Highlight Lowlight Hair Color Is Still A Thing

Highlight and lowlight hair foiling is becoming even more popular these days and is one of our most requested hair colors.  Tons of women show us pictures of J.Lo wanting her dimensional hair color and the best way to achieve this is through the highlight lowlight technique.  The color is achieved by adding the highlight foil with a lighter color or bleach, and the lowlight foil with a complimentary darker color or color(s).  I prefer to use foils since each color is perfectly packaged and there is no chance of them running together, but the free-hand balayage technique is also a good option.  The look is not streaky, instead, the lowlights are generally a tone in between the darkest and lightest strands of hair.  This technique is used on all colors of the rainbow with the main reason to add dimension and create a voluminous contrast.  Hair will appear thicker when using contrasting colors and the technique can be as subtle or bold as the hair artist intends.

Benefits of Highlight/Lowlights

1)  Perfect to balance out overly highlighted color and to shift tones.

2)  Creating a more natural-looking color pallet. Your stylist will choose between baby-lights, thin or thick hair weave, or slice foiling techniques. 

3)  Naturally blended color leads to longer-lasting hair color and less frequent visits to the salon.

4)  Helps to add different hues such as warm or cool without toning and shifting the natural base color, best done with semi-permanent hair color. 

5)  Help to color correct over-processed hair, but should be done by an expert hair colorist.

6)  Grey color blending with both highlight and lowlights creates an exquisite look especially on "salt and pepper hair color.  The end result is a less harsh shade, and yes grey hair can be highlighted.

7)  When considering a color change with all-over color, try some lowlights to darken the hair.

8)  Highlights and lowlights will brighten dull ends of the hair.

Highlight Lowlight Foil With Veila Pull-Thru Hair Extensions

What To Consider

Lowlights will fade on pre-lightened hair, especially in the sun or while shampooing.  it is important to consider the health of your hair before adding lowlights since bleaching over them is not recommended.  As with all hair colors, proper hair care is required to prevent damage and color fading.

Consider using purple shampoo and conditioning masks, Olaplex makes both and are specifically formulated for processed hair.  Avoid using high heat from a curling or flat iron since this is a sure-fire way to damage hair and destroy hair color.  

Test Drive Your Hair Color

When considering a color change, use some pieces of Veila pull-thru hair extensions to add dimension or blend in a new shade.  Hair extensions are not always intended to add length and are very helpful in adding hair color.  The Veila method is applied without glue, tape, or sewing, therefore they are very gentle on the hair.  I often add a few panels of hair extensions to add a complimentary hair color without coloring or bleaching my client's hair.

Hair color speaks to your individual style, we are fortunate to have many hair colors and techniques to find a hair color we are passionate about..  The hair industry is filled with a myriad of creative and talented hair colorists who feature their work on social media.  If you like what you see, then finding the right stylist for you should be a simple task.

Note: While there is a lot of fun to be had with a hair color chart and hair dye, if you have an existing hair color on your hair, you might need to be careful on the hair color remover and its process to achieve your baseline hair color to start from. While hair color trends for 2021 might get you ready for a fun season, taking the right precautions will get you there stress-free.