Highlighting the Hair

Highlighting, finger painting or streaking your hair is meant to add depth to your hair and lighten up your overall look. The color must compliment your natural hair color or the color with which your cover your hair fully. Choose the color for highlight that is at least 2 shades lighter than the rest of your hair to bring it to notice but do not go for colors more than 3 shades lighter as it might actually give an odd contrast and look unnatural. Here are some tips to keep in mind, while adding the highlights to your hair:

• Two days before coloring, wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo but never use shampoo on the day, you want to color your hair.
• Never use hair color whose expiry date has already crossed and never store the left away mixture for later use.
• For better natural looking results, use flat ½ and ¼ inch acrylic brushes, easily available at all art supply stores.
• Use good pair of tight-fitting latex gloves while coloring your hair.
• It is advisable to start coloring hair from the back of the head to the front side to avoid smearing the color in front accidentally.
• Only top layer of the hair needs to colored for highlighting.
• Finger painting is good for creating a subtle effect. You can simply do it by wearing thin gloves and dipping four fingers of each hand in the bleach solution and run them through the hair from the hairline to the back of your head. Leave for the specified time, rinse, shampoo and condition your hair.
• Streaking is bolder and glossier and needs touch-up every six to eight weeks. Half-head streaking is done by bleaching selected strands of hair and wrapping them up in foil paper. They should be placed close to the hairline. Whole head streaking gives a blonde effect and means that all your hairs are bleached and colored. Here darker streaks are placed close to the hairline.