Now here’s a technique that decidedly falls on the subtle end of the spectrum: The point of babylights is to be so soft and blendable, ideally they’re nearly undetectable. Or as Stephanie Brown, master colorist at IGK Salon in SoHo, magically describes it: “It’s subtle and pretty, and it adds instant sparkle.” They are also a safe option for color newbies: “They are great for someone who is a bit nervous about highlights, as they can always add more on,” says Brown. Basically, “babylights” is just referring to the width of the highlight, whereas other highlight terms might refer to the unique application (balayage, for example, refers to the art of painting on the highlight by hand, sans foils), color aesthetic (ombre refers to hair that starts dark and gradually becomes lighter), or so on. And while these all come and go as trends, they are for the record, not necessarily new: “Colorists have actually been creating these for years, but now, consumer language is becoming so sophisticated and educated that clients know to ask for them by name,” says Perkins. But don’t just stop at talking about the color; talk about the rest of it, too: “Your best bet is to describe the effect you want, and let your colorist advise you on how to get there—don’t get so hung up in the terminology,” says Perkins. “Lots of clients see an image and call it by the wrong name, which can cause confusion in the final outcome. It’s best to describe whether it’s non-chunky, fine, or subtle highlighting you want, and then let your colorist determine the means to create that.” Also, if you are interested in lightening your hair more than the standard two shades, consider what Rez calls a midlight: “If you or your colorist chose to go lighter than two levels of your base, incorporate a midlight. This would be a secondary connecting color added to the weave tandem (right under) your babylights. So your midlight can be up to two levels lighter than your base, and babylight highlights can be up to four levels lighter than the base.”
