How To Put Blonde Streaks In Your Hair

@acquired.fashion / Blueprint by Camden Dechert

We've all been there: Using a boxed colour from the drugstore to concord you over until your adjacent in-salon date or to go some serious root coverage. Merely when it comes to highlighting your own hair, well, the stakes are much higher. Highlighting is not something a professional colorist would e'er suggest you to do from dwelling. It's a multi-step process that requires a lot of detailed attending and a careful, watchful eye (and hand) every step of the way.

Even though a lot tin become wrong, if yous've already made up your mind that you're giving to give at-habitation highlights a try, we want you to at least practise it as safely as possible. Since experts agree that it isn't rubber for those who desire to lighten all of their pilus more than than two shades at home, we're going to focus on how those with existing highlights (or hair color in the blonde family) can touch upwardly their color past highlighting only where the hair parts and the pieces that frame the face.

Meet the Proficient

• KC Carhart is a celebrity colorist at Chris McMillan Salon in Beverly Hills.
• Cara Craig is a leading colorist at Suite Caroline Salon in Soho.

Read on to acquire how to highlight hair at home like a pro.

01 of ten

Consult With Your Colorist

@dphue

If you lot can't expect for a professional to do the job for you, you demand to at to the lowest degree talk with one first. Consulting your colorist will not just help you to gain some sort of understanding of what you're about to do, but it'south an opportunity to collaboratively come with a strategic arroyo.

Craig cautions that when highlighting your hair at home, you could cease upwards with a completely different color (because the box photos are never the same), odd placement, a blonde that is way as well warm and doesn't match the rest of your hair, or colour that is fashion also dark. "I stay in touch with my clients and volition troubleshoot their individual situations," she says. "My communication would be to communicate with your colorist and go their recommendation. They know you and your hair."

Some brands, similar 50'Oreal'south Color & Co, volition offer a free consultation with a professional colorist to aid y'all take your all-time step forward with at-habitation hair color. Even if you don't have a trusted go-to colorist, if there's someone you love following on Instagram, or a colour brand y'all're leaning towards using, ship them a DM asking for advice. Most in-person consults are going to be free of charge anyhow, and then asking over e-mail or online is no different and then long as they accept a adept photograph of your current color, preferably in natural lighting. The goal all professionals have at the stop of the 24-hour interval is to make a contribution to good hair, and to help people feel their best.

02 of 10

Discover Your Colour Kit

@colorandco

Later talking with a pro, you should take gathered some skillful information to aid y'all movement forward, such as your current base color or level, and potentially fifty-fifty a specific product recommendation. Now, there are two means to touch up your highlights:

The first fashion is with single-process colour. That means you have ane colour application, rinse, and y'all're done. Normally, unmarried-process is best for an allover change, or for root impact-ups to conceal gray hair. If your hair is lite enough, you may be able to pull this off (with your colorist's blessing, of course). If you become the single process color route, be certain to use a semi- or demi-permanent color to help your color fade over time versus leaving a longer-lasting stain on the hair that volition create more work to correct later. FYI: These can simply be used to darken your pilus or change the tone.

A single process is really only going to alter the shade of your hair one to two levels, which will be easier for lighter base of operations colors that are already inside the night blonde family. If your natural base of operations color is super nighttime, this isn't going to be your route to lighter strands. Remember, "this is more of get-you-past-til-your-colorist-can-see-you tutorial," says Carhart, "non the time to meet if you lot look proficient as a DIY blonde." Since this option doesn't entail whatever bleach, "you'd accept to work pretty hard to burn down your hair off," Craig tells united states. So at least that rules out one of the many potential risks.

All highlighting that's done in the salon is typically washed with bleach. Bleaching is more than likely to crusade serious impairment if yous aren't careful, such as called-for the hair off as Craig referenced above. When you use bleach, it's considered a double process job because there are 2 steps involved to get your desired consequence: bleaching and toning. The bleach is going to strip your strands of their current shade, lifting color out a few levels lighter, and the toner is going to then re-eolith the desired tone. Information technology'due south a much more intensive process for beginners, permit lone for doing information technology yourself at dwelling house with no assistance. Even in the salon, information technology's pretty rare to detect a professional person using this method without an extra ready of hands assisting them, so permit that be telling of why this method isn't typically advised for DIY.

Before resorting to touching up your own highlights at habitation, try an at-abode gloss or toning treatment outset. While they won't lighten your roots, they can assistance tone downwards unwanted brassiness between appointments, improving the overall look of your highlights. Team Byrdie loves the Matrix Total Results Then Silver Mask ($24) and the Kristin Ess Signature Gloss in Wintertime Wheat ($14).

03 of 10

Gather Your Materials

@matrix

Go to (or order online from) a dazzler supply store similar Sally'southward to gather your supplies, or see if your colorist can order materials for you lot and yous can reimburse them through Venmo (if you lot exercise something like this, we'd suggest including a tip).

Virtually single-process touch-ups are going to come in a box or kit that includes everything for yous: Your gloves, instructions, mixing solutions, and awarding bottle. Once more, I will emphasize not to get started with a single procedure colour simply because information technology seems easy and straightforward. You must make sure this is communication directly from your colorist. Carhart reminds us, "information technology could be 10 times harder and at least twice every bit expensive after for your colorist to gear up box dyes."

For a double process bleach-and-tone, your materials should include:

• A color brush
• A small mixing bowl
• Bleach
• Peroxide
• Some foil. Carhart suggests using kitchen foil and cut into 4" x six" rectangles
• A rat-tail comb
• Latex gloves
• A color cape or towel and clip

When choosing a peroxide, Carhart says to keep it "low low depression!" Keeping a depression volume volition aid ensure you don't fry your hair off, and it leaves more than hope for your colorist to set up any potential mistakes made. "We can't reattach your pilus if it's been broken off!" says Carhart. "If your hair is naturally calorie-free (blonde to low-cal chocolate-brown), 10 volume is the highest you lot should go," she advises. A level x volume peroxide will lift one level lighter and a level xx volume volition safely lift two. "If your pilus is naturally darker (medium brown to black), use 20 volume."

Mix your bleach and peroxide into a thick, but blended consistency. Yous don't want it to exist likewise runny or soupy. Make sure your gloves are on fifty-fifty while mixing. If bleach touches the skin, information technology will burn. Bleach volition stain your clothes too, then exist sure to put your cape on for protection correct away.

04 of 10

Perform a Strand Test

@bleachlondon

A strand exam is when yous take a small sliver of hair and utilize your color solution to encounter how information technology turns out before going all in. Before you practise this, brand sure your hair is make clean. You want clean hair that's product-free and then there isn't any buildup or barrier on your strands that inhibit penetration.

If you practice a strand exam, specifically with bleach, be sensitive to maintaining your foil placement. Endeavour to get a practiced wait at the strand to approximate if it'southward the level of brightness you were expecting, but be sure to leave your foil in place until it's fourth dimension to remove and rinse. "[Strand tests] could cause bleed marks if people are removing the foil and trying to put the hair back in," says Carhart. "I would just open the foil slightly and look at it. When it looks yellow or stake xanthous, information technology's prepare. The quickness or slowness of the chemic reaction volition depend entirely on the individual," she explains. "Typically, light pilus lifts faster and dark hair lifts slower."

If yous're doing a full bleach and tone, you can test your entire process on this strand. It sounds like a lot of actress work, and it is! Just better to take the time and risk a single strand that can easily exist subconscious, versus going in at the roots that are most visible but to realize it was not at all what yous expected. The central to checking your strand test, according to Carhart, is "minimal touching."

05 of 10

Choose Your Method

@bleachlondon

There are a lot of ways to physically highlight the pilus. When yous get to the salon, your stylist might employ foils, they might do balayage (with a brush), or they may even backcomb your ends before using foils and so stick you under a dryer for an 60 minutes. None of that is going to happen for a home application.

Techniques like balayage and backcombing are meant to lighten the ends and highlight all-over. Plus, with those techniques, you don't need to take your ends touched up much at all. "I paint balayage highlights then the abound-out is smooth and seamless," says Craig, "so a few more months of roots won't be the cease of the globe. Your hair probably looks good."

Remember: this tutorial is the final resort to save you between visits. You will only be dealing with your roots.

With that in mind, Carhart suggests using a foil technique for bleaching. The amount of time you get out information technology on for will be dependent upon your colorist'southward advice. Only yous tin check the foils every five to 10 minutes to see how it's lifting (with minimal touching, of class).

If yous decide to utilize a single procedure color kit or a one-footstep tool, like DP Hue's Blonding Castor ($28), just follow the directions that come in the packaging.

06 of ten

Section Your Hair

@koivistokarlsson

Per Carhart's communication, you're going to start by clipping your hair into 3 sections: the two sides (from the back of the ear, forward) and the back. Fifty-fifty though you're sectioning all of your pilus, "I would recommend doing equally little equally possible," she says. "Simply highlight the 'T-zone' where you lot role your hair and around the face up." That back section can basically be clipped away safely.

Though you lot'll only be doing a minimal amount of upkeep, keeping all of your hair sectioned keeps you organized and helps to avoid any unnecessary messes or unwanted mess-ups. Afterward your strand exam has shown promise, you tin exercise one or two layers of foils in the "T-zone" equally Carhart suggests, right at the surface of your parting.

"While I would avoid doing this in general," says Carhart, "I would avoid going nearly the back of the head at all costs." The parting surface area and hairline are the only working zones. Sectioning is simply meant to keep your work area clean and organized.

07 of 10

Pigment Your Strands

Since every single process awarding is going to have unique directions of its ain, and probable a user-friendly applicator, we're going to utilize this space to discuss how to achieve a highlight affect-upward by using the foil method that Carhart suggested.

Start wherever your natural parting is, either on the side or down the center. "Begin by slicing super fine sections (similar, come across-through!) using your tail comb to weave some pieces of hair out," says Carhart. Place the thinly sectioned hairs onto your foil, and stretch them down taut confronting your head. Employ your brush to gather a scoop of your bleach mixture and firmly press it down onto your strands equally if you were painting a thick stroke of acrylic paint with a paintbrush. You want it to exist rich and thick only still spread out into an fifty-fifty layer. Yous shouldn't need likewise much since the sections you're working with are so fine. "Pigment the bleach on your roots and avoid overlapping onto the blonde from your previous color job," says Carhart.

When it comes fourth dimension to apply around the hairline, take a fine slice of hair out using your tail comb and weave the same fashion Carhart advised with the parting. And so, place a foil against your forehead or cheek, and lay the finely sliced hair on top of the foil. "Brand sure to saturate, but not over saturate. And then fold the bottom of the foil to come across the top, and corner in the tops of the sides a little bit so the foil doesn't slip." Don't be likewise shy with saturation either. If your application isn't saturated, you'll accept a splotchy, spotty-looking bleach job.

While Carhart thinks that the hairline is the easiest to do yourself, she warns that it notwithstanding requires some serious hand-eye coordination. "If you accept never mastered how to scroll your own hair, then highlighting at dwelling is definitely not for yous."

The virtually important function of applying your bleach is to ensure information technology does not bear upon the scalp. "Endeavor to go about 1/4 inch away from the root because bleach will expand," Carhart explains. "If it does, and you see the production seeping out when you close the foil, you will accept what's called a bleed mark (more commonly known as a chetah spot)." If bleach touches the scalp or skin, rinse the expanse immediately.

Any hard-to-reach areas, Carhart simply says, "Don't exercise them."

08 of 10

Apply Your Toner

@biolage

Toner's job is to neutralize the intense xanthous shade that appears from bleaching and make it wait more natural. This is the hush-hush sauce that eliminates brassiness and other unwanted tones to help you lot reach your desired event.

When it comes to your toner, "go on it uncomplicated," says Carhart. "Ideally I would try and have the foils out at a place where yous don't need a toner. If your hair is blonde, this is much easier. You wait until the highlights are a pretty colour and so you take the foils off. If you lot're a brunette, you lot need to pay closer attending."

Carhart tells usa that the "sweetness spot" for darker brunettes is two to 3 shades lighter than their natural color. The safer, low-volume peroxide that we're working with for these at-dwelling touch-ups volition but lift you one to two shades lighter. And then if y'all've been highlighting for a while and working with your colorist to go blonder from a super night natural base of operations color, you're ameliorate off resorting to throwing on a baseball cap and hiding those roots. If yous're a night brunette that only needs a low-cal touch-upwards at the roots, just exist sure non to overlap the bleach onto your previous color job equally Carhart warned before. The overlap could cause a funky color spot or potential breakage.

The potential of leaving the bleach on too long could likewise create a trouble for your toning approach. "If you lot open the foil and the hair looks kinda red/orange, you're too early," Carhart warns u.s.a.. The colour you want to see earlier you lot remove the foils to rinse is yellow. Afterward the bleach has been thoroughly rinsed out, you'll apply your toner.

09 of 10

Follow Upward With a Deep Conditioning Treatment

Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask $32.00

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After any colour treatment or chemic handling that heightens the hair's porosity levels, you want to be certain you're upping the conditioner and getting actress moisture dorsum into the hair. You'll notice, especially afterward using bleach, that your hair feels straw-similar, breakable, and extremely dried out, so a good conditioning handling is crucial.

Turn to your conditioner after your toner is completely rinsed out and you've shampooed your hair. If yous followed Carhart's communication and passed on the toner, y'all could utilise a product like Davines Alchemic Conditioners in Silver, Golden, or Tobacco ($33) and allow that serve equally your mild toner. That style, you don't accept to put yourself at risk of pulling the foils off besides tardily. Bluish conditioners will help neutralize the warmth if your hair pulls more orangish or yellow. Otherwise, any deep conditioning treatment will work. Virtue's Restorative Handling Mask ($32) is another smashing option and will help restore your hair from the inside out.

You don't want to skip this pace—information technology'll add a boost of shine and softness to your strands that will help you lot experience similar you just left the salon. Keep up this treatment until yous lose that straw-like feeling when shampooing.

10 of 10

Accident Dry out and Cross Check

@dysonhair

Now it's time to meet your best efforts in action. Blow dry around the hairline and part first, fifty-fifty if you didn't do a bleach-and-tone. Once yous're 80-90 percent dry, grab a round brush or flat brush to help you smooth out the hair. Using a smoothing nozzle or concentrator will besides aid you go the hair to a place where you lot can come across things conspicuously.

If you observe any trouble areas, get your pilus fully dried and smoothed out before contacting your colorist in a panic. You'll desire to provide another photo in good natural lighting, and the blow dry volition aid display things conspicuously. Worst case scenario, you lot'll exist back to square one, waiting for a pro, only this time it will exist for a color correction. But if y'all're extremely cautious and vigilant in following the steps in a higher place, you might just pass with flight colors.

Source: https://www.byrdie.com/how-to-highlight-hair-at-home-4801671

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