Hair Lowlights - what is it? Can I do it at home?
Hair Color Lowlights
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Hair Color Lowlights Hair Should be Done by a Professional
Hair color lowlighting and highlighting are techniques best left to a professional hair stylist. What may look like a savings when you buy an over-the-counter hair color lowlights kit can end up costing you easily $100.00 or more to remedy at a hair care salon. Not to even mention the embarrassment of a bad hair color lowlighting job. Corrective hair coloring lowlighting is not cheap.
It’s not that I’m against home hair color lowlighting. This type of hair coloring takes a special technique that is undeniably best left to a professional hair stylist. Even for the hair stylist it is a skill that is built on and perfected after lots of experience. It takes an artistic eye as well as a skilled hand and a know-how of hair coloring to achieve stunning results. The difference between stunning and tiger stripes lowlights is huge!
“Hair Color Lowlights Tips”
Hair color lowlights hair may best be explained as the same technique as highlighting but with the introduction of darker hair color tones instead of lighter hair color tones. This can especially add depth to hair that has been over-lightened. The hair colorist may weave sometimes up to three different hair colors into your hair.
If a dramatic, chunky look is the goal, heavier chunks of hair will be colored. If a subtler look is what you are after, the finest of sections are taken to add lowlights to.
The size of the sections as well as where the hair color that is applied makes all the difference in the end result . . . not to mention the hair color formulation! Normally, this is done with foil in order to keep the hair color off the rest of the hair and the scalp.
Can you see now why hair color lowlights is best left to those who have much experience at it?
TIP : Your best way to find a great hair colorist is to ask around. Start noticing hair color, and stop the woman whose color you really like and ask who she goes to!
Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!
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Hi…..I was wondering if there was a color rinse that I can use to “lighten” my hair. My hair is too dark(black) for my complexion and is there a rinse I can use to color my hair to medium brown.
Thanks, Rich
Comment by Richard — November 5, 2005 @ 9:55 pm
Hi Richard,
Look at my recent article, “Haircolor too dark? Here are your options.”
A “shampoo cocktail” described in the above article may help. But if you have roots showing they will need to be treated differently than the rest of your hair. A rinse will not lighten your hair.
Hope this helps, Barb
Comment by Barb — November 11, 2005 @ 12:18 pm
I had highlights put in my hair. They came very light, almost platinum. I would like to make it a little darker. Should I use a semi-permanant rinse and how long will it last. The bottle says 7-8 washes.
Comment by lauren — January 13, 2006 @ 4:26 pm
To Lauren with platinum highlights;
If a professional did the highlighting, you might ask them to tone it down for you. If you just had this done they may not charge you for the toning.
The best way to correct this is by toning- that would keep the rest of your hair from getting darker. Toning would mean to put on a permanent color-lighter than your own, but (x) amount of shades darker than the highlighted hair.
You could call the 800# if you used a box color and see what they have to advise in their own colorline.
Comment by Barb — January 13, 2006 @ 7:08 pm
My hair is platinum .The exact color is called platinum ice . I would like to add lowlights to make it look more natural also less maintenence .My hair is naturally dark brown . I was wondering what color highlights would look best with platinum hair .My skin tone is warm with light freckles if that helps
Comment by Geneva — March 7, 2006 @ 3:51 pm
My hair is dark blonde, i thought about goin a few shades darker and addin blonde and red highlites, but the lowlites kinda sounds neat too. So im think maybe add some lowlites of shades (about 2 or 3 shades darker) and maybe some blonde highlites as well? Opinion please??
Comment by crystal — March 9, 2006 @ 8:52 pm
my hair is brown.. somedays it can be light, and other days it can be dark. i was thinking of getting chunks of it black. like streaks, but bigger chucks. is this a good idea or will it look bad? thanks.
Comment by KAYLA — March 16, 2006 @ 7:46 pm
I asked for highlights from my stylist and he dyed my whole head blonde with highlights. i cant wait to get back to my natural color but im scared to dye it at home because it might not take and it might look green to go from blonde to dark brown. i am scared also to get my hair stripped for fear that my already brittle hair will fall out. what should i do???
Comment by Amie — March 17, 2006 @ 10:18 am
i am getting my hair done soon and i am gettin blonde highlights put in and i also want like pink tints put in. i dont want pink highlights. i want them to start on the middle layer of hair and just show through the top layer. so they wont start from my roots and also i dont want them to finish at the tips of my hair. how do i explain this to my hairdresser?
Comment by ashleigh — April 8, 2006 @ 10:16 am
I have dark brown hair, and already have blonde highlights(for dimension). I was thinking of getting black lowlights, and dark blue highlights in my hair. Would this look good?
Comment by Storm — April 8, 2006 @ 11:50 am
I think you’ve done a pretty good job right here. If you say what you’ve written that should be enough for your hair stylist to understand.
Comment by Barb — April 8, 2006 @ 1:06 pm
Storm,
What you’re suggesting is asking for more colors than I would want to see in any one persons hair… and to get it back to any one color will take corrective coloring— expensive.
But I’m not you, my answer is no, it won’t look good.
Comment by Barb — April 10, 2006 @ 2:14 pm
i have light to medium brown hair. i want to darken my hair and add a type of red lowlights or highlights . do you have any suggestions as to what colors i need to ask for.
Comment by vanessa — April 17, 2006 @ 8:58 pm
hiya, i naurally have auburn hair and although i like it i fancied a changed, so now i dye my hair a healthy shiny brown colour. In August it’s my birthday so as a present i would like to get highlights in my hair and as i love the colour and am a very girly girl i would like these highlights to be pink, just a few around my hair, i think this would look funky and a change from red and blonde highlights. But do you think that pink is too extreme and bright because i don’t want to have it done and not like it ? thanks x
Comment by emily — July 17, 2006 @ 4:56 pm
Hi…i have dark blonde hair and i want to get brown lowlights. Do you think i should get light blonde highlights as well to blend it in more, or do you think i should get my whole hair dyed light blonde and then just het the brown lowlights?
Comment by ashley — November 10, 2006 @ 8:32 pm
I have a natural auburn color, but since the summer has just ended, I have a lot of natural blonde highlights that I don’t like. I am considering getting my hair done with a dark chocolate color and dark red lowlights. Do you think this would look good? I have a fairly medium skin tone, but it lightens a lot in the winter time. Thanks!
Comment by Krystal — August 29, 2008 @ 9:03 am
Hi,
I have/use med ash brown to cover gray that I started getting when I was 15. I have colored my hair off and on for about 20 or so years. I want to try and let my gray come in natrually. Low-lighting is something I am looking into. Any suggestions on what I could do to make it look good as the gray, a lot of it, comes in?
Thanks so much,
Tina
Comment by Tina — January 12, 2009 @ 11:11 am
Great question Tina!
Diana Lewis has writen a comprehensive book called, Going Gray, Looking Great that I highly recommend. Read more article on this subject and a link to her book here;
http://www.hairstyle-blog.com/gray-hair-strategies.html
Comment by Barb — January 15, 2009 @ 2:05 pm