Highlights and Streaks

Hair with streaks
 
Q: Could you tell me what the difference is between having highlights in your hair or streaks?Also about how much would it cost in a beauty salon.
 
A: Well, by definition, highlights are the application of small streaks of lighter shades of hair color created in a hairstyle. This is usually accomplished using a lifting-action color application (which will lighten the hair a specific amount and deposit a color tone) or simply the application of a hair bleaching mixture, timed carefully to achieve the desired level of lift.
 
Streaks also involve the use of hair color and can be lightening to the natural color of the hair. However, streaks can also be any color, so they could be darker than the natural color, or simply a different color tone.
 
The main difference most people think of when they compare streaks and highlights is the size of the segments of hair that are colored. Most highlights use thin slices of hair to create the lightening effect, or enhance the color of the hair, while streaks are typically wider and thicker and are meant to create a bolder statement in the look of the hair.
 
As for the cost of a highlighting or streaking service, it really depends on where you live and specifically what you are looking to have done. For example, I live in the southeastern portion of the U.S. in a suburb of a major metropolitan city. The cost here for a basic highlighting service in a mid-level salon (not a chain salon, but an independently-owned salon) is around $30 to $35 U.S. dollars.
 
This can vary based on the method of highlighting (foils or cap) and the number of highlights. The price can also be higher in other higher-end salons. I’ve seen salons that charge upwards of $125 U.S. dollars for a highlighting service using foils. So the best bet is to go ahead and shop around.
 
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See also:
 
Hair coloring
 
Types of hair color