There's a reason all the girls in L.A. go for highlights — single-process color is striking, but those ribbons of lightness do so much
for your complexion. Highlights can accentuate eye color, bring out
cheek bones, and even slim faces. They show off the lines of your hair
cut, create depth, and the illusion of fullness. They are a great
introduction to hair color — and, despite what you've heard, they work
for all hues.
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Ahead,
you'll learn about some of the most important factors to achieving a
perfect highlight: size, placement, amount, and lightness level. With
the right colorist and technique, you'll get the streaks you want in no
time.
The
two most common techniques used for highlighting are balayage (freehand
painting), and foil. Different artists will use one or the other
depending on the desired look and their personal preference. But a
skilled colorist can achieve any look using either technique.
How Light Should You Go?
[post_ads]Of course, the color you choose is up to you, but there are some general guidelines for achieving the most flattering hue for your complexion. f you have pink undertones, then you might want to avoid having warmth in your highlights. It will make you look flushed in the same way that wearing a red shirt would. Check the veins in your arms: If you have green veins and gold flecks in your eyes, then you're a warm skin tone. You should generally opt for cool tones like sandy blondes, and beige blondes.
If you have an olive skin tone, blue veins, and silver-grey flecks in your eyes, then golden blonde tones will bring warmth to your face, and make your skin appear less green. Try buttery blondes, honey, and strawberry.
If your skin tone is neutral and has no pink or green, then (lucky you!) you can go for either warm or cool blonde hues.
Think About Placement And Size
Foils
Balayage
Balayage
is the French word for "to sweep," and it refers to the sweeping motion
the brush makes when painting bleach on to the hair. This technique
involves carving out swatches of hair in revolutions around the head.
The bleach is painted freehand, directly on the hair, and covered with
cellophane. Because the bleach is exposed to the air, it weakens quickly
(in the same way a bottle of Clorox would weaken if you left the cap
off), so it's necessary to use high strengths of lighteners. Also, it
results in a much less systematic and more haphazard look then foil, and
is best used for edgy, beachy looks like surfer-chic highlights and
ombré.
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Hygge
This Danish-inspired color trend
has taken over L.A. The highlighting technique is a variation of
balayage — adding warmth and dimension to singular-toned hair by
infusing soft coppers, amber-based oranges, and faint blonds.
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Lowlights refers to strands of darkness woven back into the hair to return contrast to hair that's been highlighted repeatedly. They are usually the same level of darkness as the base color (or within a shade or two) and they can be used to bridge the gap between a very dark base color that has very light highlights.
[post_ads]By weaving an in-between shade of
lowlight, you can connect the two other colors and avoid looking
stripy. It's important to periodically check with your colorist to see
if you need to weave in a few lowlights. You never want your skin tone
to match you hair color, so prevent looking washed out by doing
lowlights when necessary.
Babylights
are soft, fine highlights that are placed around the hairline. "With
babylights, you can add a shimmer of color if you scatter them
throughout — or, if you do it all over the head, it’s super delicate,"
says stylist Jack Howard of London's Paul Edmonds salon. "It’s so fine,
it looks like you were born with it.”
For the brunette looking for some natural-looking warmth, we suggest screengrabbing this soft look as inspiration.
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For darker hair, try sombré. “Low-maintenance color has been a trend for a while and has now been amplified with sombré, a subtler and blended take on ombré,” says colorist Tracey Cunningham. “Sombré is a softer, more wearable and natural, look that is flattering on everyone, but especially brunettes.”
Lowlights
Lowlights refers to strands of darkness woven back into the hair to return contrast to hair that's been highlighted repeatedly. They are usually the same level of darkness as the base color (or within a shade or two) and they can be used to bridge the gap between a very dark base color that has very light highlights.
Babylights
Sombré
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For darker hair, try sombré. “Low-maintenance color has been a trend for a while and has now been amplified with sombré, a subtler and blended take on ombré,” says colorist Tracey Cunningham. “Sombré is a softer, more wearable and natural, look that is flattering on everyone, but especially brunettes.”
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Curly girls, rejoice! Over 20 years ago, Devachan Salon came up with this technique meant for textured hair. A colorist hand paints curls without using foils. Once they identify the strands that catch the most light, more dimension is added.
Pintura
Curly girls, rejoice! Over 20 years ago, Devachan Salon came up with this technique meant for textured hair. A colorist hand paints curls without using foils. Once they identify the strands that catch the most light, more dimension is added.
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