Highlighting 101: How to Master At-Home Brightening
Struggling to commit to a new hair color? If that’s the case, the solution might be that you don’t change your hair color—at least not completely. Rather than dyeing your strands from brown to blonde or vice versa, you can add highlights as a subtler way to overhaul your look. And we’re happy to report you can obtain your new look at-home. That’s right, we're talking about DIY highlights. We’re sharing our beginner’s guide to at-home brightening right here, covering everything from what you’ll need to know in advance to how to highlight your hair at-home to how to take care of colored hair post dye-job.
What to Know Before Highlighting Your Hair at Home
Before you start adding highlights to your hair, there are a few things you should know.
1. Managing expectations is a must. It’s easy to catch sight of a celebrity with stunning highlights and decide that’s exactly how you want your hair to look, but actually duplicating that look is a whole other story. Since highlighting your hair involves bleaching, it can sometimes take multiple sessions to reach the color you’re after. Keep your expectations in check to avoid disappointment or overdoing it with the bleach.
2. Going to a professional may be necessary. While we’re proponents of at-home hair dyeing, we won’t deny it isn’t always the right choice. If you’re making a dramatic color change, you may want to go to a salon and putting your hair in the hands of a pro.
3. There’s more than one option out there. There isn’t just one way to highlight your hair. There are a multitude of tools and techniques, all designed to make your highlights better-looking and easier to achieve. Be sure to keep clicking, because we’re about to share three of our best at-home highlighting options.
When you imagine highlighting your own hair, it’s likely that an image of you, rocking a highlighting cap will pop into your mind. These caps, which are peppered with holes to pull small sections of hair out of, have long been acknowledged as one of the most fool-proof ways to highlight at-home. To try it for yourself, use the L’Oréal Paris Frost & Design. The highlighting kit contains a cap for perfectly placed, precise, and even highlights, along with instructions for how to use it. The end look? A delectable swirl of creamy highlights that give a sun-kissed glow.
Prefer to have more freedom than a cap will allow? If you’re seeking more leeway with where you can place your highlights, a simple tool that slips onto your (gloved) fingertip may be more your style. The L’Oréal Paris Touch-On Highlights kit includes a fingertip tool featuring fine-toothed bristles that smoothly highlight your hair, while the tool itself gives you all the control over where the highlights go.
If you think a hand-held tool may be better for you, we have yet another option you can consider. The L’Oréal Paris Féria Multi-Faceted Highlights offers up an easy-glide highlighting tool that allows you to quickly deliver the multi-faceted shimmer highlighting formula. As for what you can expect your new highlights to look like—this kit provides pure blonde streaks.
Once your hair has shimmering strands sprinkled throughout, it’s time to switch-up your hair care routine. Chances are the products you were using before won’t cut it anymore. Start by making these simple changes.
2. Wash with lukewarm warm water. Are you partial to super steamy showers? Well, we have some bad news: the Hot water may be relaxing, but it can also damage and dry out your hair. To avoid all that, turn down the temperature. Your hair will thank you!
3. Add a hair mask to your routine. Take your routine to the next level by creating a spa-like experience with a hair sheet mask. After rinsing out your shampoo, skip conditioner and put the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Intense Repair Hair Sheet Mask on instead. Let it sit for five minutes, then rinse.
4. Sport an air-dried style. Heat styling isn’t the only way to achieve perfect waves. You can get the look without ever blasting your locks with a blow-dryer or picking up a curling wand. All you actually need is the L’Oréal Paris Advanced Hairstyle AIR DRY IT Wave Swept Spray. Spritz onto damp hair, scrunch, then allow your hair to continue air drying.
