“Zebra”: highlights that you forgot about (in vain)!

Remember the bold “zebra” highlights that were all the rage? If you think they’ve been left in the past, think again! This striking style has made a comeback, and it"s more versatile than ever.

Bold contrast is the key to the "zebra" look, which gives your hair a distinctive striped appearance that makes a statement. This style can instantly change the way you look, whether you choose a subtle version or go all out dramatic.

Rediscover "zebra" highlights if you’re sick of the typical ombré or balayage highlights. They make sure you’re always noticed by giving your hair dimension, fun, and a contemporary twist.

Zebra highlights are trending again, so now is the perfect moment to rock this striking contrast that you may have missed before. This style gives your hair dimension and flair with its striking mix of light and dark tones, providing a modern, edgy twist to your regular color regimen. Don’t pass up this exciting, little-known trend that can give your hair a fresh, contemporary look!

What is "zebra" highlights?

Inspired by the natural world, stylists created a coloring style that has come to represent the boldest concepts. Though this was quite some time ago, artistic girls are once again drawn to our monochromatic friend. The technique known as "watermelon" or "zebra" highlights has distinct vertical strands. In order to mimic the color of a zebra, the highlighting pattern begins at the hair’s roots and alternately blends light and dark shades. The contrast in the picture is what draws the eye in the first place.

Unlike classic highlighting, In the “zebra” the strands themselves are thicker and more often the same width – 2-3 cm along the entire hair canvas. The essence of the technique is to bleach and tinting individual curls – the master applies the composition using foil and withstands a certain time. If necessary, before the highlighting the zebra, the entire hair canvas stain in dark color, So it turns out to create a contrast with a light shade. The main difficulty is the need to convey a clear pattern on the hair and determine the most suitable type of searrase shade of zebra. At home, it is difficult to implement this without special equipment and skills, so it is better to trust a professional colorist.

Highlighting "Zebra" on the scales: Pros and cons of technology

• The painting drawing "Zebra" is selected Individually, Thus, you can emphasize the advantages of appearance and hide the disadvantages;

• an unusual style of highlighting instantly distinguishes its owner from the crowd;

• suits any shade of hair, be it light brown, blond or chestnut.

But because of the distinct lines, highlighting can make the image appear a little too harsh and heavy, and complicated evening hairstyles look overwhelming when combined with this kind of highlighting.

Furthermore, if the coloring is done poorly, the parting will stand out too much as it grows out if the strands at the roots are highlighted as intensely as they are throughout the length of the hair. This will require frequent highlighting. One could argue that, given the existence of potent restorative masks like Biolage FiberStrong, this is not all that horrible.

However, even locally, stylists do not recommend overusing bleaching.

How to choose a shade for coloring?

Colorists provide zebra hair coloring options that range from classic, which involves using the brightest black and white shades, to soft, which considers the appearance and base color of the curls, and bright, which involves using non-standard shades (available in palettes like Matrix SoColor Cult and L’Oréal Professionnel Colorful Hair). We’ll explain below how to use the zebra highlighting technique to select the ideal highlighting colors for various hair tones.

For dark hair

The "temperature" of the curls’ primary color should be taken into consideration when choosing the highlighting tone. Therefore, if her hair is a cool black shade, her hair strands should have a cool, contrasting light palette. Silver, pearl, and platinum will do.

You can go for more delicate tones for warm tones like chocolate, mocha, and chestnut. Wheat, milk, or ash blonde or darker.

Experts from SalonSecret share a lifehack. The mask Matrix Color Obsessed will take care of your balayage completely. With it, you won’t have to worry about the hair becoming weak and porous after lightning.

For light hair

Dark tones are first applied to light hair color. This could be another dark hue below the fifth tone level or a similar, but more pigmented light brown.

It’s a good idea to tone and lightly bleach your hair to give it an icy platinum hue before doing the darkest tones of highlighting.

Experts from SalonSecret share a lifehack. Frequent color fixation will stop balayage from fading and washing out. Acid milk Vitamino Color is used for this procedure at home.

For light brown hair

It is preferable to use light colors for highlighting so as not to overpower the color of light brown hair. This will give the appearance of sun-bleached hair a more natural feel.

Experts from SalonSecret share a lifehack. Golden highlights on the strands will create an even more natural effect. To achieve this, combine the PowerMix gold pigment with the Vitamino Color mask, then apply the combined mixture as a standard mask.

How to do zebra highlighting: step-by-step coloring technique

It takes true artistry to create stunning zebra highlights on hair. To achieve even and distinct dye stripes, the stylist divides the strands. Simultaneously, there are multiple steps involved in the zebra highlights technique.

1. An oxidizer and lightening powder are combined in the appropriate ratios to create a bleaching mixture ahead of time. More information about selecting the best bleaching mixture can be found here. If you are an experienced dyer, we suggest taking advantage of free online courses where dyeing formulas are covered among other topics.

2. The hair is separated into four sections and fastened with unique clips after lightening.

3. Prepare strips of foil separately; they should be 10 cm longer and twice as wide as the secured strand.

4. The top strands of hair are where you start. A sharp-tipped hairdresser is divided into equal parts and painted with a brush. The curls are then covered with foil. Therefore, dye all or part of the hair, depending on the desired outcome.

5. The required amount of time is spent maintaining the composition.

6. The curls are tinted to produce the desired nuance after washing off.

Note that large highlights can add airiness to the image, but the secret is not so much in the technique itself, but in the correctly selected shade.

Even though the "Zebra" highlighting technique is not particularly new, it is still a daring option for people who want to stand out with their hair. Its special combination of contrasting hues gives your hairstyle a depth and texture that is difficult to accomplish with other techniques.

Maybe it’s time to resurrect this striking look if you’ve been sticking to safer, more conventional looks. It’s an enjoyable way to play around with your appearance and give it a modern, fresh twist that’s anything but boring.

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How to fix highlights | MASTER CLASS | Hair coloring | Coloristics