How To Make Your Own Highlights For Your Hair

@acquired.style / Design past Camden Dechert

We've all been there: Using a boxed colour from the drugstore to agree you over until your next in-salon appointment or to go some serious root coverage. But when it comes to highlighting your own pilus, well, the stakes are much college. Highlighting is not something a professional colorist would always advise you to do from home. Information technology's a multi-step process that requires a lot of detailed attending and a careful, watchful middle (and hand) every step of the way.

Even though a lot can go incorrect, if you've already made upward your mind that you lot're giving to give at-home highlights a endeavor, we desire you to at to the lowest degree do it as safely as possible. Since experts concord that it isn't safe for those who want to lighten all of their pilus more two shades at home, nosotros're going to focus on how those with existing highlights (or hair color in the blonde family) tin touch upwards their colour by highlighting only where the hair parts and the pieces that frame the face.

Encounter the Skillful

KC Carhart is a celebrity colorist at Chris McMillan Salon in Beverly Hills.
Cara Craig is a leading colorist at Suite Caroline Salon in Soho.

Read on to learn how to highlight hair at home like a pro.

01 of 10

Consult With Your Colorist

@dphue

If yous can't wait for a professional to do the job for you, you need to at least talk with one offset. Consulting your colorist volition not only help you to gain some sort of understanding of what you lot're about to do, simply it'due south an opportunity to collaboratively come up upwardly with a strategic arroyo.

Craig cautions that when highlighting your hair at abode, you could end up with a completely different color (because the box photos are never the same), odd placement, a blonde that is way also warm and doesn't friction match the balance of your pilus, or color that is way likewise dark. "I stay in touch with my clients and will troubleshoot their individual situations," she says. "My advice would be to communicate with your colorist and get their recommendation. They know you and your hair."

Some brands, like L'Oreal'due south Colour & Co, will offer a free consultation with a professional person colorist to assistance yous take your best step frontwards with calm hair color. Even if y'all don't have a trusted go-to colorist, if there's someone you honey post-obit on Instagram, or a colour brand you're leaning towards using, ship them a DM asking for communication. About in-person consults are going to be gratuitous of charge anyway, so asking over e-mail or online is no different so long every bit they have a good photo of your current color, preferably in natural lighting. The goal all professionals accept at the end of the day is to make a contribution to skilful hair, and to assist people feel their all-time.

02 of 10

Observe Your Color Kit

@colorandco

After talking with a pro, you should accept gathered some good information to assistance you motion forward, such as your electric current base color or level, and potentially fifty-fifty a specific production recommendation. Now, there are two ways to impact upwards your highlights:

The offset way is with single-process color. That means you lot take 1 color application, rinse, and you're done. Unremarkably, single-process is all-time for an allover modify, or for root touch-ups to conceal gray hair. If your hair is light enough, you lot may be able to pull this off (with your colorist's blessing, of form). If yous become the single process color route, be sure to use a semi- or demi-permanent color to assistance your color fade over time versus leaving a longer-lasting stain on the hair that will create more work to right later on. FYI: These tin only exist used to darken your hair or change the tone.

A single process is really merely going to alter the shade of your hair one to ii levels, which will exist easier for lighter base of operations colors that are already within the nighttime blonde family unit. If your natural base colour is super dark, this isn't going to be your route to lighter strands. Retrieve, "this is more of get-you-by-til-your-colorist-can-see-yous tutorial," says Carhart, "not the time to see if you await good as a DIY blonde." Since this option doesn't entail any bleach, "you'd take to work pretty hard to burn your hair off," Craig tells us. Then at to the lowest degree that rules out ane of the many potential risks.

All highlighting that's washed in the salon is typically done with bleach. Bleaching is more likely to cause serious harm if you aren't careful, such as burning the hair off as Craig referenced higher up. When you lot use bleach, information technology'due south considered a double process job because there are two steps involved to go your desired effect: bleaching and toning. The bleach is going to strip your strands of their current shade, lifting color out a few levels lighter, and the toner is going to and then re-deposit the desired tone. It's a much more intensive procedure for beginners, let alone for doing it yourself at home with no assist. Fifty-fifty in the salon, it's pretty rare to notice a professional using this method without an extra prepare of hands assisting them, so let that be telling of why this method isn't typically advised for DIY.

Before resorting to touching up your own highlights at dwelling house, endeavor an at-home gloss or toning treatment offset. While they won't lighten your roots, they can help tone down unwanted brassiness betwixt appointments, improving the overall look of your highlights. Squad Byrdie loves the Matrix Total Results And then Silver Mask ($26) and the Kristin Ess Signature Gloss in Winter Wheat ($14).

03 of x

Gather Your Materials

@matrix

Go to (or social club online from) a beauty supply store like Sally'southward to gather your supplies, or run into if your colorist can order materials for yous and yous can reimburse them through Venmo (if you practise something similar this, we'd propose including a tip).

Most unmarried-process touch on-ups are going to come in a box or kit that includes everything for you: Your gloves, instructions, mixing solutions, and awarding bottle. Once more, I volition emphasize not to get started with a unmarried process color merely because it seems like shooting fish in a barrel and straightforward. Yous must make sure this is communication direct from your colorist. Carhart reminds us, "it could be x times harder and at to the lowest degree twice every bit expensive subsequently for your colorist to ready box dyes."

For a double process bleach-and-tone, your materials should include:

A color brush
A small mixing basin
Bleach
Peroxide
Some foil. Carhart suggests using kitchen foil and cutting into four" x 6" rectangles
A rat-tail comb
Latex gloves
A color greatcoat or towel and clip

When choosing a peroxide, Carhart says to go on information technology "low low low!" Keeping a low volume will help ensure you don't fry your hair off, and it leaves more hope for your colorist to fix any potential mistakes fabricated. "Nosotros tin can't reattach your hair if it's been broken off!" says Carhart. "If your hair is naturally light (blonde to calorie-free brown), 10 volume is the highest yous should go," she advises. A level x volume peroxide volition lift ane level lighter and a level xx volume will safely lift two. "If your pilus is naturally darker (medium brown to black), use twenty book."

Mix your bleach and peroxide into a thick, but blended consistency. Yous don't want it to exist likewise runny or soupy. Make sure your gloves are on even while mixing. If bleach touches the peel, it will burn down. Bleach will stain your apparel too, so be sure to put your greatcoat on for protection correct away.

04 of 10

Perform a Strand Examination

@bleachlondon

A strand test is when you accept a small sliver of hair and apply your color solution to see how it turns out before going all in. Before yous do this, make sure your pilus is clean. You want clean pilus that'southward product-free so there isn't whatsoever buildup or bulwark on your strands that inhibit penetration.

If you do a strand exam, specifically with bleach, exist sensitive to maintaining your foil placement. Try to become a expert wait at the strand to gauge if it'southward the level of effulgence you were expecting, only be certain to leave your foil in place until it's time to remove and rinse. "[Strand tests] could cause drain marks if people are removing the foil and trying to put the hair back in," says Carhart. "I would merely open up the foil slightly and look at it. When it looks yellow or pale yellow, it'southward ready. The quickness or slowness of the chemical reaction volition depend entirely on the private," she explains. "Typically, lite pilus lifts faster and night pilus lifts slower."

If you're doing a full bleach and tone, y'all tin can test your unabridged process on this strand. It sounds like a lot of extra piece of work, and it is! But better to take the time and risk a single strand that can easily exist subconscious, versus going in at the roots that are most visible but to realize it was non at all what y'all expected. The key to checking your strand test, according to Carhart, is "minimal touching."

05 of x

Choose Your Method

@bleachlondon

There are a lot of ways to physically highlight the hair. When yous go to the salon, your stylist might utilize foils, they might practise balayage (with a brush), or they may even backcomb your ends before using foils and then stick yous under a dryer for an hour. None of that is going to happen for a home application.

Techniques like balayage and backcombing are meant to lighten the ends and highlight all-over. Plus, with those techniques, you don't need to have your ends touched up much at all. "I paint balayage highlights so the grow-out is polish and seamless," says Craig, "so a few more months of roots won't be the end of the world. Your pilus probably looks good."

Remember: this tutorial is the last resort to salvage you betwixt visits. You will only be dealing with your roots.

With that in mind, Carhart suggests using a foil technique for bleaching. The amount of time you leave information technology on for will be dependent upon your colorist'due south advice. Only you can check the foils every five to ten minutes to meet how it'due south lifting (with minimal touching, of course).

If you determine to utilize a single process color kit or a one-step tool, similar DP Hue's Blonding Brush ($28), merely follow the directions that come in the packaging.

06 of 10

Department Your Hair

@koivistokarlsson

Per Carhart'south advice, you're going to get-go by clipping your pilus into iii sections: the two sides (from the back of the ear, forward) and the back. Even though you're sectioning all of your hair, "I would recommend doing equally little as possible," she says. "Simply highlight the 'T-zone' where y'all part your pilus and around the face." That back section can basically be clipped away safely.

Though you'll only be doing a minimal amount of upkeep, keeping all of your hair sectioned keeps you organized and helps to avoid any unnecessary messes or unwanted mess-ups. After your strand test has shown promise, you tin do one or two layers of foils in the "T-zone" as Carhart suggests, right at the surface of your parting.

"While I would avoid doing this in general," says Carhart, "I would avoid going virtually the back of the head at all costs." The parting surface area and hairline are the only working zones. Sectioning is but meant to keep your piece of work area clean and organized.

07 of x

Paint Your Strands

Since every single process application is going to have unique directions of its own, and probable a user-friendly applicator, we're going to use this space to hash out how to attain a highlight impact-up by using the foil method that Carhart suggested.

Commencement wherever your natural parting is, either on the side or down the eye. "Brainstorm by slicing super fine sections (similar, see-through!) using your tail comb to weave some pieces of pilus out," says Carhart. Place the thinly sectioned hairs onto your foil, and stretch them down taut against your head. Use your brush to assemble a scoop of your bleach mixture and firmly press it down onto your strands as if you were painting a thick stroke of acrylic pigment with a paintbrush. You want it to be rich and thick but still spread out into an even layer. You shouldn't need too much since the sections you lot're working with are so fine. "Paint the bleach on your roots and avoid overlapping onto the blonde from your previous colour chore," says Carhart.

When it comes time to apply around the hairline, accept a fine piece of hair out using your tail comb and weave the aforementioned way Carhart brash with the parting. And then, place a foil confronting your forehead or cheek, and lay the finely sliced hair on top of the foil. "Make sure to saturate, but not over saturate. So fold the bottom of the foil to meet the top, and corner in the tops of the sides a little bit so the foil doesn't sideslip." Don't be as well shy with saturation either. If your awarding isn't saturated, you'll have a splotchy, spotty-looking bleach job.

While Carhart thinks that the hairline is the easiest to exercise yourself, she warns that it nonetheless requires some serious hand-eye coordination. "If you lot have never mastered how to curl your own pilus, and then highlighting at home is definitely not for you."

The about important role of applying your bleach is to ensure it does not touch the scalp. "Try to get about i/four inch abroad from the root because bleach will expand," Carhart explains. "If it does, and you run across the product seeping out when y'all close the foil, you will accept what's called a drain mark (more normally known equally a cheetah spot)." If bleach touches the scalp or pare, rinse the area immediately.

Any hard-to-reach areas, Carhart simply says, "Don't do them."

08 of 10

Employ Your Toner

@biolage

Toner'due south task is to neutralize the intense yellow shade that appears from bleaching and make it look more natural. This is the clandestine sauce that eliminates brassiness and other unwanted tones to help yous accomplish your desired outcome.

When it comes to your toner, "keep it simple," says Carhart. "Ideally I would attempt and take the foils out at a place where you don't demand a toner. If your hair is blonde, this is much easier. You wait until the highlights are a pretty color and then yous have the foils off. If y'all're a brunette, you lot need to pay closer attending."

Carhart tells u.s. that the "sweet spot" for darker brunettes is 2 to three shades lighter than their natural color. The safer, low-volume peroxide that nosotros're working with for these at-home touch-ups will simply lift you one to two shades lighter. And so if you lot've been highlighting for a while and working with your colorist to become blonder from a super dark natural base of operations color, you're better off resorting to throwing on a baseball cap and hiding those roots. If you're a dark brunette that only needs a light bear on-up at the roots, merely be sure not to overlap the bleach onto your previous colour job as Carhart warned before. The overlap could cause a funky color spot or potential breakage.

The potential of leaving the bleach on likewise long could also create a problem for your toning approach. "If yous open the foil and the hair looks kinda red/orange, you're too early," Carhart warns us. The color yous want to see earlier you remove the foils to rinse is yellowish. After the bleach has been thoroughly rinsed out, you'll apply your toner.

09 of 10

Follow Up With a Deep Conditioning Treatment

Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask $32.00

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After any color treatment or chemical treatment that heightens the hair'due south porosity levels, you lot want to be sure you're upping the conditioner and getting extra moisture dorsum into the hair. You'll detect, especially afterward using bleach, that your hair feels straw-similar, brittle, and extremely dried out, so a good conditioning handling is crucial.

Turn to your conditioner afterward your toner is completely rinsed out and you've shampooed your hair. If you followed Carhart's advice and passed on the toner, y'all could employ a production similar Davines Alchemic Conditioners in Silver, Golden, or Tobacco ($33) and allow that serve as your balmy toner. That manner, you don't have to put yourself at risk of pulling the foils off too late. Blue conditioners will assist neutralize the warmth if your hair pulls more than orange or yellowish. Otherwise, whatsoever deep workout treatment will work. Virtue's Restorative Treatment Mask ($32) is another dandy option and will assist restore your hair from the inside out.

You don't desire to skip this pace—information technology'll add a boost of polish and softness to your strands that will aid you experience like you just left the salon. Keep upwardly this treatment until you lose that harbinger-similar feeling when shampooing.

x of 10

Blow Dry and Cross Check

@dysonhair

Now it's time to see your best efforts in action. Accident dry around the hairline and part first, fifty-fifty if you didn't practice a bleach-and-tone. Once you're 80-90 percent dry, grab a round brush or flat brush to help you smooth out the hair. Using a smoothing nozzle or concentrator will besides assist you become the hair to a place where you can run across things clearly.

If you lot find whatsoever problem areas, get your hair fully stale and smoothed out before contacting your colorist in a panic. You lot'll want to provide another photo in good natural lighting, and the blow dry will help brandish things clearly. Worst example scenario, you'll be back to square one, waiting for a pro, only this time it will exist for a color correction. But if y'all're extremely cautious and vigilant in following the steps above, you might but laissez passer with flight colors.