Hair Streaks VS Highlights: What Are The Differences?

Hair streaks and highlights are two hair coloring techniques that are very popular among beautiful enthusiasts, which can add dimension, depth, and brightness to your appearance.

You may often hear about these two terms, but you don’t know the exact differences between them.

Don’t worry. The following blog will explain the differences between hair streaks and highlights in detail.

What’s more, you will also learn how to choose between them, and save money and energy.

1. What are Hair Streaks?

Hair streaks refer to a hair coloring technique that adds bold, bright, and vibrant sections of color to your hair, which can create a dramatic contrast with your natural hair color and provide you with a statement-making and striking appearance.

What’s more, hair streaks come in various colors, ranging from soft pastels to vibrant colors, which means you have many options in colors.

The more vibrant and more intense the color you choose, the more dramatic the contrast will be.

So before you make a choice in colors, you should think carefully about which kind of appearance you want.

If you are looking for a dramatic and striking appearance, hair streaks are a suitable choice for you.

In conclusion, hair streaks can not only add personality to you but also add dimension and volume to your hair according to your demands and preferences.

2. What are Highlights?

Highlights refer to a classic hair coloring technique that can lighten a thin and specific section of your hair by bleaching or dying, which can add dimension, depth, and brightness to your natural hair and provide you with a vivid and sun-kissed appearance.

Although hair streaks and highlights use the same coloring principle, there are still some differences between them.

Generally speaking, highlights add a more subtle and gentle color contrast to your natural hair than hair streaks.

Besides, highlights color a smaller and thinner section of your natural hair than hair streaks, which can better blend with your hair naturally and seamlessly.

Highlights can also suit almost all lengths and textures.

All in all, highlights are designed to enhance the overall look of your hair, rather than to give you a bold, striking, and statement-making appearance.

If you are looking for a sun-kissed appearance that can add dimension, depth, and brightness to your hair without making a dramatic and intense contrast, highlights are a suitable choice for you.

3. Pros of Hair Streaks:

(1)It can give you a bold and striking appearance.

Hair streaks can color a section of your natural hair by using vivid and intense color, which can make a dramatic contrast with your hair and provide you with a bold, striking, and statement-making appearance.

(2)It is an affordable and cost-effective choice.

Usually, hair streaks don’t require too much time, and it is a relatively simple and uncomplicated coloring technique.

Compared to highlights, hair streaks are a more affordable and cost-effective choice for you.

(3)It is versatile in colors.

Hair streaks are versatile in colors, ranging from soft pastels to vibrant colors, which means you have many options in colors.

So you can try many different hair colors according to your demands and preferences.

4. Cons of Hair Streaks:

(1)It requires more maintenance.

If you choose hair streaks, you are required to spend a lot of time maintaining your hair color.

That is to say, you need to touch up your hair streaks frequently in order to keep a glorious and bold appearance.

(2)It will cause damage to your natural hair.

Hair streaks color your natural hair by bleaching or dying, which will cause some damage to your natural hair if it is not done properly.

What’s more, hair streaks are more harmful to your natural hair than highlights, for it has a larger section of coloring.

(3)It is not all-match.

As hair streaks are usually available in bold and vibrant colors, it is not all-match.

For example, it provides you with a bold and statement-making appearance, which may not suit a loose and relaxing lifestyle.

What’s more, hair streaks are also not suitable for some formal occasions.

5. Pros of Highlights:

(1)It can give you a more natural and elegant appearance.

Highlights can lighten a small and thin section of your natural hair by using subtle and gentle colors, which can give you a more natural and elegant appearance.

Usually, highlights can provide you with a sun-kissed and vivid appearance.

(2)It can add dimension, depth, and brightness to your hair.

Highlights can color a small section of your natural hair with subtle and gentle colors, which can add dimension, depth, and brightness to your natural hair.

For example, highlights can add depth to curly hair and add volume to straight hair.

(3)It requires less maintenance.

Compared to hair streaks, highlights require less maintenance, for it only gives you a thin and small section of hair coloring.

Besides, highlights usually use subtle and gentle colors.

Although the hair color will fade off with time, it is not obvious, and you don’t need to touch it up frequently.

6. Cons of Highlights:

(1)It will cause some damage to your natural hair.

Both hair streaks and highlights use the same coloring principle.

Just like hair streaks, highlights also use bleaching or dying to color your hair, which can be harmful to your natural hair if it is not done properly.

Compared to hair streaks, although highlights color a thinner and smaller section of your natural hair, it still causes some damage to your natural hair.

(2)It is limited to some general and normal hair colors.

Unlike hair streaks, highlights are limited to some conventional and traditional hair colors.

Some vivid and bold hair colors are not available.

(3)It is not as bold as hair streaks.

Highlights only color your natural hair with a gentle and subtle hair color, which can not provide you with a bold and eye-catching appearance.

(4)It is not all-match.

Just like hair streaks, highlights are also not suitable for some formal occasions.

7. What are the differences between Hair Streaks and Highlights?

(1)Application.

First and foremost, the applications of hair streaks and highlights are different.

Hair streaks color a larger and thicker section of your hair, while highlights color a thinner and smaller section of your hair.

(2)Color choices.

Secondly, the color choices between hair streaks and highlights are different.

Hair streaks are versatile in hair colors, ranging from soft pastels to vibrant colors, which means you have many options in colors.

However, highlights are only available in some conventional and traditional hair colors.

If you want to have more options in hair colors, maybe hair streaks are a more suitable choice for you.

(3)Appearance.

Hair streaks can give you a bold, eye-catching, and striking appearance by using vivid hair colors, while highlights can provide you with a natural and elegant appearance by using gentle and subtle hair colors.

If you are looking for a bold and statement-making appearance, maybe hair streaks are a better choice for you.

(4)Maintenance.

Last but not least, the maintenance between hair streaks and highlights is also different.

Highlights require less maintenance than hair streaks, for it has a thinner and smaller section of colored hair.

What’s more, the hair color of highlights is also subtler and gentler than hair streaks.

Although the hair color of highlights will fade off with time, it is not as obvious as hair streaks, so you don’t need to spend too much time touching up.

If you don’t have enough time to maintain your hair, maybe highlights are a more suitable choice for you.

8. How to choose between Hair Streaks and Highlights?

(1)Skin tones.

First of all, you should make a decision based on your skin tone.

The hair colors of hair streaks and highlights vary.

It is important and necessary for you to choose a hair color that complements your skin tone.

As it has been mentioned before, hair streaks can give you a bold and striking appearance, while highlights can provide you with a natural and elegant appearance.

Before you make a decision between hair streaks and highlights, you should take your skin tone into consideration.

(2)Maintenance.

Highlights require less maintenance than hair streaks.

If you don’t have enough time to maintain your hair color, maybe highlights are a better and more suitable choice for you.

(3)Your individual demands and personal preferences.

Except for the factors above, you should also take your individual demands and personal preferences into consideration.

Conclusion:

After reading this blog, you must have a clearer and more systematic understanding of hair streaks and highlights.

In conclusion, when you make a decision between hair streaks and highlights, you should not only take skin tones and maintenance into consideration, but also consider your individual demands and personal preferences.

It’s my pleasure if this blog can really help you!

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