Which of the following would you use for dramatically lighter hair color?

The use of prelightening is essential for achieving dramatically lighter hair color, especially when transitioning from dark to light shades. Prelightening involves the application of a lightening agent, such as bleach, to the hair to lift its natural pigments before applying a desired hair color. This process is critical when the goal is to achieve a level of lightness that standard color treatments cannot accomplish alone.

Permanent color typically alters the hair color effectively, but it does not lift the natural pigment as significantly as prelightening does, especially for darker shades. In contrast, balayage and highlights serve to add dimension and brightness but don't always achieve the drastic shift in color that prelightening can provide. Balayage is a technique that paints lightener onto the hair for a sun-kissed effect, while highlights generally involve foiling sections of hair for added contrast. Both methods can lead to lighter hair but may not reach the dramatic level of lightness intended without the groundwork laid by prelightening.

In summary, prelightening provides the foundation necessary for transforming dark hair into dramatically lighter shades, making it a crucial step in the coloring process for such significant changes.