Cap Highlighting

• Using a highlighting cap was one of the first ways cosmetologists highlighted their clients' hair. This type of highlighting is sometimes referred to as "frosting" the hair because it gives a "frosted" appearance with thin blond pieces of hair "frosting" the top of the client's head. A cap is placed on the client's head, which looks much like a bonnet, and is tied at the chin. A highlighting pick is used to gently pull pieces of hair through the small holes in the cap. The hair that is pulled through the cap is the portion of hair that is lightened.
  
  

Foiling

• Foiling allows for a cosmetologist to have greater control and flexibility over how much hair is highlighted. A cosmetologist starts by sectioning the client's hair and using a highlighting comb to weave out the desired amount of hair to be placed in the foil. Bleach, a high-lift color or semi- or demi-permanent color is applied directly to the hair with the foil wrapped around the piece of hair. One benefit to this type of highlighting is that different colors can be applied at the same time.
  
  

Baliage

• For curly or wavy-haired clients, baliage is an appropriate highlighting technique that originated in France. A stylist selects pieces of hair and paints on the color to highlight the hair. A small highlighting brush is generally used in order to ensure precise application. Sometimes cotton is used to separate the hair by clipping long pieces of cotton underneath sections of hair. This way, hair that has been "painted" will not touch the rest of the hair. With this technique, the stylist is much like a painter, using an artistic eye to place color.
  
  

Chunking

• Large sections of hair are colored during chunking. Instead of weaving pieces of hair, an entire section of hair is wrapped in a foil. Chunking creates dramatic dimension within the hair and can be applied around the face and throughout the crown section of the hair. Chunking should not be applied to any part of the hair that sits on a curved section of the head, as this could result in a "tiger stripe-like" appearance.