Foil vs meche vs highlighting film
Aluminium foil, meche and highlighting film all separate lightened hair from the rest. Foil folds and holds its shape, keeps warmth in and is used once. Meche strips are plastic or paper, often reusable, and are fixed with their own fold or adhesive. Film is transparent, so the colourist can watch the lift. We make aluminium foil only.
Comparison table
The columns describe each material in general terms. Products differ within each category, so check the specification of the one in front of you.
| Aluminium foil | Meche strips | Highlighting film | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material | Aluminium alloy | Plastic or coated paper | Thin plastic film |
| How it closes | Folds and holds a crease | Folds, clips or sticks, by design | Clings or is folded |
| Holds its shape | Yes | Partly | No |
| Warmth | Keeps warmth around the section | Less than foil | Less than foil |
| Can you see the hair | No | Depends on the product | Yes |
| Reuse | Single use | Some products are reusable | Single use |
| Techniques | All highlighting and balayage | Mainly highlights | Balayage and open-air work |
Aluminium foil
Foil is the reference material because of one property: it stays where it is put. Aluminium folds without springing back, so a foil closes with a crease and stays closed, with the product and the hair inside it. It can be folded again to shorten it, bent to follow the head, and stacked against the next one.
It also keeps warmth around the section and stops the lightener drying out. What that does and does not do to processing is the subject of hair foil and heat.
Its limit is that it is opaque. The colourist opens a foil to check the lift.
Meche strips
Meche is a UK and European term for highlighting strips that are not aluminium. They are long, narrow and light. Some are fixed with a fold, some with a clip and some with an adhesive edge that grips the hair at the root. Many are sold as reusable.
Colourists who use them value the speed of a strip that grips at the root and the lower bulk on the head. Colourists who do not use them find that a strip which does not hold a crease is harder to control. UK wholesalers shelve the two side by side, which is why the category is called “foils & meche”; see hair foil for the UK market.
Highlighting film
Film is thin plastic, usually transparent or tinted. Its advantage is the reverse of foil’s limit: the colourist can see the hair lifting without opening anything. It is used for balayage and for techniques where sections are laid over each other.
It does not hold a fold, and it does not keep warmth as foil does.
When foil is the right choice
Foil is the right choice when the section has to be enclosed and stay enclosed: classic highlights, babylights, any work near the root, and any work where one colour must not touch the next. It is also the right choice where a salon wants one material for every technique.
Meche and film earn their place in the hands of colourists trained on them, and for open techniques where seeing the hair matters more than enclosing it.
What we make
We make aluminium hair foil: pop-up sheets, pre-cut sheets and rolls. We do not make meche strips or highlighting film, and the descriptions of them above are general, not specifications. What happens to each material after use is covered in are hair foils recyclable?
FAQ
What is meche in hairdressing?
In hairdressing, meche means highlighting strips used in place of foil: long strips of plastic or coated paper that are folded around a section of hair. The word is French for a lock or strand of hair. UK wholesalers list aluminium foil and these strips together as "foils & meche".
Is foil or meche better for highlights?
Foil and meche both work for highlights. Aluminium foil folds and stays folded, holds warmth around the section, and suits every technique. Meche strips are lighter and often reusable, and suit colourists who have learned to work with them. The choice is mostly habit and training.
Is highlighting film reusable?
Highlighting film is thin plastic and is generally used once, like foil. Some meche strips are made to be washed and reused. Whether a product is reusable depends on what it is made of and on the manufacturer's instructions, not on the category it is sold in.
Which is most sustainable?
None of the three is clearly the most sustainable. Aluminium is recyclable where a collection accepts used foil; a reusable meche strip replaces many single-use pieces if it is in fact reused; thin plastic film is light but hard to recycle. The outcome depends on what happens after the service.