AirTouch Highlights: A Stylist's Guide

AirTouch is a highlighting technique where your colorist uses a blow dryer to push the shorter hairs out of each section before lightening what is left. The result is very fine, evenly spread brightness with a soft, diffused root and no visible stripes or lines, even when your hair grows out.

If you like the brightness of foil highlights but want the soft grow-out of balayage, AirTouch sits right between the two. It takes more time in the chair than either one, and that is the trade-off for a blend this seamless.

How AirTouch Highlights Work¶

Every head of hair is a mix of lengths. Even in a blunt cut, each section has shorter hairs from new growth, breakage and layering sitting alongside the longer ones. AirTouch uses that fact.

Here is what happens section by section:

• We take a thin slice of hair and hold it taut.
• We aim a blow dryer down the section from the ends toward the root. The air pushes the shorter hairs back toward your scalp.
• The longest hairs stay in our fingers. Those are the ones that get lightener and go into a foil.
• The hairs that were blown out stay your natural color and fall back over the root area.

Because the hair left out is scattered and uneven by nature, there is no hard starting line where the lightener begins. Your natural color and the lightened pieces mix together strand by strand. After the lightener is rinsed, we usually finish with a toner to set the shade, whether that is a cool beige, a soft gold or something in between. Our hair toner guide explains what that step does and how long it lasts.

AirTouch vs. Balayage vs. Traditional Highlights¶

All three techniques lighten hair, but they place the lightener differently and the finished look is not the same.

Traditional foil highlights¶

The colorist weaves out strands with a comb and lightens them from the root. You get strong, even brightness, but the regrowth line shows sooner because the color starts right at the scalp.

Balayage¶

Lightener is painted on by hand, usually in the open air. It gives a sun-kissed, sweeping effect that is brightest through the mid-lengths and ends. It is softer at the root but generally gives less lift than foils, especially on dark hair.

AirTouch¶

The blow dryer does the separating, and the lightened hair still goes into foils. That means you get foil-level lift with a root that is already blurred. The brightness is finer and more evenly spread than balayage, and the grow-out is softer than classic highlights.

If you are still deciding between the first two, our balayage vs highlights guide goes through that choice in detail.

Who AirTouch Suits Best¶

AirTouch works on most hair, but some people get more out of it than others.

It is a strong choice if:

• You want to go noticeably lighter without a solid, all-over blonde.
• You have dark hair and balayage has not given you enough brightness in the past.
• You want to stretch the time between color appointments.
• You have old highlight lines you would like to soften.

It may not be the best fit if:

• Your hair is very short. There needs to be enough length to hold each section and separate the hairs.
• Your hair is very fragile from previous lightening. We would want to look at its condition first and may suggest treatments before any more lifting.
• You want chunky, high-contrast pieces. AirTouch is built for softness. A bold face frame or defined ribbons call for a different placement.

Fine hair is not a problem. In fact, the technique tends to look especially delicate on fine hair, in a similar way to babylights.

What to Expect at Your Appointment¶

AirTouch is detailed work, and you should plan for a long visit. On our menu, AirTouch Seamless Highlights start from $320 and the appointment is booked for about 180 minutes. Longer or thicker hair, or a big change in lightness, can add to both.

A typical visit goes like this:

1. Consultation. We look at your natural level, your color history and the condition of your hair, and talk about how bright you want to go. Bring photos of what you like and what you do not.
2. Sectioning and blowing out. This is the slow part. Each thin section is separated with the dryer and foiled.
3. Processing. The lightener works inside the foils while we keep an eye on the lift.
4. Rinse and tone. A toner refines the shade so the blonde is not raw or brassy.
5. Cut and style, if booked. Many clients add a trim so the ends look as fresh as the color.

Tell us about any box color or past straightening services. They change how your hair lifts.

How to Maintain AirTouch Highlights¶

The soft root is the reason people choose AirTouch, and it is also what makes the upkeep manageable. Since there is no sharp line, regrowth blends in rather than announcing itself, and many clients go a good while between lightening appointments.

What keeps it looking fresh in between:

• Toner refreshes. The lightened pieces stay, but the toner on top fades with washing. A Color Gloss / Toner appointment, from $60, brings the shade back without more lightening.
• Gentle washing. Use a sulfate-free shampoo made for color-treated hair, and wash with lukewarm water rather than hot.
• Purple shampoo, in moderation. If your blonde is cool-toned, an occasional purple shampoo helps hold off yellow tones. Overdoing it can dull the color.
• Heat protection. Lightened hair is more delicate. Use a heat protectant every time you blow-dry or use an iron.
• Regular conditioning. A weekly mask at home, or a Deep Conditioning treatment in the salon, helps lightened hair keep its softness and shine.

What to Ask For at the Salon¶

Good color starts with a clear conversation. When you book or sit down, it helps to tell us:

• How light you want to be overall: a soft lift, or as bright as your hair will safely go.
• Whether you prefer cool, neutral or warm tones.
• How much of your natural root you want to see.
• How often you realistically want to come back for color.
• Whether you want extra brightness around your face.

If you are not sure AirTouch is the right technique, say so. Sometimes partial highlights or balayage will get you to the same place for less time and cost, and we would rather tell you that up front.

Frequently Asked Questions¶

Is AirTouch more damaging than regular highlights?

It uses the same kind of lightener as other highlighting services, so the same care applies. The blow dryer only separates the hairs. The condition of your hair before the appointment matters more than the technique itself.

Can AirTouch be done on dark or previously colored hair?

Yes. It is a popular choice for dark hair because the foils help the lightener lift well. Previously colored hair can be done too, but old color lifts less predictably, so we may plan the result over more than one visit.

How is AirTouch different from babylights?

Babylights are very fine woven highlights placed from the root. AirTouch separates the hair with air instead of a comb, which leaves a softer, more scattered root. Both are subtle. AirTouch usually gives the more diffused grow-out.

Does AirTouch cover gray hair?

It does not cover gray the way a single process color does, but the fine, blended brightness can make gray regrowth far less noticeable. If you have a lot of gray, ask us about combining it with a base color.

Book Your AirTouch Consultation¶

AirTouch gives you bright, dimensional color that still looks soft months later, and the best way to know whether it suits your hair is to have us look at it in person. You can see our full color menu on our color services page.

Book your consultation at The Look Hair Salon in Glendale, and we will map out the shade, the placement and the upkeep before any lightener is mixed.