If you like a soft mixed hair color and soft roots, then you have probably heard of the term babylights. However, a few actually understand how these differ from traditional highlights or balayage. Here's your ultimate colorist's guide to babylights with 20 great ideas to copy. Read on to stay up to date on modern hair color.

Babylights is a modern technique that uses baby fine tissue – hence the name babylights – instead of a traditional foil technique, which is achieved by making larger tissues. As a result, traditional films can have a more striped effect on the part, while babylights create a very soft, blended root. These micro-fine highlights are almost imperceptible unless you look very close! Here's an example.

The balayage technique has been very popular in recent years. Balayage is a technique for painting surfaces (the term comes from the French word for 'sweep'). This technique tends to have a more dimensional effect, while babylights have less of a ribbon-like appearance and more of a full-coverage result.

Here's a side-by-side example of babylights versus balayage. The photo on the left is lighter and has more blonde coverage. The balayage on the right has clearer ribbons and dimensions. Both are beautiful.