The Art Of Highlight And Lowlights

By Author: Karen Hansen
Total Articles: 2
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If you want a change in image, there is no easier way to do it than by changing your hairdo. With a mere haircut or top knot, your appearance and aura could change.But what if you feel that cutting and tying are insufficient for the level of makeover you are looking for?Try coloring for a whole new you, there are highlights and lowlights.When done properly, however, tri-color treatments result in hair that has unusual depth, dimension, and movement.Of course, this procedure is extra complicated and needs extra care so that one does not end up looking like a hybrid zebra.

We all have areas that require some extra TLC to look good knows Hair Salon in Layton. The key to great, natural-looking highlights is toknow what shades will work best with your hair color.When our challenging area is thinning hair, there are many ways to instantly give a boost to our hair as well as our self-confidence. A newer trend today is not just highlights or lowlights, though. The fad is to go for both. This is called the tri-color treatment.An integral part of achieving thicker looking hair is using color to create depth and dimension through ...
... highlights and lowlights.Multidimensional color not only looks great, but it also brings the focus away from the crown of your head to your face, where the attention should be!Highlights and lowlights are spot hair color processes. They can be used separately or together depending on the look you wish to achieve. Both can be used with a solid hair color.

Highlights

Adding highlights makes one's hair stand out. Let's make sure we're all on the same page on what highlights are.Highlights add movement and texture to one's hair.Highlights are a color on your hair that is a shade lighter than your natural color.Highlights consist of selecting thin or thick strands of hair that are then lightened at least 2 shades lighter than the rest of your hair. Highlights should complement your natural or artificial hair color. One misconception of highlighting is that highlights are only blonde in color. This is not true.

In summer, try a lighter color of highlights. It's best not to attempt highlights and lowlights at home. Unlike single-process color, it's a customized process. Each shade must be carefully blended to enhance your hair color and complement your skin tone.If you opt for professional highlights, seek out a colorist that will do a consultation for you before your appointment. The more they know about the look you are trying to achieve, the better. Ask for foil highlights using 2-5 shades of a similar tone for a natural look that will add dimension to your hair.

One misconception about highlights is that it only comes in blonde hues. In reality, highlights may be red, gold-any shade that is lighter than one's natural hair color.When brown hair lightens naturally, it has to go through shades of red first. Thus red lowlights make highlights look much more natural on brunettes.Natural blondes have more range in terms of highlights and don't have to adhere firmly to the three-shade rule.Now we're sure you've heard of highlights - but what are low lights? And what's the difference between the two?

Lowlights

If you love the look of highlighting, but don't want a dramatic look, lowlights are the way to go. Adding lowlights to one's hair gives the hair volume and depth. If highlights are made of hues that are two or three shades lighter than your natural hair color, lowlights are two to three shades darker than your natural hair color. Low lighting can be tricky to apply, though, for if the procedure is done by a non-expert, it can result in funky-looking hair colors. Lowlights can do wonders for a hair color. Low lighting consists of taking thin to thick strands of hair and darkening them at least 2 shades darker than the rest of your hair. We recommend adding lowlights every third time you get your hair highlighted.

This will help blend your highlights with your natural hair color, and you won't have to run to the salon with dark roots every six weeks. Lowlights work best for people with naturally light hair color."Flat" blonde hair becomes more exciting with lowlights. They give the hair an added dimension and character, so easily lost with very light natural hues.For some reason, lowlights are less popular than highlights. However, they yield similarly great results.Unlike highlights, lowlights look more natural and subtle. Lowlights, for the most part, are not as popular in hair coloring as highlighting. This seems to be due to the lack of knowledge on the Hair Salon in Layton Stylists part to inform their clients of this service.

To minimize errors, it's a great idea to know what kind of low light shade is suited for your natural hair color. For blondes, use shades of caramel, toffee, honey and bronze. Gold and copper lowlights are best, especially for blondes with very fair skin. They prevent the color from becoming brassy and won't wash out a pale complexion.Generally, going a little darker in winter is best. Darker lights are better for skin that is often paler in winter and won't drain the color from the face.Those with brunette hair may opt to go for brown or red colors such as cinnamon, chocolate or rust. People with red hair can try wearing golden brown and brunette colors.In terms of lowlights, tones of red and tortoise (a blend of copper and gold) colors work best for dark hair.

Utilizing Lowlights and Highlights Together

Adding both highlights and lowlights is sometimes referred to as a tri-color service. To us, this is the best of all hair color services. When mixing highlights and lowlights, the colors should be well blended and natural. Also, don't have the back of your head highlighted too heavily. It seems to give the most natural effect to your hair color. When both are done, it's best to highlight the top a little more heavily than the lowlights. Also, adding more lowlights underneath will give your hair dimension.

This is a service that you should talk to your Hair Salon in Layton Stylist about. We don't recommend trying both together at home.The sun naturally lightens the front of your hair, so highlighting too much in the back will detract from the natural feel of your color.Low lighting can be tricky because you often run into "funky" looking hair colors while going darker and a corrector is often needed to fix this problem. Check out Hair color tips to read more on fixing a bad hair color.

Avoiding a Disaster

Decide if you're getting highlights, lowlights, or both. Highlights are shades that are lighter than the allover hair color, while lowlights are dark colors applied to lighter hair. Lowlights tend to soften a dark color while highlights bring depth.The more you work with your skin tone, the better color results you will have. Know if you look better in cool or warm tones. If you have cool (pink based) skin, highlight with ash and wheat based shades rather than warm tones.If you have warm (yellow based) skin, stay away from golden tones and go for deeper red based tones. A simple way to figure this out is to hold a swatch of silver (cool tone) and a swatch of gold (warm tone) against your face. Whichever looks best against your skin tone tells what type of color family you should stay in. Just make sure you do this test without makeup and with sunlight.

Never go two shades lighter or darker than your natural color- the results will look more Avant Garde than natural and will only showcase thinning hair further. If you already have hair that breaks this rule, see a professional colorist to get it back within your natural range.Skinny highlights and lowlights give a natural sun kissed look that will add visual thickness to your hair.Last but not least go to a professional. While there isn't much risk with doing an allover color at home, there's a lot more room for error with highlights -- from the thickness of the streaks to the tones and shades. Getting highlights should definitely be reserved for the Hair Salon in Layton.

About the Author

Phazes Salon and Day Spa is a hair salon in Layton, Utah providing haircut, hair color services, pedicures and nail care, and massage therapy. Call us at (801) 497-9300 for more information or visit us at http://www.phazessalon.com/