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30.09.2026
How to Create Seamless Air Touch Highlights
New highlighting trends come along all the time – but only the best ones stay. We're talking about the techniques that truly elevate your craft, helping you achieve more natural-looking results that keep clients coming back. Air touch highlights fit that brief, and they're transitioning fast from TikTok trend to salon menu mainstay, as more and more colourists get to grips with perfecting that soft-focus glow.
But what exactly are air touch highlights, and how do they differ from air touch balayage? Here's everything you need to know about the look, and creating it for your clients...
What are Air Touch Highlights?
Air touch highlights are lightened ribbons that have been achieved with the help of a blow dryer. The hair dryer is used to blow the shorter pieces of your client's hair out of the way, so you're only applying lightener to longer sections. The result? A more diffused and seamless blend, as if the highlights are entirely natural - Image Credit: @hair_bylaura__
Air Touch Highlights vs. Air Touch Balayage – What's the Difference?
Air touch highlights and air touch balayage are similar but different – in much the same way that traditional highlights and balayage offer unique results. Let's compare:
Air Touch Highlights | Air Touch Balayage | |
Technique | Blow dryer pushes shorter hairs out of the way, so longer strands are isolated. Lightener is wrapped in foils | Uses airflow to separate the shorter hairs, before lightener is painted freehand and developed open-air |
Blending | Blended but with more contrast between the lightener and the base | Seamlessly blended with a lived-in shadow root |
Results | Diffused yet dimensional highlights with visible brightness | Soft, seamless, sun-kissed gradient effect with more depth at the root |
Maintenance | Moderate maintenance to keep on top of regrowth lines | Low maintenance due to the natural-looking, soft regrowth |
Best For | Expensive-looking, polished hair, with visible lightness | Effortless, low-commitment hair colour with a beachy feel |
How to Do the Air Touch Highlighting Technique
1. Section Hair with Precision
Begin by dividing your client's hair into clean, precise sections. Highlights should be placed evenly throughout the hair to give a polished, intentional look.
2. Isolate Sections with a Hair Dryer
Hold a section taut, then point the nozzle of your hair dryer down onto the surface of the hair, around 10-20cm away. You're not directing airflow up the hair shaft; you're sending it downwards to gently separate the shorter hairs.
3. Apply a Bond Strengthening Lightener
Apply lightener to the remaining hair in that section, working from root to tip and taking care to fully saturate strands for the most even lift. We recommend BlondorPlex 9 for this step, as it gives you up to 9 levels of lift while offering your client with up to 97% less breakage*. Wrap in foil and move on to the next section.
4. Monitor the Development
Check on foils to ensure the hair is lifting as expected. You're aiming for a pale yellow shade – like the inside of a banana peel – to ensure the cleanest canvas for toning.
5. Tone with Rich, Natural Colours
A natural result doesn't just come down to your hair colouring technique; the toners you choose will determine how believable the final look will be. Some of our go-tos include:
- Koleston Perfect for permanent, high-shine results, pure intensity and up to 100% grey coverage.
- Illumina Color for youthful, radiant, 100% natural-looking results, and shades illuminated from within.
- Color Touch for demi-permanent hues with true-to-tone vibrancy and shine, no matter the hair's condition.
- SHINEFINITY for a glow-enhancing gloss that combines a translucent veil of colour with up to 3x shinier hair*.
- Supernatural Color for a tannin-rich, non-lightening, gentle formula that colours, strengthens* and repairs.
Air Touch Highlights – 3 Strategy Tips for Colourists
1. Make it a Premium Upgrade
Air touch highlights are a premium service, so make sure that’s clearly reflected on your colour menu. This helps distinguish it from standard foil highlights, justifies the higher price point, and attracts clients who are specifically looking for a soft, blended finish.
2. Charge for Enough Time and Product
Air touch isn’t a quick service. Between precise sectioning and controlled blow dryer work, it naturally takes longer than traditional highlighting techniques.
So it’s important to book and charge properly for both your time and product used. If you underestimate this, you might find yourself working under unnecessary pressure during application.
3. Promote it On Your Channels
Air touch highlights are generating major buzz right now, whether that's on social media and Pinterest or in Google searches. So, make sure you update your website, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok with this new highlighting method. It's a 'strike while the iron's hot' moment; your chance to shout about it while it's in demand.
Show real transformations and comparison infographics to educate and excite potential clients. By positioning yourself as an expert, you become a local go-to for more natural-looking highlights.
Air Touch FAQs – Your Biggest Questions Answered
Does Air Touch Use Bleach?
Yes, air touch highlights do involve applying a hair lightener (or 'bleach'). That's how you achieve that light, bright and luminous glow, with the air touch technique keeping everything soft and seamless. We recommend a lightener that respects the integrity of your client's hair through the process, like BlondorPlex 9, which combines up to 9 levels of lift with up to 97% less breakage*.
How Long Does Air Touch Take?
The length of an air touch service can vary, depending on the length and density of the hair. As a general rule, you should allow 3-6 hours to complete the process. This accounts for:
- 1-3 hours for ultra-precise lightener application.
- Up to 50 minutes for BlondorPlex 9 to process.
- 1-2 hours for toning, drying and styling.
Remember: if you're carrying out any additional treatments, like a mask or gloss, the service time may be longer.
Is Air Touch Expensive?
Because of the time involved (around 3-6 hours), air touch highlights can be expensive. However, many say it's worth it for the hyper-blended, super-seamless look it delivers.
Does Air Touch Grow Out Naturally?
Yes, air touch highlights can grow out beautifully. Add a root shadow or root tap if your client wants seamless regrowth in between appointments. Or, consider air touch balayage hair colour, which retains lived-in depth at the root, giving your client's look a low-commitment feel.
Looking for more hair colouring inspiration? Discover pro formulas, up-and-coming trends and transformative care tricks on the Wellastore blog.