Highlights on long hair: the types and subtleties of implementation

Sometimes there are situations when girls want to change their image, but at the same time they do not decide on radical changes. For example, a change in hair color is quite a decisive measure, besides traumatic strands, so highlighting will be the best way out in such a situation.

Highlighting on long hair involves bleaching individual strands in bright shades that are different from the native color. Most often they select related light colors. As a result, the curls create the effect of smooth color shimmering, the hair becomes as if sun-bleached, which makes their appearance more well-groomed and fresh.

The advantages of this technique include the following.

• Coloring does not require frequent correction. As the hair grows, the border between native and colored areas becomes hardly noticeable, so you will not have to visit the colorist more than once a quarter.
• Gentle effect. The technique is the best option to change the hair color without resorting to full coloring. When highlighting, they paint no more than 50% of the strands, because the procedure is much less dangerous for the hair than monochromatic dyeing.
• Increase volume. Properly done highlighting visually adds volume to a hairstyle, increases thickness and opacity, creates a 3D effect.

However, we should not forget that, like any technique associated with chemical exposure to hair, highlighting has its drawbacks.

• It is rarely used on bright red and black hair. Such tones are washed out very badly and it is impossible to achieve overflows without strong pre-bleaching.
• If the hair has been dyed, the strands can be repainted no earlier than in a month, otherwise the final shade will differ significantly from the expected one.
• Highlighting - the procedure is quite long, if you decide on this type of highlighting, then be prepared for the fact that you will have to spend about 4 hours in a hairdressing salon.
• Despite the fact that only part of the hair is repainted, the risk of damage remains, therefore, in the absence of proper care after the procedure, the hair may soon become like a bundle of straw.
• With the wrong choice of shade curls can get untidy and unkempt appearance, so when planning color should consult with the master. He will tell you what shades will best fit on the hair, taking into account the characteristics of the strands, haircuts and color type of appearance.

Depending on what color effect you are counting on, highlighting for long hair can be performed in one of the following techniques.

• Classic - in this case, separately taken strands discolor, due to which they effectively stand out against the background of the total mass of the main shade. In this design, the curls to be clarified are selected with a comb comb in a zigzag pattern with the same pitch, and after they have been applied a coloring composition, they are wrapped in foil. This coloring is most often used by brunettes.

• American - This option is designed to obtain the effect of solar glare on the strands. Usually, soft overflows from a dark shade to a lighter shade are made from the roots to the tips, while the oxygenating agent makes it possible to lighten individual strands by 3-4 tones. The result is the effect of sun-bleached hair.

• Mazhimesh - equipment, which was first introduced in France. It involves the use of ammonia-free dyes, which are quite harmoniously set off by thick light brown and light blond curls, creating a modulation that is as close as possible to the natural color.

• Shatush - a kind of highlighting, in which the dye is gently shaded along the entire length of the hair. Distinctive features of such staining are bouffant on the strands, chaotic strokes and color drying without the use of foil and film.

• Balayazh - this method of coloring is used for dark hair. It allows you to bring feminine and romantic notes of sun glare into the look, while the color transitions can be both smooth and sharp.

The most popular is considered to be highlighting, which is performed in light shades.

It is difficult for the owners of red and red hair shades to highlight; the pigment is poorly colored. However, when using good oxidants, the image can be very bright, but at the same time elegant - most often they use shades of beige, amber or cherry color.

Regardless of which shade you prefer, you should keep in mind the basic rule of highlighting - cold colors (autumn and winter) are suitable for cold shades, and for owners of warmer “summer” and “spring” types, warm colors will suit, respectively. If this principle is violated, highlighting can play a pretty bad joke with women by adding a couple of years visually.

There are several interesting highlighting options. Some of them allow you to create soft color play, while others are aimed at creating stylish contrasts.

Depending on the staining technique, the following techniques are distinguished:

• full - in this case, 40-55% of the total mass of the hair is decorated;

• rare - at the same time no more than 20% of hair is dyed, strands are isolated rather thick, separated from each other;

• zonal - assumes coloring of separate areas, most often it is a bang, the locks framing a face, or asymmetrical curls;

• topography - This selects strands for dyeing only on the top of the stacks;

• interior lights - here on the inside of the curls are bright highlights;

• "frost" - such highlighting is most in demand among owners of curly hair.

• small - in this case, fine strands are selected in a chaotic manner all over the head, which become discolored and then tinted to eliminate the effect of yellow hair.

For the procedure using paints of three types.

• Creamy This is the most common option. The consistency of the composition gently falls on the strands, does not spread, well distributed over the entire length of the curls.
• Oily. Due to the special structure allows the pigment to penetrate as deep as possible into the hair.
• Powdered. The most aggressive in its effects of all the rest. This composition allows you to achieve maximum bleaching strands, but it often causes irritation and allergies.

Highlighting is a rather complicated procedure that is best done in the cabin. But if a girl does not have the opportunity to visit a professional colorist, then you can resort to highlighting through a cap - this method is most popular when staining at home.

Step by step procedure is as follows.

1. A special hat for highlighting is put on the hair. It can be purchased ready-made or made on its own by making small holes in a checkerboard pattern in a swimming cap made of polyethylene.
2. With the help of a pin or hook, thin strands are taken out of the holes. To achieve the maximum change in hair shade, you should pull the hair out of each hole, if you intend to achieve a coloring of medium intensity - then you need to pull the strands through one, and for easy performance - through two.
3. Dye the paint in a glass or porcelain bowl and apply it with a brush or sponge over the selected strands. The exposure time of the composition depends on the desired result. If you want to achieve discoloration of one tone, then the paint is kept for 15-20 minutes, for maximum clarification it is washed off only after 40-50 minutes. The maximum allowable time, as a rule, is indicated in the instructions for the coloring composition.
4. Streaked strands are washed with a special deep-cleaning shampoo designed to care for colored hair. After all the paint is washed off, you should certainly apply a balm conditioner.

After highlighting long hair, you need to pay particular attention to their care. Special shampoos for colored hair should be used, since the usual ones contain sulphates, which wash out the coloring pigment and as a result the color is dull and lifeless.

It is necessary to minimize all the effects on hair at elevated temperatures - limit the use of irons and ploek for styling, and if this is not avoided, then apply heat protection agents to the hair before use.

Be sure to resort to the use of masks and serums that restore the structure of curls, heals and improves the appearance of the strands.

Highlighting for long hair appeared 70 years ago and since then has always remained fashionable and relevant, as if re-experiencing its birth. At the same time, the principle of coloring remains unchanged, but with each season new coloring techniques and spectacular color combinations appear.

If you still doubt whether to smooth out your long curls or not, get acquainted with our photo selection. Perhaps examples of stylish coloring will inspire you to change the usual way.

With the technique of dyeing balayazh you can get acquainted in the next video.