Skinny Lights: 5 Foil Tips For Hairline Blondes
Try Out These Tips For Bright Skinny Highlights
If there’s anything we know for sure, it’s that blonde will NEVER go out of style. There are always countless clients coming in for their routine boost of sun-drenched tones—but that doesn’t banish concerns about hair health and how to keep the blondes light and bright between appointments.
Joico celebrity artist Jill Buck (@jill901) has a hairline skinny light technique that takes these factors into account, from how to get maximum lift to finding the best lightener for your client’s hair type. Here is some of her expert advice:

1. Start foiling along a center part
No matter what the latest trends are when it comes to parting hair, Jill recommends always starting this technique with a center part. This part will:
- let you to determine where you want pops of blonde around the face and where the hair starts to fall forward
- allow you to make a greater impact with the hairline’s front foils
- make way for a C-shape to be foiled along the hairline, catching fine baby hairs
- create dimensional balance and a cute veil piece
Check Out Joico’s Blonde Life Lightening & Brightening System!
2. Try Jill’s tried & true sectioning technique
Jill divides her blonding clients’ hair into three sections:
- section 1 (the center part)
- section 2 (the areas of hair that don’t fall forward, sectioned off into a halo that swoops around the sides and back of the head)
- section 3 (the hair that falls forward, gathered on top of the head)
Once you’ve foiled section 1, jump to section 3 and foil. Because the process is overdirected, we want to start closer to the front so we can evenly line up our foils. Once section 3 is foiled, foil section 2.
3. Don’t skimp out on the skinny lights
For blonding, Jill’s method of choice is the ever-trending skinny light. Not quite a highlight, not quite a babylight, skinny lights need the sections to be super close together. This technique adds dimension and extra pops of color throughout the hair—especially the locks framing the face!
To get the most out of your skinny lights:
- Saturate the top of the weave and then gently drag it down to cover the darker pieces toward the ends to add more dimension.
- Don’t crease your foils! When you fold, make sure you’re leaving enough room for the lightener to do its work.
Pro tip: If you can’t see the foil through your weave, then you have too much hair in one place. You need to keep the weaves finer so the lightener can saturate all the way through the slice.
4. Use a variety of lighteners for maximum lift
Using more than one lightener can do wonders for elevating your lift. Jill used Joico’s gentler 5- and 10-volume Blonde Life Crème Lightener around the face and front-falling sections because they take longer to develop, then opted for a faster-developing Lightening Powder for the back sections. This made sure the hair developed at the same pace.
5. Prepare your clients for at-home maintenance
Narrowing down a product regimen your clients can use to keep the look they love is so, so appreciated. For blondes, Jill recommends these Joico home-care products:
- Blonde Life Brightening Shampoo for everyday use
- Blonde Life Violet Shampoo for blondes Levels 7 to 10
- Color Balance Shampoo in purple or blue for blondes Levels 1 to 6
- Blonde Life Brightening Mask for clients who need a little extra moisture
Products Used
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