How do you apply foil highlights at home?
Mia Phillips
Updated on March 27, 2026
Separate your hair into small strands, using the foil as a barrier, and then paint dye on each strand. Vary between your highlight and lowlight shade. Once every strand is dyed, wrap the foil around the strands. Remember, you may have to bleach your hair first in the sections you’re highlighting.
Which side of the foil do you use for highlights?
Place the sturdy, folded end of the foil under the section of hair you’re going to apply the dye to, preferably with the silver side facing up (although the foil can be used either way).
Does foil highlights damage hair?
If you choose the foil technique, then your hair might burn during the bleaching process because the foil will make the process use more heat, which dry hair cannot take. As you can see, highlights themselves don’t damage your hair, nor do they make it fall out, as long as your hair is in good shape.
How long should foil highlights process?
How Long Should Foil Highlights Process? The foil highlights process takes approximately 2 hours for long hair. The processing time takes another hour. As you can notice, getting highlights is a quick and easy process.
Can you do highlights at home?
If you’re itching to change up your hair color with highlights, though, the products, tools, and techniques you use are more than worth paying mind to, otherwise, you might not end up with the look you were going for. Still, it’s totally possible to pull off colorist-approved highlights on your own.
Can I use regular foil for highlighting?
Yes, you can make use of regular aluminum foil for highlighting, only if the dye you’re making use of says it’s safe with metal. You could even use waxed paper if you wanted, and of course the stuff you buy at a beauty supply store will work too, although it may be more expensive.
Which is more damaging highlights or color?
Well, in a manner of speaking, yes, highlights are more damaging than full color. These days both lightener (bleach) and color have come a long way from the days of old and are much safer.
How long do highlights take to fade?
Normally highlights will last between 6 to 8 weeks. It depends on how you take care of the highlights, and how fast your hair is growing. It is important to make sure that you are getting all the information about highlights before you decide to add it to your hair.
What happens when you put foil highlights on your hair?
Everything depends on the application process and what you really want to see in your hair, what many do not know is that the classic technique of hair dyeing with foil highlights is that it makes the hair look much fuller. How many of us would not like our hair to look much more bulky?
What’s the best way to highlight a foil?
You should know that techniques currently known as balayage and ombre can work hand in hand with classic foil highlights perfectly.
What’s the best way to get your highlights?
Applying Your Highlights 1. Pull strands of hair through the holes of your cap if you’re using one. If you’re using a cap, brush your hair first… 2. Use the long end of a comb to separate sections of longer hair. If you’re not using a cap, first style your hair how… 3. Brush bleach onto your …
What’s the best way to cover hair with foil?
Apply your foil underneath the hair. Take a piece of foil that is large enough to easily cover a given section of hair. Slide it underneath the section you just secured. Let the hair rest on top of the foil. The foil should create a barrier between the strand you pulled out using the comb and the rest of the hair in the section you’re working with.