What Are Teasy Lights?

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Are you looking for a unique way to add highlights to your hair, or are you a colorist hoping to add some new skills to your service list? If so, you have come to the right place. In this post, we discuss teasy lights, a technique used to lighten hair and achieve highlights that look natural and sun-kissed. 

If you’re wondering whether babylights and teasy lights are the same thing, we are here to tell you that there are some slight differences — as there are with many other highlighting techniques. Searching for what babylights are may help you notice some of the subtle differences since we will mostly be covering teasy lights here. 

Let’s take a closer look at this hair color trend and review everything you need to know to master this hair color technique and deliver stunning results for your clients.

So, What Are Teasy Lights? 

If you’re familiar with traditional highlights and the balayage technique, you should be able to master the teasy lights technique quickly. Basically, teasy lights are achieved by combining the balayage method with traditional foil lights, but what gives this style its uniqueness is teasing (backcombing) the root section of hair prior to applying lightener and wrapping it in foil. 

The look the client gets from this technique is very natural and painted highlights that look sun-kissed and blend well with the client’s other natural hair colors. This technique works well on any hair color and texture and can be adapted to fit the client’s expectations and vision. You could even do teasy lights near the hairline to create a money piece and add brightness around a client’s face. The options are virtually limitless. 

Why Are Teasy Lights So Popular? 

Low maintenance hair color is becoming increasingly popular among clients looking to upgrade their natural color without completely changing their look. Clients and hairstylists love teasy lights because they give the client a “lived-in” and natural look compared to traditional foil highlights, which require more maintenance as soon as hair grows. With teasy lights, the start of the highlight is naturally diffused into the hair, which makes this style low maintenance, allowing clients to grow hair out for months without going in for a touch-up. Another popular hair trend, the shadow root, is also made possible with teasy lights since the lightening doesn’t actually take place right up to the root. This gives clients more dimension and contributes to that naturally highlighted look. Balayage and babylights are also techniques for adding color that looks like natural highlights to dark hair.

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How to Get Teasy Lights 

Stylists can achieve teasy lights using a professional hair lightener in a few simple steps. 

• Section Hair for Highlights: Depending on your client’s hair texture and length, you will need to section the hair similarly to how you section it for any other highlighting technique. 
• Prepare Lightener, Developer and Foils: Next, you will want to get your lightener, hair color developer and foils ready so you can begin lightening the hair. Consider your client’s natural base color and desired level of lift to choose a developer that will get the job done without damaging their hair. 
• Tease Sections Before Highlighting: As you take pieces of hair to highlight, you should gently start teasing the middle of the hair and bringing the teased hair up to the root. The exact backcombing technique you should use depends on the client’s hair texture. Different techniques work for achieving various levels of lift and dimension, so think about the desired end result before you tease. Be gentle with this process, as you don’t want to damage the hair or make it hard to detangle. Continue this process throughout the whole head, wrapping the highlighted sections in foils or brushing highlights freehand.
• Let the Developer Process: After successfully highlighting the hair, let the developer process. Be sure to check the foils to ensure you’re achieving the desired tone of blonde. 
• Wash and Tone: After your client is done processing, use a brush to gently detangle the hair. Then, wash and tone the hair to the desired shade. Toner is your best friend for eliminating unwanted yellow tones and brassiness. The right toner is the secret ingredient to creating the warm or cool blonde shade your client craves after lightening their hair.

Style: Now, it’s time to style your client! Teasy lights look great with just about any style, so you should have no problem creating a look your client will love.

Hair Care Products and Routines That Keep Teasy Lights Vibrant 

Like any hairstyle, teasy lights do require some upkeep and maintenance in between visits — especially because most clients go months without going back to the salon with this style. Here are some ways to keep teasy lights looking vibrant. 

• Use Purple or Blue Shampoo: Encourage your clients to invest in professional hair care products to keep their new hair looking its best. Blue and purple shampoos are a must-have to keep blondes bright and brassy tones at bay. If you have platinum blonde highlights, you will need purple shampoo, while more caramel tones will usually benefit from blue shampoo. 
• Make Deep Conditioning a Routine: Lightened hair can feel coarse, brittle and dry — especially right after being lightened. We highly suggest adopting a deep conditioning routine that leaves the hair feeling soft and hydrated. Recommend a salon conditioner that’s suitable for your client’s hair type to help them avoid dry, coarse locks post-lightening. 
• Come in for Touch-Ups: Teasy lights are a low maintenance look, but clients should still come in occasionally for touch-ups to address regrowth. Discuss how much effort they want to put into maintaining their look, and recommend a schedule that fits their lifestyle and will keep their hair looking great. If they want to come in as infrequently as possible, suggest an ombre look or shadow root to ensure a gorgeous, natural look as their hair grows out. 
• Go in for a Trim: Even if clients are loving their lived-in look and they don’t want to touch up their highlights, going to see a stylist for a trim is smart in between appointments. Blonde hair can cause split ends, which can cause hair to break. Trimming the hair regularly helps to keep split ends and breakage caused by lightening at bay. 

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Experience the Teasy Difference

Are you excited to get teasy lights or to start offering them at your salon? Now, you have all the information you need to successfully execute and care for them! Teasy lights offer a beautiful, low-maintenance solution for clients seeking natural-looking highlights. With proper care, they’ll last for months, making them perfect for clients with busy lifestyles and limited time for salon visits. By mastering backcombing techniques and understanding your client’s base color and hair texture, you can create stunning, dimensional results that look incredible with various styles. With practice, you can become a go-to source for trendy hair color techniques and give your clients the looks they crave.