Caramel balayage waves at Elevate Salon + Spa, Charlottesville VA

Reviewed by Anna, owner and educator at Elevate Salon + Spa, who trains every stylist through Elevation Training. Updated September 2026.

Brightness all the way around

Where a partial service concentrates on your face and crown, full highlights carry dimension into every section, including the back and underneath layers that show when you wear your hair up. Your natural color stays between the lightened pieces, which keeps the look blended and gives it depth instead of a flat, single tone.

Full highlights are the right choice when you want to refresh your color and look brighter overall, but you are not trying to become fully blonde. If you want much more blonde than natural color, modern blonding is a separate, longer service built for that. Your stylist may use foils, balayage, foilayage or a mix, and can add lowlights for contrast, a root melt for a softer grow out, or gray coverage at the base. Every visit includes an extended consultation, a gloss, a shampoo and a blowdry.

Full highlights are offered across our color team, including Mei Leigh for dimensional color, Maura for soft dimensional color, Nicole and Madison for dimensional brunettes, and Justin for dimensional gray coverage, along with others on the team.

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What full highlights give you

  • Even brightness in every direction

    Because lightening is placed all around your head, your color looks consistent whether your hair is down, braided or pulled back. No dark patches underneath and no contrast line at the nape.

  • Depth that keeps it natural

    Your own shade stays between each lightened piece. That contrast is what makes highlights look dimensional rather than solid, and it helps your color read softly in daylight and indoor light alike.

  • Built around your hair

    Thick or long hair gets extra time so every section is placed with care. Options include going brighter, lowlights to bring back depth, a root melt to soften regrowth, and gray coverage.

  • A step before blonding

    Full highlights brighten without the commitment of a full blonde change. If you later want more blonde, your stylist can build on this dimension toward modern blonding instead of starting from scratch.

Recent work at Elevate

  • Caramel balayage waves at Elevate Salon + Spa, Charlottesville VA
  • Bronde balayage waves at Elevate Salon + Spa, Charlottesville VA
  • Caramel balayage waves at Elevate Salon + Spa, Charlottesville VA
See more on Instagram

More about full Highlights

What to expect at your appointment

Plan to settle in. Your appointment opens with an extended consultation about your current color, past services and the look you want, and photos help a lot. Your stylist then works section by section through your whole head, placing lightener so the pieces fall naturally when your hair moves. While it processes, the Guest Care Team can bring you a latte, hot cocoa or a blanket. A gloss refines the tone, then a shampoo and blowdry finish the service before you head home.

Aftercare and maintenance

More lightened hair means more hair that needs moisture and protein. Use a bond builder such as Olaplex, and swap your regular conditioner for a nourishing mask. Keep heat styling lower with a heat protectant, since high heat can make lightened pieces look yellow. A shower filter helps reduce brassiness. A gloss between highlight visits keeps tone fresh, and your stylist will plan the timing of your next full service with you.

How pricing works

The price of full highlights moves with the amount of hair being lightened. Thick or long hair adds time and product, and each option, such as going brighter, lowlights, a root melt or gray coverage, adds to the base service. Rates also differ by stylist, and any extra product beyond the standard allotment is discussed first. See the Service Menu for current pricing.

See the work

Current cuts, color and finished styles from the team are posted on Instagram @elevatesalonva. Elevate Salon + Spa holds a 4.9 rating from 900 Google reviews.

Frequently asked questions

How are full highlights different from modern blonding?

Full highlights add dimension throughout your hair while keeping plenty of your natural color, so you look brighter without looking fully blonde. Modern blonding is for going significantly lighter and seeing mostly blonde, and it often takes more than one session. Unsure? Text the salon and the team will guide you.

Should I choose full or partial highlights?

Choose full if you often wear your hair up or want brightness through the back and underneath. Choose partial if you mostly want lift around your face and part and like your natural base showing. Your stylist can confirm the choice at your consultation.

Can I cover gray and get full highlights in one visit?

Yes. Gray coverage is an option you can add when you book online. Your stylist covers or blends gray at the base and places highlights through the rest of your hair so the two work together, and the right amount of time is reserved.

What if my highlights start to feel too light?

Ask about adding lowlights at your next visit to bring back depth and contrast. If your lightened hair has turned brassy or pale between visits, a glaze refresh is a translucent color that adds tone back without any new lightening.

Is there anything I should do before my appointment?

Arrive with your hair styled the way you normally wear it so your stylist can see your texture and part. Share any past box dye, lightening or treatments, since they change how hair lifts. The salon keeps a card on file for color services.

Book full highlights when you are ready

Current pricing lives on the Service Menu, and you can compare with partial highlights or balayage and modern blonding to find your fit.

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