Anyone ever apply lowlights at home? Demi colors, blonde to a natural looking brown (color, highlighted)

[Pear Martini]

I am in serious need of some low lights. I have medium blonde highlights with a light brown base and underneath is my natural dark brown (level 4).

I want to weave in some more light or medium golden brown to give myself more time between root touch ups.


I tried using a natural instincts demi in light golden brown. I tested a spot and it turned my test spot (a level 8 or 9 highlight) ginger orange/strawberry blonde. I thought that because the highlight was porous it could come out too dark, instead it didn't deposit any brown at all!

I also am horrible at foils and would prefer just to brush them on with a tooth brush.

Any help or advice is appreciated.

I really like Giada de laurentiis's hair. She has a ton of highlights in different colors but also a great warm medium brown base.

[bande1102]

Yes, I do this. I have used both a cap and picking up pieces with my fingers and coloring a darker color. Both ways worked for me. Personally, I haven't found a demi I like for this. Natural Instincts has never given me accurate results (and I stay within two shades and follow the directions). I use a permanent shade and always, always do a test strand first.

[tilli]

I tried using a natural instincts demi in light golden brown. I tested a spot and it turned my test spot (a level 8 or 9 highlight) ginger orange/strawberry blonde. I thought that because the highlight was porous it could come out too dark, instead it didn't deposit any brown at all!

Haircolor is designed to work with natural pigment of the appropriate starting level, and demi color is designed to stay very close in level and only change tone. Highlights are indeed more porous and absorbent than virgin hair, but a level 8 or 9 highlight has also had almost all of the natural pigment removed. This is why the color did not turn out as expected when used on pre-lifted hair. To get the effect you were looking for on highlighted sections would require use of a filler to add some of the missing pigment back in. This is specialized color correction work, it would be easy to wind up with off tones that are too orange or too green. A better bet it to leave the existing highlights alone and instead target strips of your natural hair which have never been processed. A light brown demi would probably not have enough lift to get you there, but permanent color in a light brown shade probably would. Of course you definitely need to strand test to make sure you don't screw it up.