Hair highlights can alter your whole appearance dramatically. They can brighten up your face, create an illusion of having voluminous hair, and make you look quite youthful. Though seeking the help of a pro is the best for getting your hair highlighted, you can also do it at your home by following some tips and tricks. We got the scoop on how to get perfect DIY hair highlights. Here we go:
Find The Right Kit
When it comes to getting hair highlights like a pro at home, it is important to ace your base. Start with finding the best hair color kit that is preferably one shade lighter than the true or base shade of your hair. Always go for a drip-free, conditioning formula that comes along with a plastic cap, an appropriate spatula, and a suitable brush / applicator.
[Note: The cap and spatula offered by most of the hair color kits available in the market have been found not to serve the purpose rightly. Using the plastic cap might create a splotchy mess while giving your spaghetti-like highlights. So, you can toss it if you wish. Conversely, replace the skinny spatula with a baby toothbrush / (1/4)” paintbrush in order to saturate the whole circumference of the strands. ]
Also Read – Best 7 Highlighters Available In India Here
Pick The Perfect Shade
Picking the shade wisely for your highlights can be quite challenging. The trick is to choose lighter brown shades for very dark (black, dark brown, etc.) hair, dark golden blonde streaks for medium to light brunette hair and silvery blonde streaks for natural blonde hair.
The ‘Strand Test’ Is A Must
No matter how tedious the ‘strand test’ seems to be, it is certainly critical for a perfect DIY highlight. It will give you a clear idea about what you are actually going to get. Your kit will come with all necessary instructions to follow and you should never ever skip it. For a lighter shade, extend the application time for 5 more minutes, but don’t apply the mixture for more than twice.
Also Read – How to Prevent Hair Color Fading? Here
Get Your Locks Prepared
Preparing your hair beforehand will give you minimum trouble during the task. Try to ensure that your hair is not too clean with lots of frizzes, tangles, and flyaways or too dirty with lots of dust and oils. It is recommended that you wash your locks with a clarifying shampoo and opt for a deep conditioning treatment a day before highlighting so that your scalp becomes free from product buildups and the color glides on smoothly to make your highlights look naturally gorgeous.
Follow The Right Method
Streaking your hair the right way is essential for making your at-home highlighting effort successful. You can start with sectioning your hair (around 12 sections will be good) in order to figure out the face-framing strands. Each section should be (1/4)” wide (coarse hair) or even smaller (thin hair). Pin all the sections up separately and let them down one after another as you progress. Apply the dye to the dry hair (1”) lying at the front of the head maintaining a 1cm gap from the scalp. The streak should be thinner (1/2”) as you go to the middle of the head, and become the thinnest (1/4”) once you reach the back and the underlayers.
Cooking Time Is Crucial
Go through the user manual provided with your kit and follow the recommended cooking time strictly. Stopping too soon or too late might kill your attempts completely. Once you stop at the right time, shampoo and rinse each of the highlighted sections well and add back moisture through deep conditioning.
Also Read – 10 Best Brunette Hair Color Shades Here
A Few More Words…
While the aforementioned tips are vital to remember, here are some more important facts to keep in mind for people who are thinking of getting hair highlights at home:
- Protecting your skin from the hair bleach is essential for avoiding damage. Hence, always apply a skin protector to your ears and around your hairline prior to starting.
- Start off slow, especially if you are new to DIY hair highlighting. Stick to your crown area as well as the hair framing your face for the first few sessions. Then, experiment with other parts gradually.
- Color transfer and smudges are very common in at-home hair highlighting. To avoid all these, you must place paper towel or aluminum foil pieces in between the layers during the task.
- Your highlights should not be evenly placed. Asymmetrical streaks always look cooler than the strictly placed ones.
- Highlighted hair often looks dull and unhealthy. A clear gloss will restore its shine and vibrancy in minutes and give it a healthy appearance.
- Let your highlights set completely (wait for a couple of days) before you start washing your locks in a regular manner. This will help them last longer than usual.
- Do not attempt DIY hair highlighting if your hair is highly damaged, chemically relaxed or over-processed.
Check with a professional hair colorist every 6 months and get necessary fixes for your highlights so that they stay natural and gorgeous for long.
Image Credit – Featured, 1, 2, 3
