Hair highlighting at home

Thanks to the emergence of new trends in the field of hair highlighting, this procedure does not go out of fashion, only the types of this special coloring that are fashionable in the current season change. A special feature of highlighting is the ability to choose a dyeing technique suitable for any hair type and length. In addition, highlighting is the best and gentlest (as opposed to full chemical coloring) type of image change.

In general, the highlighting technique involves lightening only individual strands of hair. In this case, the width of such curls will depend on the chosen type of coloring and the client’s preferences. Also, highlighting techniques available to qualified professional colorists make it possible to easily disguise emerging gray hair without radically changing the hair color.

Arguments for and against highlighting

Have you decided to do highlighting? Then you should immediately find out what “pros” and “cons” can await you in this case. You should immediately reassure impressionable beauties: highlighting in most cases has a positive effect on the appearance and health of hair. Here are some compelling reasons in favor of highlighting:

• curls are only partially exposed to the coloring composition; usually the percentage of dyed hair does not exceed 20-30% of the total volume of hair;
• when highlighting, a more natural effect is achieved than when dyeing all the hair;
• when highlighting, the hairstyle looks more voluminous;
• short-haired girls can advantageously emphasize their haircut with highlights, which cannot be said about other fashionable types of coloring;
• you don’t have to go to the salon often, you can save money on this, because highlighted hair does not need constant color adjustments;
• partial skillful coloring will help completely hide gray hair;
• thin hair that has lost volume can only be saved by highlighting, which visually increases the volume in the desired part of the hairstyle;
• the price that the master will ask for highlighting will be significantly lower than when dyeing using the ombre, balayage and other methods;
• After hair grows, the color that appears in the root area does not look too unnatural at first, but fits well into the hairstyle.

Important! Highlighting is ideal for those who do not allow dramatic changes to their image, but do not mind improving their style and refreshing their hair.

In addition to the many positive aspects of highlighting, there are several “cons”. For example, you will have to spend twice as much time going to the salon for highlighting than for another type of coloring. Also, you should not do even minimal coloring for those who have had a perm. Another “minus” is the difficulty of carrying out the procedure at home, so get highlights done by professionals at the Naturel Studio salon so that the result meets your expectations.

Care after highlighting

Regardless of whether you performed this procedure at home or in a salon, you need to know the basic rules that will allow you to enjoy bright and long-lasting color for as long as possible. Even incomplete dyeing damages the hair. Therefore, after the procedure they need additional care. Use conditioner after every hair wash.

Use shampoos and other professional line products designed specifically for colored hair.

Systematically make strengthening and restorative masks. The dye dries out the hair, and therefore it needs additional moisturizing after highlighting. To do this, apply oils or oily balms to your hair before washing your hair. Treat the ends thoroughly with oil to prevent them from splitting.

Color highlights cause less damage to hair than full dyeing. By following these simple rules, you will update your hairstyle without much harm to your health.

How does highlighting affect hair?

After the procedure, the hair looks ideal for some time, provided that the highlighting technique and coloring composition are correctly selected: the hair looks bright, the volume is phenomenal. After the second (corrective) procedure, hair may not be as beautiful, especially those that have been bleached. Also, the curls begin to break, split, become dry and do not comb very well.

If you leave your hair unattended, you may need to cut off dry or yellowed ends. However, there are special products (hair care cosmetics, such as shampoos, conditioners and hair masks) that can save the situation and restore healthy shine to your curls.

Remember that for any strong hair lightening, such a strong product as the well-known hydrogen peroxide is used. If you use this solution frequently, your hair will inevitably begin to deteriorate. This is due to the thinning of the hair structure, which leads to a high degree of porosity. The result is a loss of shine and smoothness of the hair.

All of the above troubles will bypass you if you follow certain coloring rules, which an experienced specialist will help you do. By contacting a knowledgeable colorist, you will protect yourself from the unpleasant consequences of highlighting or significantly mitigate them.

Root highlighting

Some time after highlighting, uncolored areas begin to grow at the roots of the hair. To prevent these areas from being conspicuous by their contrast with the rest of the hairstyle, it is necessary to perform root highlighting. The time it takes for roots to grow back is highly individual for each woman and depends on the speed of hair growth. It usually needs to be done three to six months after the coloring procedure. With this method of highlighting, the dye is not applied along the entire length of the hair, but only on the regrown roots. This type of coloring is a very labor-intensive and complex process, so to ensure the desired result, it is best to contact an experienced professional stylist.

Are there any benefits to highlighting?

Not for all hair, highlighting can cause a deterioration in its structure. In some cases, such partial staining will even be useful. This applies, for example, to girls whose hair and scalp are naturally oily. After a drying bleaching procedure, they won't have to wash their hair as often to avoid the appearance of greasy, hanging unsightly strands.

If you've always had any difficulty styling unruly locks, highlighting can help. After high-quality highlighting, the curls become more pliable, manageable for curling curls and adding volume.

Another situation where highlighting will only help: if you want to become a blonde. In this case, a smooth transition with intermediate highlighting will allow you to gradually, without traumatic effects on all hair, move to lighter tones.

Types of highlighting

• Baliyazh – whole strands 3-5 mm wide are lightened.
• Venetian - the effect of burnt hair is formed. The process requires the master to have experience, since the highlights must be painted with a brush.
• Mazhimesh - done only on light hair, since the dyes do not contain ammonia. The lightening effect is very gentle and unnoticeable. The paint contains wax, which gives the curls a special shine and smoothness.
• California highlighting is very similar to Venetian highlighting, but contains beeswax. Strands are bleached 3-4 tones without using foil.
• Majikontrast - the name itself explains its principle. The contrast between the base color and the dyed color is achieved through very durable dyes. The drawing technique is simple - very thin strands are selected and dyed from the ends to the ends. The hairstyle requires careful styling.
• Root highlighting is the process of restoring color after hair has been grown. The point is to carefully select already colored strands and refine the regrown roots.
• Dark and light – the principle of balayage framed by color. The essence of the method is to highlight individual contrasting strands. Moreover, dark accents are made on light hair, and light ones on dark hair.
• Crazy colors are a bold creative solution for those who want to stand out from the crowd. Blue, green, red strands, and it can be all at once in one hairstyle - this is exactly this method of highlighting.

What it is

The peculiarity of the “salt and pepper” technique lies in the color palette, which successfully combines dark and ashy tones. They create the same salt (light) and pepper (black) effect that is stated in the name.

The “salt and pepper” coloring technique has significant differences from classic highlighting. To achieve an impressive result, it is recommended to pre-lighten your hair and then apply tinting at the end, which will give your hair the desired shade. In this way, it is not individual strands that are dyed, but the entire volume of hair.

To create a beautiful palette, the following tones are used:

• ashen;
• silver;
• gray-brown;
• bluish-gray;
• lilac-gray.

The highest skill is considered to be creating a smooth transition from dark to light throughout the entire volume of hair. Thus, the hairstyle does not look gray, but takes on a graphite color - noble and stylish.

Where do you want to highlight?

In the salonAt home

Execution techniques

When choosing a dye for dark hair, you should rely on one that does not contain ammonia, or its percentage is negligible.
It is this substance that spoils the hair structure, making it thin and dry. As for the color scheme, for classic highlighting it is better to choose an ordinary Blonde-type lightener, but for Californian highlighting you need to rely on your natural color. Brown-haired women will suit all shades of nut, coffee and caramel, brunettes can pay attention to chestnut and chocolate, but for those with dark brown hair, ash or light brown will suit them. As for the lightener, it should be 9% for black hair and 6% for dark hair

In this case, the risk of burning your hair is minimized.

In terms of quality, it is better to pay attention to professional brands, such as Estelle or Kallos. There are several options for applying paint for highlighting:

1. chaotic strokes with a brush;
2. with a special comb, through a cap with your hands or a brush;
3. directly onto the foil strips.

Through the cap

Highlighting at home through a cap is the most popular method among women with short and medium-length haircuts. With this device you can easily perform classic highlighting. The peculiarity of this technique is its simplicity; with this hair device, even beginners can dye using the highlighting technique.

The following devices will be needed:

• cap for highlighting (with ties, not too thin so as not to tear);
• composition for bleaching curls (oxidizing agent + powder);
• disposable gloves;
• brush.

Staining algorithm:

1. Place the cap on your head and secure it with ties.
2. Using the handle of a comb, carefully pull small strands of hair through the holes in the hat.
3. To make highlighting easy, you should use every third hole, for medium - the second.
4. Next, you will need to prepare the bleaching composition according to the instructions of the selected manufacturer.
5. Apply the mixture with a brush onto elongated curls.
6. For light lightening, keep the mixture on your hair for 15 minutes, for strong lightening – 45.
7. After the required time has passed, it is necessary to rinse the strands with warm water without removing the cap.
8. Now you need to apply a nourishing mask to your curls, leave it for 5-10 minutes, and rinse.
9. When your hair has dried a little, you can remove the hat and start styling.

Foil

Using foil you can make colored highlights. Discoloration using this technology occurs faster and more intensely than with a cap. Therefore, after the procedure, the curls can be dyed to the desired color using tonic.

To highlight using foil, you need to cut it into strips 7-9 cm wide and 20 cm longer than the strands.

The step by step guide is as follows:

1. You will need to mix the coloring composition.
2. After this, you should apply it directly to the foil strips.
3. Next, you need to place the foil under the selected curl, bend the edges to form a closed pocket. At the same time, it must be tight enough so that the clarifier does not leak onto the rest of the curls.
4. Repeat the procedure for all the necessary strands.
5. Highlighting begins from the back of the head.
6. The product must be washed off with water after half an hour.
7. Next, dry your curls a little with a towel and apply a toning composition to them. After a couple of minutes, rinse off and start styling.

Important! The peculiarity of color highlighting is the ability to combine colors to obtain interesting color transitions

Comb

Using a comb you can do California highlighting. Its distinctive feature is the creation of the effect of light sun glare in the hair. Another plus is that there is no need to apply a brightener; it is enough to use paint 3-4 shades lighter than your natural color.

Tools:

• A special fine-tooth comb (sold in a set with ombre or balayage dye).
• Directly paint the selected color.
• Gloves.

Instructions:

1. Hair should be divided into horizontal partings. The width of the strands used is no more than 1 cm.
2. You need to dilute the paint with the oxidizing agent in a non-metallic container.
3. Next, you should apply the coloring composition to the comb and distribute it on the selected curls.
4. Staining is carried out in a checkerboard pattern.
5. It is allowed to use paper napkins for transferring strands.
6. Keep the paint on for no more than 40 minutes, then rinse off.

Features and technique

It is possible to perform American highlighting at home, but it is a rather complicated procedure, so it is better to enlist the help of a friend, mother or husband. If you have skills in creating classic highlighting, then feel free to start coloring, but if you are a beginner, it is better to seek help from a professional.

To prepare your curls for coloring, you should carry out a number of simple procedures:

1. wash off black or very dark paint from your hair (using a special solvent);
2. make a course of 5-7 caring or restoring masks (this will prevent the strands from drying out during the lightening process and will not allow the ends to split);
3. the ends need to be trimmed (to keep the hair tidy).

For American highlighting you will need the following tools:

• highlighting cap;
• a comb with wide teeth and a thin handle;
• containers for mixing paint;
• brightening agent;
• tinting balm or paint (2-3 shades);
• mixing containers (plastic or ceramic);
• disposable gloves;
• nourishing hair mask;
• an old T-shirt or negligee.

The staining technique involves the following algorithm of actions:

1. You will need to wear gloves, a peignoir, and a highlighting cap.
2. You need to mix the lightening powder with an oxidizing agent (6% for light brown and blond hair, 9% for dark hair).
3. Using a thin comb handle, we pull out the strands and apply the lightening composition to them. Here you need to adhere to a simple rule - strands should be taken through either 2 or three holes, depending on the desired result - rare or frequent highlighting. It is worth mentioning that when applying the product, you should retreat 2-3 cm from the roots.
4. After the product is distributed, you need to wait 20-30 minutes for it to take effect. The time depends on the selected manufacturer.
5. After the required amount of time has passed, you should rinse the composition from your hair without removing the cap.
6. Now you can start tinting. To do this, you need to mix 2 or 3 shades of the chosen paint in bowls and apply them one by one to slightly dried curls. Leave to act for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water and shampoo. The cap can be removed.
7. Apply a nourishing mask and leave it for half an hour. Rinse off. Proceed with installation.

Attention! Under no circumstances should you use metal utensils to mix paint; they will react with the oxidizing agent.