The New Word In Hair Color: Babylights
Karlie Kloss and her “babylights.” Photo: Getty Images
Back in the day, highlights were highlights—end of story. Not anymore. These days, top colorists offer everything from splashlights (a sharp flash of laser-like blond) to sombré (subtle ombré). But the new It color is the one you had back when you were learning to crawl.
As Refinery29 reports, colorist Jack Howard of London’s Neville Hair & Beauty Salon has dubbed his super-fine highlights “babylights.” The effect is meant to be multidimensional, radiant, and natural-looking—basically, the hair color you had when you were a little one. For blondes in particular, the effect is dazzling. (Witness the coifs of models Karlie Kloss and Dominika Grnova, two of Howard’s clients.)
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The process is simple, but it’s time-consuming: Howard separates hair into itsy-bitsy sections, then applies color to small groups of strands for more than an hour. No, it’s not exactly a new technique, but until now, there hasn’t been a one-word term for it. (We’re impressed by Howard’s branding skills; he’s also the guy who dreamed up “French Brown.”)
With any luck, “babylights” will become shorthand for born-with-it color, giving us an easier way to communicate with our stylists. Need to get official babylights for yourself? A session with Howard starts at £340 (approximately $547)—plus airfare to London, of course.
