

Still, all hair coloring techniques leave the hair at least a little weaker. “Lowlights typically are done with a demi-permanent or a permanent hair color, which can be less damaging on the hair than a highlight,” she explains. Good hair day by Are lowlights better for hair than highlights?Īs you may have guessed, Gibson says that lowlights cause less damage to hair than highlights do. Instead of feeling like your mane is wearing you, you’ll be surprised at how wearable a transition shade makes the color. If you’re totally besotted with icy platinum hair but worry the shade will wash you out, lowlights can make the look less dramatic. There’s a second, entirely different reason to consider making lowlights a part of your life: They can help make a new hair color more wearable. If your hair color seems to fall short of expectation or you’re not loving how thin it looks in photographs, lowlights are probably the right choice. Nobody needs lowlights, but we highly recommend taking them for a spin. Good hair day by Why does anyone need lowlights? If you’ve opted for all over color but feel your strands are missing a bit of oomph, your colorist will probably recommend lowlights. “It’s that same contrast that makes the lighter pieces of your hair look brighter, just like how your white t-shirt looks brighter against your tan.” “A good way to describe the effect of lowlights is how you look better in a white t-shirt when you have a bit of a tan, then when you don’t,” Zabel explains. Without a sharp, deep black shadow to set it off, how could you possibly perceive depth? Lowlights create the same sense of depth, appearing like the shadowy under layer of your impossibly thick hair.

Think of the way an object looks in bright sunlight. These strands should be at least a shade or two darker than your base color, contrasting against the rest of your hair. If highlights are pieces of hair dyed slightly lighter than the rest of the mane, then lowlights are their opposite.
HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS FULL
Wondering what the different types of highlights have to offer? Click here for our full guide.

Many popular highlighting techniques, such as balayage, can help you achieve the same result. A traditional application using foils isn’t the only way to get a highlighted look, however. If a full head of highlights conjures up images of chunky blonde streaks, fear not! Your stylist will carefully lighten select sections to ensure your look is blended and seamless.

“If your base color is brown, your highlights could be light brown or even blonde.If your base color is blonde, your highlights would incorporate lighter blonde shades,” Zabel says. To achieve highlights, your colorist will need to use bleach to lift your hair up to two shades lighter. Highlights are small sections of hair that are lightened using foils or a hand-painted technique to contrast your base color, to add brightness and dimension throughout your mane. Whether you’re looking to add depth to your blonde hair color or lighten and brighten your dark brown strands, keep scrolling for everything you need to know.
HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS HOW TO
lowlights? Lori Zabel, Redken artist and Laura Gibson, L'Oréal Professionnel artist, weigh in on exactly what each service is and how to decide which one is right for you. Though the popular services have been around for ages, there are still so many burning questions surrounding them. If any two color services still leave long-time salon goers scratching their heads in confusion, however, it’s highlights and lowlights. As a salon blonde for the past 10 years (and a beauty editor), I still even find myself googling salon techniques from time to time.
