Highlight Kit vs. Bleach – What’s the Difference?

30 October 2023

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When you color your hair, there are several methods you can use to achieve the look you desire. Sometimes, just applying the dye is enough; at other times, you need to put much more effort into it and first make your hair lighter. In this article, we will focus on the latter and describe two methods: using a highlight kit and a bleach. How do they differ, and which one is better? Find out below!

Understanding the Differences Between a Highlight Kit and a Bleach

Let’s first define both of these methods before we compare them – this way, you will gain a full scope when we proceed with listing the differences.

Highlight Kit

A highlight kit is used for adding lighter tones to particular strands of your hair. Usually, these strands are made only a few shades lighter than your natural color. This way, your hair resembles the way the sun is reflected by hair, making it look as if it wasn’t colored at all.

Bleach

Bleach is used for…bleaching. This means removing natural color from the hair on your whole scalp. It’s mainly used when you want to change your color drastically, when applying a dye directly on your natural hair wouldn’t work. However, this procedure is much more aggressive than highlighting.

The Key Differences Between a Highlighting Kit and a Bleach

So, after these short introductions, let’s get to the core of this article. How do bleach and a highlight kit differ?

Color change – In this case, highlights are much more subtle. After all, they are used only to make your hair a bit lighter. Bleach, on the other hair, is used for drastic changes, ones that would be impossible without it.
Damage – Stripping your hair out of color causes quite a lot of damage, but thankfully, a highlight kit doesn’t do it completely. But scalp bleach does. This means that it is much more harsh to your hair – to such an extent that it is advised not to use bleach if you suffer from scalp conditions.
Maintenance – Highlighted hair doesn’t require much maintenance – the regrowing roots are almost indistinguishable. With bleached hair, it’s a completely different story – since you introduce a radical color change, the difference between your natural, regrowing color and the one that you have will be easy to spot. So, when bleaching, regular touch-ups are a must.
Skills – Applying bleach is easy: you cover your whole hair, you watch the time, and you wash it off. However, it’s still better to do it at a professional salon since a mistake might have terrible consequences for your hair. Using a highlighting kit is a bit more difficult – you may not handle creating more intricate patterns. But, it’s also less damaging, so it’s safer to perform highlighting at home.