Adding Highlights to Your Hair

Highlights are a great way to liven up any hair style and make it stand out. Highlights range from subtle to extreme, and can be done in many colors and shades.

There are different options when it comes to getting highlights done on your hair. Possibly the best choice, especially if you are inexperienced with highlighting and coloring yourself, is to go to a professional stylist. Your stylist can help you decide what kind of highlights will work best for your hair and what colors flatter your hair. You can also try at-home highlighting products. These can be found in a wide variety of colors and brands at most stores.

If you do decide to highlight your hair at home instead of having it done by a professional, there are a few things to remember. First, if you are new to coloring your hair, be sure to pick a shade that won't be too drastic. That way, if you happen to mess up it won't be as noticeable. Follow the directions on the highlighting kit very carefully to avoid any mishaps. While highlighting, wear something to protect your clothing like an old shirt or a towel draped over your shoulders so that any spills don't cause unfortunate stains.

There are many choices when it comes to highlights. To begin with, you will need to decide what type of highlights you want for your hair. Here are some of the types of highlights you can choose from:

• Foil. Highlighting with foil involves painting sections of the hair, a process that can be time-consuming. Areas of the hair are colored to create the highlights.
• Chunking. Chunk highlights are done on larger areas of hair. This brings attention to certain parts of your hairstyle.
• Lowlights. Lowlights, or streaks, add darker areas to your hair. Adding lowlights can make your hair seem fuller and more textured.
• Slicing. This is when highlights are weaved into hair, adding dimension and contrast to the style.
• Block. This coloring method means that blocks of color are applied to sections of the hair.

If you aren't exactly sure which type of highlighting you want, you may want to look through a magazine and find a picture that demonstrates a look you are interested in. Bring it to the salon with you, and your stylist will be happy to work from the picture to get your hair just how you want it.