Highlights are woven into foils. Your artist takes a section, weaves out fine strands with a tail comb, paints lightener onto them and folds them into foil. Repeat, section by section, across the head. It is slow, and the slowness is the point — every foil is placed deliberately.
Foiling from the root is what makes highlights different from painted colour. You get brightness right up at the scalp, more even lift across the whole head, and enough contrast to blend grey properly. The trade is a regrowth line that will eventually need doing.
Two bookings: Partial Highlights from $100 and Full Highlights from $180. Both are three-hour appointments. The difference is not the quality of the work — it is how much of your head gets foiled.
Partial or full?
Partial highlights — from $100. Foils go through the crown and the face-framing sections — the hair you see when it is down and parted the way you usually wear it. The sections underneath, the nape and behind the ears, stay your natural colour.
Full highlights — from $180. Foils go through the whole head, including everything underneath. Nothing is left out, so the colour holds up whichever way you wear it. It costs more because it takes more foils, more product and more of your artist's hands-on time, not because it is a different service.
The honest test is what you do with your hair. If it lives down, in one part, and you mainly want brightness around your face, partial does the job and saves you $80. If you tie it up, wear it half-up or change your part, the untouched sections underneath will show — and you want the full head.
Grey is the other deciding factor. Grey does not stay politely in the crown, so blending it properly usually means full foils rather than partial.
Foils or balayage?
Foils are woven and wrapped, starting at the root. The foil holds heat and keeps the lightener off the surrounding hair, so you get stronger, more uniform lift and real brightness at the scalp. More coverage, more contrast, better for grey — and a defined regrowth line as it grows out.
Balayage is painted freehand onto the surface of the hair, softer at the root and brightest through the mid-lengths and ends. It grows out without a line, which makes it the lower-maintenance option, but it will not give you the same lift right at the scalp. Balayage is from $180 and also runs three hours.
Shortest version: foils for maximum brightness and even coverage, balayage for a soft grow-out. If you are not sure, the free 15-minute consultation is a better use of time than guessing.
What actually happens in the chair.
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01
We look at your hair first
Natural depth, what colour is already on the hair, condition, how much grey. Box dye and old colour change what will lift and how evenly — that gets said at the start.
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02
Partial or full gets decided honestly
Based on how you actually wear your hair, not on the bigger number. You agree the price here — $100 or $180 is the starting point, and length and density set the rest.
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03
The foils
Woven section by section and wrapped, then watched while they lift. This is the long part of the appointment and it is not rushed.
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04
Toner, wash and finish
Foils come out, and a toner sets the final tone — cool, warm or somewhere between. Then it is washed, treated and styled so you leave seeing the finished result.
Questions we get asked.
What is the difference between partial and full highlights?
Partial highlights cover the crown and the face-framing sections — the hair you see when you wear it down. Full highlights cover the whole head, including the sections underneath at the nape and behind the ears. Partial is from $100, full is from $180, and both are booked at three hours. If you wear your hair up or change your part, go full. If it lives down and you mainly want brightness around the face, partial does the job for less.
Highlights or balayage — which should I book?
Highlights are woven into foils section by section, which gives more uniform lift and real brightness right up at the root. Balayage is painted freehand onto the surface, so it is brightest through the mid-lengths and ends and grows out softly with no hard line. Book foils for maximum lightness, even coverage or grey blending. Book balayage if you want to look lighter without a regrowth line to keep on top of. Balayage is from $180 and also takes three hours.
How much are highlights in Winnipeg?
Partial highlights start at $100 and full highlights at $180. The final price is set by your artist and depends on your hair length, density and how many foils the look actually needs. You are told the exact price before any colour is mixed.
How long does a highlight appointment take?
Set aside three hours for both partial and full. Foiling is slow work done by hand, and the lift is then watched rather than timed to a rule. Longer, thicker or darker hair can run past three hours, and your artist will tell you at consultation if that applies to you.
How often do highlights need redoing?
Because foils start at the root, they grow out with a visible line rather than fading away. Most people book again somewhere between six and ten weeks, depending on how light the foils are against their natural colour — high contrast shows regrowth sooner. A toner between appointments, from $45, keeps the tone from going brassy.
Will highlights damage my hair?
Lightener opens the hair to remove pigment, so the honest answer is that it is a chemical process, not a neutral one. What decides the outcome is how far you lift, how often, and what the hair was like to start with. Your artist will not push a lift the hair cannot take in one sitting. Treatments are on the menu if you want support around it — hydration from $45, FORTIFY at $50, keratin or protein from $200.
Can I go blonde in one session?
Sometimes, and sometimes not. Natural mid-brown hair can often get a long way in one three-hour appointment. Dark hair, and especially box-dyed or previously coloured hair, usually needs two or more sessions to get there without wrecking the condition. Book the free 15-minute colour consultation first and you will be told honestly which one you are.
Do you take walk-ins?
We do take walk-ins, but please call 431-844-5500 first to check availability before coming in. Highlights are a three-hour appointment with a specific colour artist, so they rarely fit a walk-in slot without notice.
Foil work at Artistly is done by Zahara, whose focus is hair, colour and brows, alongside Navpreet and Aman. You choose your artist when you book.
Every service and starting price is listed on the booking page. Nothing is "price on request", and your exact price is confirmed in the chair before work starts.
567 St Anne's Rd, Unit 2, Winnipeg — in St Vital, minutes from Southdale, Windsor Park, Island Lakes and St Boniface. 431-844-5500
Monday 10–7 · Tuesday to Saturday 10–8 · Sunday 10–6. See directions and hours.