How to Highlight Hair at Home With Foils

I have been bleaching my own highlights ever since the 10th grade, and now I am a few years out of college. I have gone to the salon one time to get a full head of highlights on long hair, and the experience cost me around $100. Ouch! You can definitely learn the skills and purchase the supplies for a lot less than $100 at home. I have been toying with the idea of of making a how to highlight hair at home with foils post for years, but shying away due to the difficulty. Considering the challenging times that we face, from economic issues to business closures, doing the job at home is becoming more important than ever before. This tutorial and routine I have created myself with lots of research, experimentation, and perfecting over the years. I am sharing all I know, as well as the best tips and products.

I do not have the means to show you how I do the highlighting on myself, so I am demonstrating on a wig. This does pose other challenges, considering my photography setup is not professional. It is difficult to demonstrate with my hands and also work the camera. This means I need to give this post my all when it comes to explaining fully in writing, with as many pictures as I can manage. Please, bear with me!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional hair stylist. Everything that I know and do comes from doing my own research and experimenting on my own head for years. I am not responsible for how your own hair turns out. Follow my routine at your own risk. You should always consult with a professional and do your own research. Bleach is not something to mess around with.

How to Highlight Hair at Home With Foils

Supplies

All of the supplies to highlight your hair at home with foils can be found at your local Sally Beauty Supply or online at Amazon, unless otherwise notated.

1. Mixing bowl
   • A mixing bowl with measurement lines on the inside is incredibly helpful.
2. Applicator brush
3. Powder Lightener
   • There are many powder lighteners on the market, so you need to find the one that works for you. They typically come in single-use packets that are already pre-measured, but I opt for the bulk buckets that come with a handy scooper.
4. Developer
   • Developers come in a variety of volumes. I use 30 because it is strong enough to lighten my dark brown hair to the level of blonde that I like. Depending on your natural hair color, you may need to go with a stronger or weaker volume.
5. Foils
   • You can purchase hair highlighting foils that are ready to go. But, I actually like these Reynolds Wrap foil sheets. You get 25 sheets in a pack for $1 at Dollar Tree. The sheets are too big on their own, so I cut them all in half, which makes them the perfect size. Thus, you end up with 50 sheets for $1, which cannot be beat.
6. Gloves
7. Rattail comb
8. Sectioning clips
9. Blow dryer
10. Soft Bonnet attachment
    • These are just as good as the drying chairs at the salon!
11. Shower cap or plastic bag
12. Something to protect workspace with (newspaper, paper towels, tablecloth, etc.)
13. Timer or phone
14. Hair ties (optional)
    • When I section my hair, besides using clips, I also like to contain the hair with a few hair ties. I like the ones from Scunci that are made of some sort of stretchy silicone/rubber. They clean easily if you get bleach on them. Of course, you do not need to use hair ties at all.
15. Shampoo
16. Conditioner
17. Mirror

Protect Your Workspace

Before I get into the how to highlight hair at home with foils steps, I want to provide a few more details. You should always protect your workspace when working with chemicals. I cover my desk with paper towels, and I protect the floor with a $1 plastic tablecloth from Dollar Tree. You can also use old newspapers to cover the floor and your desk. I recommend wearing old clothing when working with bleach, as it will lighten and ruin your clothes. I actually wear a robe to protect myself.

Prep Your Blowdryer

Before I do anything, I get my blow dryer plugged in and attach the soft bonnet. A blow dryer with various settings is helpful. When using the bonnet attachment, you should always use your blow dryer on low. Your head and skin will be much more comfortable if your blow dryer also has a warm, rather than hot, setting.

Step 1) Section Your Hair

Now I have step one of how to highlight your hair at home with foils. You should always begin with hair that is brushed or combed out and free of knots and tangles. Dirty hair takes to coloring the best. Next, I section my hair into three total sections, with the aide of salon clips and hair ties. I end up with a section on the left, right, and back of my head. Rather than try to explain all of this myself, there is a Youtube video that I watch each time that I do my hair. It is the best and easiest to follow sectioning video I have ever watched! Also, you should part your hair the way you want it to be naturally.

Step 2) Mix the Developer and Powder Lightener

The particular brands of developer and powder lightener that I use, as well as the volume of developer, was selected for me by a Sally Beauty associate. I described to her the shade of blonde that I wanted, and she also examined my already highlighted hair and natural hair color. This pair works great for me, and I never deviate. You will need to experiment to find what works best for you, or also ask someone with experience.

Always mix these products in a well-ventilated area, away from kids and pets. They produce a strong, chemical odor that you should not directly breathe in.

The packaging should indicate the ratio of powder to developer. If you use the right ratio, plus with the help of the measurement guides in the mixing bowl, you will get the right consistency each time, without fail. But, the consistency should be creamy with no lumps. I pour the developer into the bowl first to utilize the measurement lines. Then, I add either an entire packet of powder, or one scoop from the bucket version, and mix with the applicator brush.

For my brand of powder and developer, you are to mix one packet or one scoop from the bucket version with 45 mL of developer.

Step 3) Select Section of Hair to Begin

I have watched a lot of videos in my day, but I have the best one ever when it comes to selecting sections of hair, weaving, applying foils, working with layers, and doing the back of your head. You will want to reference the video for the duration of this blog post. Her video is more about doing baby highlights, but keep in mind that the amount of layers that you do and how chunky or fine your highlights will be is up to you. Her video is just an example that you can customize. I watch this video before I do my hair every time.

Start with either the left or the right side of your head, it does not matter. I do the back last, as I find that to be the easiest for myself. I begin with selecting a thin section from the bottom of my head, or the undermost layer, and I work my way up to the top of my head. Again, I find that to be the easiest for me, but you can work from the top/outside layer down just like in the video, if you prefer. Once I have my selection made, I clip the rest of my hair from that side of my head up and out of the way.

Step 4) Weave Pieces to Highlight

Now, with my selection, I weave out pieces to highlight. Definitely reference the video to see weaving in action, but it is exactly what it sounds like. You take the rattail comb and weave it in and out of the section of hair so you end up with the actual pieces to highlight. Weaving takes practice! I can do it somewhat ok on the sides of my head, but I cannot do it on the back of my head. If you do not want to try the weaving technique, you can use your fingers to select pieces. There are even weaving combs on the market that select the pieces for you, but I find those difficult to use on myself. Remember, the more hair you weave or select, the chunkier your highlights will be. The less hair, the finer.

Once you have weaved or done whatever you are going to do to select the strands to highlight, allow the rest of the hair that you will not be highlighting to fall to the side. Set your selected strands aside so that you can prep your foil for placement.

Step 5) Prep a Foil Sheet

Step five in how to highlight hair at home with foils is all about getting your foil ready. I take the foil and fold the top edge over the rattail comb. I also like to pre-fold the sheet in half, then unfold it. Having that fold crease makes it easier to fold once you have the foil in your hair.

Step 6) Place Foil Under Weaved Hair Tightly then Paint

I find this step to be highly crucial. You are to grab the rattail comb with the foil wrapped around it, and place it under the hairs to be highlighted. If I was not operating the camera, I would have both of my hands in action in the below picture. I use one hand to gently pull down on the ends of the hair, but I use the hand holding the comb to gently pull up. What you are doing here is pulling the foil taught to your head, getting it as close to the roots as possible.

This is critical when it comes to applying the bleach. Imagine if the foil was hanging loosely, well below your roots. For one thing, your roots will not get bleached. Also, bleach that gets applied to the top of the foil will probably work its way up near your roots as the product actually expands, which causes “bleeding.” Bleeding is when you see actual spots, or even circles of bleach among unbleached hair, that look orange and gross.

Once you have the foil pulled as taught to your head as you possibly can, it is time to gently slide the comb out from the foil, but leave the foil tightly placed against your head. Now you can paint the bleach on. Yes, I want you to think of the motion as painting. Always paint the bleach in downward strokes, never upwards. If you are bleaching strands that have never been bleached before, then you will want to bleach the entire strands.

Your hair may be much longer than your piece of foil, depending on your hair length, and that is ok! You will need to make sure you get all that hair into the foil and evenly covered in bleach before you fold the foil up. What I do is I take the applicator brush and put some bleach on the tip. Then, I touch the brush to the ends of the hair. The hair will stick to the bleach, then I literally scoop the hair upwards and smush it onto the foil with the aid of the bleach. Your hair will stick to the already bleached hair in the foil. Then, paint a bit more on to make sure the ends are even.

My hair is already highlighted, so I work on the new growth only. I only paint the new growth, I never bleach over the already bleached hair. Once I hit the part of the hair strand that is already bleached, I overlap the bleach ever so slightly. This provides a nice blend so that no lines are evident.

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Step 7) Fold Foil to Make a Package

Now that your selected strands are bleached, it is time to fold the foil up into a nice little package. Start by folding it in half. Then, fold it in half a second time. Finally, fold the left and right sides in. The foil will stay in your hair by itself, with the bleach sort of acting like glue. If you have any issues with foils slipping, you can use hair clips to hold them in place. They are completely optional, but I use metal hair clips meant for holding rollers in your hair for extra security.

Now, you will repetitively keep doing steps three through seven until you have finished up the left and right sides of your head. Then, you can proceed to the back.

Step 8) Select Strands from Back of Head

Keep in mind that you cannot see the back of your head. Unless you have some sort of elaborate mirror setup in your house, then you are completely blind. I am unable to weave on the back of my head. Honestly, I do not even make sections back there. I use my fingers and select chunks of hair to highlight. I select my chunks by going across the back of my head, and I drape the pieces across the top of my head and down my face so I do not lose them.

The video does a fantastic job of explaining the back of the head. She only does two to three layers in the back. That might not sound like enough, but, in my experience, it is much better than trying to do the entire back and having it come out horrible because you cannot see what you are doing. You can afford to pick out chunky pieces just like I do, as the hair on the back of your head has a lot of movement.

Step 9) Place Foil Under Stands from Back of Head

Alright, time to use what you have learned so far! Continue to prep your foils like I do in step five. Now, place the foil on your head, under your selected hairs. The foil sheet will be hanging down over your face, but I peek out from the sides into the mirror, and I can still see what I am doing. Pull that foil taught, and then slide the comb out. Now, paint the hairs downward. Remember here that the foil sheet is hanging over your face, so you will feel those brush strokes over your nose.

Step 10) Fold Foil to Make a Package on Back of Head

It is time to fold the foil into a package again! Fold it in half, then in half again, then fold the left and right sides in. Pay no mind to my messy package in the picture, the wig hair wants to stick out in all directions.

Once I have all of my foils done, I have one more thing I like to do. I select some tiny pieces of hair that frame my face, and gently brush bleach onto them. No need to use foils on them or worry about “bleeding.” When I say the ones that frame my face, I am talking from right above my ears, all the way up and across my forehead. I find that this makes my highlights look much more natural. Make sure there is little product on the brush. Of course, you can skip this entirely.

Step 11) Place All Hair under a Shower Cap

We are getting ready for heat! I gather all of my hair into a shower cap, or a plastic shopping bag if I do not have one. If you are using a plastic bag, I recommend using a hair clip to gather up the extra bag and secure it in place. I do this step before applying heat, as it gets all of the foils evenly placed on my head, which leads to even heat distribution and processing.

Step 12) Apply Timed Heat to Hair

You can completely skip step 12 in how to highlight hair at home with foils. Do not use heat if you are not comfortable with it. Heat will speed up the processing time of the bleach. But, the natural heat from your head will do. I get my desired color anywhere from 15-20 minutes under heat, but it takes more like 30-45 without. Always use a timer when applying heat! I use the timer on my phone.

I know that my highlights are ready when the strands are a pale yellow color that is almost white. Removing the foils too soon will result in hair that is not fully “lifted,” which means yucky red/orange/brass tones will be left behind.

Do not be afraid to periodically check your hair to see the progress. I will unfold a foil that has not been in my hair as long as the others and check it out.

If, for some reason, you have some foils that are finished before others, you can use a spray bottle to apply some water. Water will stop the chemical bleaching reaction.

Step 14) Remove Foils and Wash Hair

We have reached the final step in this how to highlight hair at home with foils tutorial. I remove my foils in the shower because it minimizes mess. The bleach dries into a white powder, and it will go everywhere when the foils are removed. I bring a plastic shopping bag in the shower with me and place the foils inside. First, rinse all of the bleach out of your hair.

Now, it is time for shampoo. I recommend using a shampoo that will tone your new bleached color. I have a blog post dedicated to this topic, but, in short, use blue shampoo if your natural color is brown, and purple if your natural color is blonde. For blue I recommend Matrix’s Total Results Brass of Shampoo, and for purple I recommend Clairol’s Shimmer Lights. Allow the shampoo to sit for a few minutes before washing it out. I recommend using a conditioner designed to be used on very damaged hair. My holy grail is Loreal’s Elvive Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm. You will never know your hair is bleached after using this stuff! Allow it to stay on your hair for as long as you can. It will also work out all the tangles that have occurred through the bleaching process.

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Final Results

Conclusion

To summarize this how to highlight hair at home with foils tutorial, you can save yourself a lot of money if you are willing to take the time to learn the process yourself. You need to have patience, and be willing to suffer through mistakes and shortfalls until you find your groove. In a world where being cautious with your money is more important than ever before, and where salons may be closed, this tutorial will give you the power to create great hair. As always, do your own research and assess the risks. If you have any questions or need clarification on anything, please do not hesitate to reach out in the comments. I will reply asap. Until next time, continue to let your true beauty shine.

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