Lena Rivera
Painting highlights on shoulder-length hair can be done at home and is a great way to add depth and dimension to your hair. Before you begin, make sure you have all the necessary supplies, including a colour brush, mixing bowl, bleach, peroxide, foil, a rat-tail comb, gloves, and a towel or cape to protect your clothing. Start by dividing your hair into sections—the number of sections will depend on the thickness and length of your hair. Then, apply your colour with a brush or your fingers, starting at the top of the highlight and working your way down to the ends. If you're using foil, wrap the coloured hair in foil and move on to the next section. If you're not using foil, simply continue painting highlights until you've finished the entire section. Finally, don't forget to rinse and condition your hair after the colour has processed!
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Highlighting Techniques | Balayage, Foil Highlights, Hair Painting, Highlighting Caps |
| Hair Length | Shoulder-length or longer hair is ideal for balayage, but all lengths can be used |
| Hair Colors | Suitable for blondes, brunettes, and redheads |
| Hair Types | Straight, wavy, or curly hair |
| Supplies | Color brush, mixing bowl, bleach, peroxide, foil, rat-tail comb, latex gloves, color cape or towel |
| Strand Test | Apply color to a small, hideable chunk of hair to test |
| Hair Sections | Divide hair into equally-sized sections; the number depends on hair length and thickness |
| Application Technique | Use a brush to apply color to individual strands; start a few centimeters from the hairline |
| Highlight Placement | Focus on strands that frame the face and the top layer of hair |
| Grow Out | Balayage and hair painting offer a softer, more natural grow-out than foil highlights |
| Touch-Ups | Apply touch-ups to roots when significant growth is visible to avoid affecting the rest of the hair color |
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$13.97 $16.99
What You'll Learn
Choosing the right colour
Skin Tone and Undertone
The first step in determining the right hair colour is to assess your skin tone and undertone. If you have a cool skin tone, which is characterised by blue or purple veins and silver jewellery complementing your skin, opt for cool-toned highlights. Conversely, if your skin tone is warm, with green veins and gold jewellery flattering your complexion, choose warm-toned highlights. Additionally, consider the undertones of your skin. Warm undertones have hints of yellow or gold, while cool undertones exhibit pink or blue hues.
Natural Hair Colour
Your natural hair colour plays a significant role in selecting the right highlights. If you have a gingery base colour, for instance, blonde highlights can create a stunning strawberry-blonde look. For red hair, adding lighter shades through highlights can enhance the shape and movement, giving the illusion of more volume and texture. You can also experiment with bold colours like blond or black highlights or softer shades like strawberry blonde, copper, and rose gold.
Hair Texture and Thickness
The texture and thickness of your hair are important considerations when choosing a highlight colour. If you have thin or fine hair, opt for muted shades of beige and bright platinum to add dimension and create the feeling of fullness. On the other hand, babylights, which are delicate highlights, can be used to achieve a more blended look without going for a solid blonde all over.
Personal Preference and Trends
Ultimately, the choice of highlight colour comes down to personal preference and the look you want to achieve. You can go for trendy options like chunky highlights, the money piece, or dimensional highlights. Consult with a professional hairstylist who can assess your hair type, skin tone, and lifestyle to recommend the most suitable colour options and keep you updated with the latest trends and techniques.
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Sectioning the hair
Firstly, decide on the desired result. Do you want bold, blocky bands or soft, seamless ribbons? Are you aiming for a textured style with brightness, or do you want to address significant regrowth? Communicate with your client about their desired outcome, as this will influence the sectioning technique you choose.
Next, prepare the hair by ensuring it is well-brushed, dry, and free of any products. Starting with a middle part, divide the hair into four clear sections: one on top, two on each side, and two in the middle. Clip each section to keep them separate.
Now, you can begin sectioning the hair for highlights. There are three main techniques: horizontal, vertical, and diagonal.
The horizontal placement is perfect for achieving a seamless, blended effect, especially if you are addressing regrowth. This technique can be used to create soft, natural-looking highlights. Start from the back, placing the foil horizontally at the parted sections, and apply the color. Work your way up to the crown, and then repeat the process on the other side.
The vertical placement is ideal for clients who desire texture and brightness in their hair color. It is perfect for highly contrasting colors and a more defined look. Starting from the face frame, apply the foil horizontally towards the part. Then, move to the back two subsections, working at a 45-degree angle from the nape towards the crown.
The diagonal placement is perfect for face-framing and bold, versatile blondes. This technique is suitable for clients with various partings. Start from the front side, dividing the hair into two subsections at the temple. Place the section nearest to the ear, working at a 45-degree angle from the front side of the crown. Repeat the process on the other side.
Additionally, you can experiment with different patterns within these sections, such as the zig-zag pattern or the weaving method, to create unique effects and enhance the final result.
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Application techniques
There are several application techniques for painting on highlights for shoulder-length hair, including balayage, foil highlights, and hair painting.
Balayage
Balayage is a French word meaning "to sweep" or "to paint" and is a hand-painted hair highlighting technique that creates natural-looking, sun-kissed dimension within your hair. Unlike foil highlights, balayage offers a more organic look with softer grow-out and less noticeable regrowth lines. It is suitable for a wide range of hair colours, types, and lengths, but looks particularly stunning on shoulder-length or longer hair as the extra length allows the colour to cascade and blend effortlessly.
To apply balayage, you can use a brush to paint the bleach onto your roots, avoiding overlapping with the previously coloured hair. You can also use the foil technique in conjunction with balayage by placing a piece of foil against your forehead or cheek, laying the hair you want to highlight on top of the foil, saturating it with bleach, and then folding the foil to prevent slipping.
Foil highlights
Foil highlights are one of the most common highlighting techniques and use aluminium foil to isolate strands of hair before applying colour. This method provides a more uniform, evenly spaced look, with each highlight running from root to tip. To apply foil highlights, separate your hair into small strands and place a piece of foil underneath each strand to create a barrier. Then, dip your brush into the highlight dye and brush it onto the hair above the foil, ensuring it is evenly saturated from root to tip. Finally, wrap the foil around the strands and let the dye sit for the recommended timeframe before rinsing.
Hair painting
Hair painting is a freehand colouring technique that offers a natural and customisable approach to highlighting. It involves applying colour directly to the hair using a brush, creating a soft, gradient effect that blends seamlessly with the hair's natural colour. Hair painting can be performed on larger sections of hair and is typically used for more dramatic colour changes. It can be used to create bold, fashion-forward looks or natural-looking highlights.
When applying hair painting highlights, you can start a few centimetres from the hairline and apply the colour in a lighter, feathered manner to help the grow-out process. You can also pull small pieces of hair out and dip your index and thumb fingers in colour, starting at the top of the hair and pulling the colour through to the ends.
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Avoiding common mistakes
Before attempting to highlight your hair at home, it is important to be aware of some common mistakes and how to avoid them. Firstly, if you are using bleach, ensure it does not touch your scalp. Bleach will expand, so keep it about a quarter of an inch away from the root. If it touches your scalp or skin, rinse the area immediately. Avoid attempting to highlight hard-to-reach areas, as this can lead to mistakes.
When choosing a peroxide, opt for a lower volume to prevent hair breakage. If your hair is naturally light, a volume of 10 is the highest you should go, and if your hair is naturally darker, a volume of 20 is recommended. It is also important to note that highlighting your hair at home requires good hand-eye coordination. If you struggle with tasks like curling your hair, highlighting may not be suitable for you.
To avoid brassiness, use a toner to neutralise the intense yellow shade that can appear after bleaching. Toners can also help to eliminate other unwanted tones and enhance the overall look of your highlights. Additionally, be cautious when lightening your hair, as it can easily turn out too light. If this happens, a toner can help level out the colour and reduce brassiness.
Finally, when applying colour, use a tint brush and start a few centimetres away from the hairline. Apply the colour in a lighter, feathered manner to help the grow-out process and prevent harsh and flat results. By following these tips, you can avoid common mistakes and achieve better results when painting on highlights for shoulder-length hair.
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Aftercare and maintenance
Maintaining your hair highlights is crucial if you want them to look good for a long time. Here are some detailed aftercare and maintenance tips for your shoulder-length hair:
Reduce Hair Washing Frequency: Frequent washing is one of the main reasons highlights fade quickly. Try to wash your hair less often to prolong the intensity of your highlights. When you do wash your hair, use normal-temperature or cold water, as hot water can cause the outer layer of the hair to open up, leading to colour fading.
Use Sulfate-Free, Colour-Safe Shampoo and Conditioner: Sulfates can strip away your hair colour, so opt for sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners designed for colour-treated hair. Look for products with UV filters to protect against sun damage and ingredients like argan oil to lock in moisture.
Deep Conditioning Treatments: Highlighted hair is more prone to dryness and damage due to the chemical processes involved. Incorporate regular deep conditioning treatments into your hair care routine to maintain your hair's health and shine.
Heat Protection: Heat styling can also contribute to colour degradation. Always apply a heat-protectant product before using any heat-styling tools to shield your hair from damage and colour fading.
Gloss or Toner: To maintain the vibrancy of your highlights and counteract brassiness, consider getting a gloss or toner every few months.
Lowlights: If you want to add depth and dimension to your hair, consider incorporating lowlights. Lowlights use darker shades, which can break up overly light hair and bring richness to your base colour. While they can fade more quickly, they require fewer touch-ups because they grow out less noticeably.
Remember, proper aftercare and maintenance will help you keep your highlights looking fresh and beautiful for longer!
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Frequently asked questions
Before colouring, brush your dry, product-free hair until it is tangle-free. Divide your hair into equally-sized sections—the number of sections will depend on the length and thickness of your hair. If you're a beginner, start with a few light highlights to shape your face.
Balayage is a hand-painted highlighting technique that creates a sun-kissed, natural-looking dimension. It is suitable for all hair colours and types and looks particularly stunning on shoulder-length or longer hair as the extra length allows the colour to cascade and blend effortlessly.
While most at-home highlight kits include everything you need, some additional tools you may need include a colour brush, mixing bowl, bleach, peroxide, foil, a rat-tail comb, latex gloves, and a colour cape or towel to drape over your shoulders as you work.
