How to Do Peekaboo Highlights

While hair color techniques like balayage and all over color are a year round go-to for hair color lovers across the board, these procedures are not for every head of hair. The changes these color techniques can invoke are bound to be a little intimidating, especially for those who have never had their hair professionally colored before. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun at a salon hair color appointment, either. 

Whether a client has all natural hair or a full head of professional hair color, highlights, color melt or balayage, there’s always room for a little something extra. The trendy and colorful peekaboo highlights technique is a great way to give clients a way to express their creative personality and have fun with a shade of hair color they might not normally try. For stylists, peekaboo highlights are an easy way to add bold color to a list of offerings and reach a wider range of clients. Learn how to do the perfect peekaboo highlights below.

What Exactly Are Peekaboo Highlights?

The term can encompass a wide range of styles for some, but simply put, peekaboo highlights are a pop of highlights that are not placed around the entire head, but rather in smaller sections like around the face or underneath the surface layers of hair. This technique allows for ample wiggle room and creativity, both from the stylist and the client. Essentially, peekaboo highlights start just like any other kind of highlights, using a professional hair lightener for darker hair if needed. The idea with this particular highlighting technique is to make the client’s chosen color pop and create a dramatic change when seen against the color on the remaining head of hair. 

It’s also important to know that peekaboo highlights are not always necessarily a pop of red, blue, green or any other super bold hair color. While these are commonly seen in relation to the current peekaboo highlighting trend, it’s totally possible to try this, for example, by adding a patch of deep brown underneath blonde hair that is only seen when the client’s hair is put up into a ponytail. The “peekaboo” element is still achieved regardless of color choice. 

How to Get the Look

As stated above, peekaboo highlights aren’t much different than foil highlights in that the application process is similar. The key is to start with clean, damp hair and section off the hair that will be highlighted. Be sure to only apply hair color to the section of hair that was previously decided upon by both the client and stylist unanimously. Once the section of hair has been cleaned and sectioned off, apply the chosen shade of professional hair color using a traditional foil technique. Make sure to use a high-quality brand of professional hair color like the array of color options from Schwarzkopf Professional. Allow the color to process until the desired color is reached, and then continue with the washing and styling process to finish things off.

Maintaining Perfect Peekaboo Highlights

Once the highlighting process is done and the peekaboo highlights have been washed, dried and styled, it’s important to let the client know how to preserve their new pops of hair color! Although they might not cover the whole head, peekaboo highlights are still considered hair color and should be treated as such. Use hair care products made specifically for color-treated hair to preserve peekaboo highlights for as long as possible.