How Long Do Highlights Take? A Guide to Salon Appointment Times
SallyHairdressing & Beauty
Published
Allow about two and a half hours for a full head of foils, two hours for a half head, and an hour and a half for a T section or slices. Those are the times we book at Honeys in Taunton, and each one covers your consultation, the foils, processing, a toner where it is needed and a finished blow-dry.
How long do highlights take at a salon?
A full head of foil highlights takes around two and a half hours, a half head around two hours, and a T section or a head of slices around an hour and a half. Thick or long hair sits at the top of each range, because every section has to be woven and wrapped by hand.
| Service | What it covers | Time to allow |
|---|---|---|
| T section foils | Parting and hairline | About 1.5 hours |
| Slices | Defined, brighter pieces through the top | About 1.5 hours |
| Half head foils | Top, crown and sides | About 2 hours |
| Full head foils | Every section, root to tip | About 2.5 hours |
In short: the more foils, the longer the appointment. Coverage is what drives the time, not the shade you are going for.
What happens during the appointment
Knowing the order of the day explains where the time goes. A highlights appointment breaks into five stages, and only one of them is sitting and waiting.
- Consultation. Your stylist looks at your natural colour, any previous colour still in the hair and the result you want, then agrees the placement with you.
- Sectioning and foiling. This is the longest stage. Each piece is woven out, painted with lightener and wrapped in a foil. A full head can run to a hundred foils or more.
- Processing. The lightener lifts for roughly twenty to forty-five minutes, checked as it goes rather than left on a timer.
- Cleanse and tone. Foils come out, hair is washed and conditioned, and a toner goes on where the shade needs correcting or softening.
- Blow-dry. You leave finished, which is also when you see the placement properly.
Worth knowing: processing is checked by eye, not by the clock. Fine hair can lift in twenty minutes and coarse, previously coloured hair can take twice that, which is the single biggest reason two people booked for the same service leave at different times.
What makes an appointment longer or shorter
How long highlights take comes down to four things, and three of them are about your hair rather than the service you booked.
Length and thickness. More hair means more sections and more foils. Hair past the shoulders on a thick head is the combination that pushes an appointment to the top of its range.
How much lift you want. Going a couple of shades brighter is quicker than going several. A bigger change may need more processing time, or a second appointment, which your stylist will tell you at the consultation rather than on the day.
Whether you need a toner. Toning is quick, but it is a stage, and skipping it to save time is usually a false economy on blonde work.
Whether you are adding a cut. A cut and blow-dry on top of colour adds to the booking. It is worth doing in one visit, but book it as one appointment so the time is held for you.
Booking tip: if you want a cut as well, say so when you book rather than on the day. The diary holds the full slot, and nobody is rushing the finish to free up the chair.
Frequently asked questions
Can I wash my hair two days after getting highlights?
You can, although leaving it two or three days helps the toner settle and the cuticle close. When you do wash it, use a sulphate free shampoo and lukewarm rather than hot water. Our guide to caring for highlighted hair between visits goes through the routine in full.
What should you not do after highlights?
Avoid hot water, chlorine and heat styling without protection in the first few days, and keep purple shampoo to once a week at most so the tone does not go flat or grey. Box colour over fresh highlights is the one to avoid altogether, because it is the hardest thing to correct afterwards.
Do highlights look better after a few days?
Many people think so. Fresh foils can look very bright on day one, and they soften once the hair has been washed and the toner has settled. If the tone still feels wrong after a week, ring the salon rather than reaching for a home fix.
Are there any downsides to highlights?
Lightener does open the cuticle, so highlighted hair needs more conditioning than virgin hair and a trim on schedule to keep the ends in good shape. The upside is that foils grow out softly, so you are not tied to a tight regrowth appointment the way you are with an all over colour.
Can I have a cut at the same appointment?
Yes, and it makes sense to cut after the colour so your stylist can shape around the placement. Just book the cut at the same time as the colour so the slot is long enough.
How long does a half head take compared with a full head?
A half head is about half an hour shorter, because the back and underneath sections are left natural. Our guide to half head vs full head highlights sets out which one suits which result, and T section highlights covers the quickest option of the three.
Ready to book?
We will tell you at the consultation exactly how long your appointment needs, so there are no surprises on the day. You will find us on Galmington Road in Taunton, with clients coming to us from across Somerset.
Book online · Call 01823 325700
See the full head foil highlights service or browse our full range of foil highlights
