup."

Do Lowlights Work on Dark Hair?

The best part about lowlights is that they work for all hair colors as long as your stylist is experienced and formulates correctly. That said, Wollner notes that they can become tricky on someone whose natural base is a light brown, as well as over-processed blondes. "Clients should always have an in-depth consultation with their colorist to discuss both short-term and long-term results," she advises.

How Are Highlights and Lowlights Applied?

To apply highlights or lowlights, your stylist will likely use foils or balayage, which are more natural-looking alternatives to all-over hair color. To maintain the most natural color, your colorist will likely stick to a shade that's comparable to your natural color (or the current base color of your hair).

What Are Babylights?

Babylights are somewhere in between highlights and lowlights and involve a technique inspired by bright, sun-kissed hair. Essentially, babylights are just slightly brighter than your normal color—so it's much more subtle than a full-head highlight, but still offers a little added oomph.

The Final Takeaway

Between lowlights, highlights, and all-over hair color, your head can spin with options. Hunt down inspiration photos of hair colors you're drawn to and consider this: What style of color are you aiming for? If you have light hair and you want to go several shades darker, you might be better off getting an all-over hair color. And, even if you're a die-hard hair highlighter, there may be times you want to ask for some extra lowlights (for example, during the wintertime for some warmth).