Pros and cons: how to do highlighting at home or in a salon

Adding dimension and brightness to your hair through highlighting can completely change the way you look. However, it can be difficult to choose between doing it at home or in a salon.

Every choice has benefits and drawbacks of its own. Although doing it yourself can be more economical and practical, it also calls for a great deal of attention to detail and accuracy. A salon, on the other hand, charges more for professional knowledge.

We’ll examine the benefits and drawbacks of each approach in this post so you can decide which is best for you and your comfort level.

Pros of Doing Highlighting at Home	Cons of Doing Highlighting at Home
Cheaper, saves money	Can be tricky, especially for beginners
Flexible timing, do it when you want	Risk of uneven or patchy results
Full control over the process	Limited access to professional products
Comfort of your own space	Can be messy and time-consuming
Pros of Getting Highlighting in a Salon	Cons of Getting Highlighting in a Salon
Professional results, less chance of mistakes	More expensive
Access to high-quality products	Requires an appointment, less flexibility
Relaxing experience, no mess to clean up	Time spent traveling to and from the salon
Guidance from a skilled stylist	Less control over the final outcome

What is hair highlighting?

A partial coloring of hair curls, known as "highlighting," involves using only a portion of the strands or their entire length. Most of the time, doing highlights at home involves more than just initial lightening; the required sections of hair are first bleached and then toned. Only in cases where the highlighting color is darker than the base color—such as when applying dark or bright highlighting to light hair—can this step be skipped.

We’ll be the first to tell you otherwise if the word "highlighting" conjures up images of an early 2000s hairdo that contrasts wide, light strands on dark hair. Contemporary methods for highlighting hair include sun glare, bright nuances, and color that stretches from dark roots to light tips (shatush, ombre, etc.), among many other fashionable choices.

Of course, a lot of kits with combs or caps are available for doing hair highlighting at home, but the outcome of this process can be unpredictable; only a professional can determine how your hair will react to bleaching.

Advantages and disadvantages of hair highlighting

One of the most widely used hairdressing techniques is hair highlighting. This coloring technique has many supporters and very few detractors, but it also has advantages and disadvantages.

• the ability to change the image without using all the hair;
• many varieties, among which you can choose the one that suits your hairstyle and face type;
• virtually unlimited color range;
• gentle effect on the hair (since not all strands are dyed);
• correctly done highlighting grows beautifully and allows you not to renew the coloring for a long time.

There are essentially no drawbacks, but there are some risks if you highlight at home:

• after bleaching, the quality of the hair may suffer – the degree of negative effect depends on the products used and the skill of the hairdresser – a professional will do highlighting so that the hair is practically not damaged;
• "artisanal" hair highlighting looks very sloppy when growing out.

Highlighting options

Hair highlighting is more than just adding a "picket fence" of light strands to dark hair, as we’ve already discussed. An advanced master can now dye hair in strands in a variety of interesting ways thanks to the technique’s annual improvements. Which type of highlighting is available for both salon and at-home use on hair?

Californian highlighting

This technique includes a smooth transition from dark roots to light ends, as well as a combination of three to five coloring shades that are close to the primary tone of the hair. Because of this, a hairstyle featuring Californian highlighting gives the impression that you spent the summer lounging on US west coast beaches.

Reverse highlighting

The main idea behind reverse highlighting is to place darker accents, as opposed to traditional highlighting, which uses light strands on dark hair. This is a fantastic method for blondes who wish to give their hair more volume and depth.

Classic highlights

Classic highlights: thin, light strands against a dark background. In order to achieve a natural-looking coloring, bleached hair is tinted two or three shades closer to the primary color, allowing the color to play and shimmer.

Venetian highlights

This highlighting technique is distinguished by a disorganized selection of coloring strands and little contrast—the hair is lightened by no more than two or three tones, which produces a natural-looking effect.

Brazilian highlights

Don’t let the distance between Brazil and California fool you—Brazilian highlights are actually a subset of Californian. The distinction is that Brazilians don’t use foil; instead, lightning strikes in the atmosphere, which contributes to the blurring of color boundaries.

Rare and fine highlights

For a more natural-looking effect, the smaller the highlighting strands, the better. Try doing rare and fine highlights at home if you’re ready for slightly different looks. The most important factor is that the lighter strands don’t drastically change the primary color of the hair.

Frequent highlights

You can achieve a drastic change in shade if you frequently highlight your hair at home. This technique is commonly used when leaving black color. The big volume of lighter hair gives the hairstyle a totally different appearance.

Partial highlights

Multiple highlights at once, such as highlighting just the top layer of hair or specific hair strands close to the face, are referred to as partial highlights.

Colored highlights

Vibrant highlights have become a true vogue in recent years. Modern color dyes allow you to achieve nearly any shade, from pastel to rich. Any highlighting method will do.

Large highlighting

This kind is an artifact from the past. Unless, of course, one is discussing literally a few strands that have been brightly colored. This coloring gives the image a bolder, more modern feel.

Different kinds of highlighting exist. Read more about "zebra" highlighting here.

Choosing a tone for highlighting at home and in a salon

Almost any color can be highlighted in a salon or at home. Success is all about choosing the right shade. Whichever tone works best for your hair color, we’ll let you know.

For light brown hair

Light hues like gold, wheat, amber, caramel, and even ash look fantastic on light brown hair.

If your light brown hair has a chilly undertone, you should think about the latter.

For dark hair

Experts at SalonSecret advise brunettes to examine the sunny range more closely, as strands of copper, golden, and honey show the depth of the primary dark tone. You can use shades of coffee with milk and flax if there’s a cold undertone.

Copper tones and all colored hair highlighting options work well on brunettes.

For light hair

It is advised for blondes to use highlights in shades that differ slightly from the primary color; examples of these shades are ash or wheat.

Pastel colors like strawberry or peach also have an interesting look.

It’s crucial to consider the advantages and disadvantages of both options before choosing to highlight your hair at home or in a salon. Although you have control over the process and can save money by doing it yourself, there is a chance of uneven results and possible hair damage. However, a salon professional will guarantee accuracy and security, albeit at a premium price. The decision ultimately comes down to your desired result, budget, and level of confidence in your abilities.

Review of hair highlighting dyes

Nothing restricts the range of colors that can be used to color; each master has their own preferences. Nonetheless, a vast majority of professionals acknowledge the benefits of certain products.

• Blonde Studio powder for multi-techniques, L’Oréal Professionnel, is the main choice for highlighting for many stylists. It is enriched with prokeratin, has virtually no odor and gives a predictable and quick result.
• Dia Light gel-cream, L’Oréal Professionnel, is an excellent toning agent specifically for colored hair, which creates a lamination effect thanks to the top coat polymer.

How to do highlighting at home or in a salon: step-by-step instructions

Using a special cap with holes and a hook is the simplest way to highlight at home.

1. The cap is put on the head.
2. Using a hook, thin strands are pulled out of small holes.
3. A lightening composition is applied to them.
4. After the required time has passed, the composition is washed off with a special shampoo.
5. The hair is tinted in the desired shade or left as is.

Though it may seem straightforward, only an expert can predict the behavior of the hair during the lightening process. Furthermore, only sporadic, thin strands of a light shade will be visible on the head using this simple at-home highlight method, which will not help to achieve lovely natural results and highlights. It remains to be seen how evenly they will be spread throughout the mass of hair.

It is preferable to visit a salon for a natural effect.

There, the following plan will be followed for highlighting:

1. The master will use a thin comb to select the desired hairs, put foil under the strand and apply a lightening composition to it.
2. Then wrap the foil and move on to the next strand.
3. In this way, the entire head or the necessary areas are treated.
4. After the required time, remove the foil and wash the hair with a special product to stop the lightening process.
5. Then apply a toning composition to the strands. Most likely, this will be several shades to achieve beautiful tints.
6. After this, wash, dry and style the hair.

There are highlighting techniques that don’t require foil. This calls for a certain level of skill from the hairstylist because the outcome hinges on his ability to apply accents correctly and his familiarity with the products he uses.

Whether you highlight your hair in a salon or at home, it can give you a modern, fashionable look. It’s critical to select the option that best suits your needs and comfort level because each has advantages and disadvantages.

Performing it at home could be the best option if you’d like a more flexible and reasonably priced method. However, bear in mind that it calls for some skill and perseverance, and there’s always a chance that the outcomes won’t be what you had in mind.

However, going to a salon to get your hair highlighted yields better results and is a more soothing experience. It is typically more expensive and necessitates making an appointment, so it may not be suitable for everyone.

The decision ultimately boils down to what you value more: investing in a professional outcome that is guaranteed or saving money and time by doing it yourself. If you approach them with the appropriate expectations, either option can assist you in getting the look you desire.

Video on the topic

HAIR HIGHLIGHTING on yourself from 8 strands | It"s very simple

Hair highlighting on yourself like in a salon \ IT WORKED EVEN FROM THE BACK! \ Hair toning \ Highlights