Highlighting on brown hair: types and technique

Light brown shade of hair is sometimes called "mouse" for its routine and inexpressiveness. But professional hairdressers with pleasure "take to work" such a head of hair, because the light brown color is a wide field for activity. One of the options for staining is highlighting.

Highlighting is a special staining technique during which individual strands are highlighted in a certain color. The first master to use this technique was Jacques Dessange. Classic highlighting involves highlighting the lock. However, today there are many subspecies of highlighting, up to the bright and extraordinary.

This technique helps to add versatility and complexity to the hair canvas, but at the same time adds a natural look.

The choice of a specific technique and color depends on a number of factors.

If it is difficult to call them strong and healthy, it is better to abandon the classic frequent highlighting, and stay on the zonal.

The strained locks must be combined with the natural color of the hair. In addition, trying to whiten dark brown hair too much, you risk getting untidy yellow-red “stripes”, and not a fashionable look.

Sophisticated highlighting techniques are well suited for structured, multi-layer haircuts. If you do not like graded hairstyles, then highlighting is better to choose a more modest one.

The fair-haired young ladies usually cannot boast of lush hair and dense hair. And highlighting allows you to solve this problem - visually add volume, density to curls.

However, highlighting looks good on hair of any length and type, fits most hairstyles. With gray strands, such staining also copes by masking them. The “advantages” of this staining technique do not end there.

It is optimal for those who do not want to spoil the curls with paint. Selected strands are stained, the roots of the hair are not affected. Simply put, highlighting is classified as a gentle technique, it does not harm the hair much, and therefore is suitable even for dry and brittle.

Highlighting is also loved by those women who strive for a natural image. Coloring looks as natural as possible - as if individual strands are slightly darker or lighter than the rest of the hair pile. They flicker beautifully in the total mass and glare in different lighting conditions.

Thanks to the special technology of applying paint, a clear boundary is not visible between your and colored hair. This means that, and growing, they will not look groomed. You can not visit the master every 2-3 weeks (barely grown roots), but do it only once every 1.5-2 months.

Having highlighted strands in the face, you can give the image affability, openness. It is no coincidence that image makers and brand experts recommend such hairstyles to those who work with people. Only one coloring can make the image of a professional more friendly, disposable.

Adding and alternating light and dark strands, you can adjust the shape of the head, hide facial defects and, on the contrary, emphasize the merits.

There are several varieties of highlighting. Consider the most famous and popular techniques.

It is also called frequent. The essence of staining is that very thin strands are taken and lightened along the entire length. Usually 2 shades are used (sometimes 3-4), mainly it is golden or platinum blond, wheat, honey, coffee with milk. That is why the effect of beautiful naturally blond hair is obtained. However, such beauty is man-made and created by professional colorists.

The most famous fan of this technique can be called Jennifer Aniston.

The most sparing option for highlighting thanks to non-aggressive ammonia-free dyes. Naturally, such paint will “take” only light strands. That is why French highlighting is possible only on wheat, light blond hair.

Colorists, as a rule, choose 2-3 shades. The result is hair, as if with strands burnt out in the sun. The latter add to the hairstyle of volume, shine. The image is refined and well-groomed.

Coloring is done by zones, and therefore the second name is zonal (another name is superficial). It involves lightening a strand around the face, in the occipital area, which is combined with the highlighting of the tips. The most effective coloring in this technique looks on short haircuts.

If we talk about the intricacies of technology, it should be noted that it is necessary to use a special dye - majimesh. It is produced by many brands and contains natural wax. Despite the powerful capabilities of the tool, it is considered one of the most delicate.

This method cannot be called fully highlighting. The fact is that at first the strands are completely highlighted, and then they are painted in 2-3 shades. The result is a kind of imitation highlighting.

The method is good in that you can achieve the desired hair color, despite the natural data. However, the technique is only suitable for healthy hair, which is able to withstand preliminary bleaching.

The entire mass of hair undergoes a stretching of color from darker (light brown) roots to light (sometimes almost blond) tips. California highlighting is very close to the ombre technique (the mentioned color stretching after 3-4 tones), but unlike the latter, it does not have clear boundaries between tones and midtones.

The California technique helps to achieve naturalness, as its result is hair, as if burned out in the sun. This can be seen on the hair after resting in the south, when not individual locks burn out, but the entire mass of hair is closer to the ends.

As a rule, this technique is used on dark brown hair, adding amber or cognac locks to the head of hair. Sometimes this type of highlighting is also called amber. To understand what is at stake, it is enough to recall the image of the famous Jennifer Lopez.

The Venetian technique gives the same effect of sunburned hair, but on darker hair. Amber, cognac and coffee shades are added to the dark blond hair. If the skin color is warm, then it can be caramel, honey.

With this type of staining, the hair is exposed to the pigment not along the entire length, but only along the horizontal line. Conventionally, hair is divided into 2 parts, and highlighting starts from the middle of the hair length or slightly lower. The tips are exposed to the greatest clarification. And the result of the procedure is smooth stretching of the color from darker (roots) to light (tips). Ombre looks especially advantageous on dark and medium-haired hair below the shoulders.

Ombre can be quite avant-garde. In this case, coloring is made in bright colors.

Another gentle highlighting technique in which the ends of the hair are lightened. The coloring composition is applied to the tips like strokes, and the border between unpainted roots and clarified tips is quite pronounced (on average 6-8 tones).

The technique is similar to the previous one. However, the crank is characterized by a vertical stretch of color. As in the case of balayazh technique, with Shatusha does not affect the hair roots.

When choosing this type of highlighting, the wizard only works in two colors, but it is not limited in the choice of subtones. Coloring usually involves the contrast of the strands, due to which it is possible to achieve brightness and originality of the appearance.

Choose a color scheme based on the natural shade of the hair. If the curls are darker, then brown and golden shades look good on them (the top row in the photo). It can be such shades as cognac, honey, wheat, amber.

For lighter blond hair, it is better to select highlighting in white tones (bottom row in the photo). Especially successful will be ivory, milk, platinum, creamy. No less spectacular look locks in the color of caramel or cappuccino.

And if you want to get a bolder look, choose cold ashen, silver. For an extravagant and memorable look, you can choose blue, raspberry, green or other bright colors.

Complex stains look good on graded complex haircuts (cascade, for example), on various avant-garde hairstyles, asymmetrical long bangs.

When choosing a paint, you need to take into account the desired result, the natural color of the hair and their condition. In general, for dark brown curls, a clarifier of 9-12% is chosen. Medium-brown, close to light, hair should be highlighted using 6-8% bleach. For very fair brown hair, do not take a clarifier that is more aggressive than 3%.

Today on sale you can find special sets for highlighting. As a rule, they contain everything you need - a hat, gloves, a coloring composition, a brush for applying and a balm for care and fixing color. Kits usually cost more than “plain” paint. However, if you believe the reviews, this price difference is fully paid off by the ease of application and ease of use of the sets.

There are several options for staining.

A special hat with many small holes is put on the head. Through these holes to stretch the locks. For this, it is convenient to use wooden sticks (for example, skewers) or an ordinary knitting hook. You can drag a strand into each hole (often highlighted) or skip some holes (to get a more natural result). By the way, it’s more convenient to start from the temporal zone, and to finish the “extraction” of the strand in the occipital zone.

Then that part of the hair that turned out to be outside is painted with a coloring composition and left on the hair for 15-30 minutes. The next step is to remove the paint, wash your hair and apply to all hair (the cap needs to be removed) moisturizing balm.

A method invented by American hairdressers. Perhaps all professional hairdressers highlight hair this way.

The bottom line is to divide the hair into zones, and then into small strands. Begin with the parietal part. Part of the hair should be separated by means of a long comb leg, and then the smaller strand should be isolated from the rest of the hair. A strip of foil, on which an isolated strand is laid, helps to achieve this.

Using a brush, a brightening composition is applied. The first application should be such that the strand is attached to the foil. Then the composition is evenly applied along the entire length of the hair. It is important to lay the foil as close to the roots as possible, and then carefully paint over this area.

Then a strip of foil (together with the hair in it) is folded in half, then the side parts are bent (the hair turns out to be packed). You can fold again in half. The result should be something that resembles an envelope.

Hair wrapped in foil is folded up, and the strands under the “envelope” are processed in the same way. It is convenient to move from the nape to the crown, and then dye the side strands.

This technology is quite simple in execution and allows you to update your hair style, giving your hair a light effect of natural burning of strands in the sun.

To apply the coloring composition, not a brush is used, but a special brush with rare teeth arranged in 3 rows.

The composition is applied to the brush and carried it through the hair from the middle to the ends.It is better to do this in locks, avoiding deliberate symmetry. After that, the paint is left for a certain amount of time, and then washed off with water.

The following methods can not be called highlighting techniques in the usual sense of the term, but they allow you to get fashionable coloring.

So, you can get an ombre at home by collecting hair in ponytails. The hanging part of the hair (after the elastic) is dyed with the composition and left for 15-40 minutes. Staining is performed outdoors.

Frequent highlighting can be done using a comb with rare teeth. They apply a coloring composition and carefully (in locks) comb the hair.

To obtain California highlighting, a strong root pile is done, paint is applied to the remaining part. So it is possible to achieve a beautiful and smooth transition from natural roots to light tips.

The exposure time of the dye depends on the original hair color and highlighting technique. On fair hair and thin strands, it is enough to apply paint for 10-15 minutes. For light brown shades and thick strands, contact with the dye may be required for 30-40 minutes.

Regardless of the technique chosen, it is important to observe the following rules:

• do not apply the composition to hair dyed with henna;
• if there are wounds and abrasions on the scalp, then heal them first, and then proceed to highlighting.
• Do not highlight hair immediately after perming.

Care for highlighted hair comes down to two tasks:

• keep color and staining result longer;
• protect hair from dryness, tangling.

The first couple of days after highlighting it is better not to wash or wet your hair. Let the pigment gain a better foothold in the hair structure. Moreover, you need to refrain from visiting pools and baths.

From the first day of staining, nourishing balms and masks should be included in the list of your care products.

But from the restorative compounds should be abandoned. The fact is that, in an effort to restore hair, they begin to consider coloring pigments "enemies" and quickly remove them. In other words, they fight for the health of the hair by washing away the dye. As a result, coloring stays less.

Restoring shampoos and masks are good to apply before a visit to the hairdresser, in order to prepare the hair for various manipulations.

Despite the fact that this type of staining is considered one of the most careful stains, highlighted hair is still injured. The use of moisturizing balms after each wash will help save the locks from dryness.

Immediately after the highlighting procedure, it is better to cut off the cut ends. If you value hair length, choose a hair polishing procedure.

When using hair dryers, pans and irons do not forget about thermal protection. You can not apply such funds, and then immediately take on the tongs or irons. When using these tools, the hair should be completely dry.

In the first few days after dyeing, it is necessary to limit the high-temperature effect on the hair - limit the use of hair dryers and irons, do not expose the hair to active sun exposure. Now strands already lack moisture.

Natural cosmetic oils help restore hair. They are applied to the ends of the hair half an hour before washing. It is important to use products designed for hair. The use of household oils, or cooked with one's own hands, can cause an undesirable change in the color of the strands that are tinted (hair turns yellow or green).

Special shampoos, balms and foams for blondes help preserve the beautiful shade of the strained locks and avoid the appearance of yellowness. It is important to choose the optimal exposure time for these formulations. If you overexposure them on the hair, the latter will acquire a purple hue. At the first application, it is recommended to test the intensity and time of exposure of the tinted composition to a separate strand.

By the way, when dyeing dark brown hair, the color may turn out to be ugly, yellowish. In this case, they also resort to tinting. It can be both paint and tinting agent (foam, mask). There is no need to strive to apply the latter solely on the labeled locks. Feel free to use it all over your head, light brown strands simply will not stain, and the tanned ones will receive a noble shade.

For short haircuts, it is better to choose the highlighting technique through a hat. If sophisticated technology is chosen, then using foil. Highlighting in the open air, like a complex stretching of color, on the hair to the shoulders or below simply does not have time to appear in all its glory.

A good example for a square with an extended asymmetric bang is 3D staining. It gives the image a brightness and originality. For a more relaxed image, you can choose zonal coloring of the strands.

For medium-length hair, it is better to choose complex dyes (shatush, Venetian or French technique), combining them with graduated strands. From this, the image is light and feminine.

If the hair is long and at the same time healthy, then all types of highlighting will look great. In the photo you can see the ombre, as well as infrequent highlighting in 2-3 tones. It looks natural and stylish.

Another option for successful highlighting. In the “before” photo, the blond is clearly overgrown and slightly washed off. The image saved the classic frequent highlights. Curls acquired luxury of blond shades, but at the same time they look natural and voluminous. Fashion trends just recommend that women leave the total blonde and choose more multifaceted, with overflow tones, shades. It is important that the strands were subjected to minimal harmful effects.

What can be more beautiful than healthy long hair of natural shades. But sometimes they look pretty boring and may be lacking in volume. California staining will come to the rescue. It seems that the fashion for him will never end. With this technique, the hair remains effective in natural shades, but at the same time the magic of overflow appears - some strands seemed to burn out in the sun. Like any kind of highlighting, the American visually adds volume to the hair.

If you need to add a little more volume or highlight facial features, contrast highlighting is recommended. Strands of various lengths are lightened, and the difference between their and the highlighted areas is quite noticeable. As you can see from the example, the technique looks most advantageous on dark brown hair.

See how to perform the highlighting technique on brown hair in the next video.