Expert Guide To Removing Highlights

Written by , BA Hons Indrani Karmakar BA Hons Experience: 2.5 years
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Regardless of how long it’s been since you added highlights to your hair, there’s usually a point when you’re done flaunting it. It could be because you’ve grown tired of the hair color and wish to go back to your natural hair. Even though trends and hair preferences keep shifting, when it comes to hair color, going back to natural might take more time and effort than you estimated. To keep your shift from highlight to no-highlight flawless, here are some expert tips from stylists that will help you enjoy your hair without fearing hair fall and damage. Read on to know them all.

1. Add Some Lowlights

Add-Some-Lowlights
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Lowlights make your hair color look less intense but maintain the overall depth. You can add darker shades of color under your hair locks to get this look. It gives your hair more movement and creates an illusion of thicker hair.

Pros:

Lowlights are good if you are caught between removing your highlights completely and toning them down. It’s an excellent method to try if you’re not sure whether or not you want to go darker with the color. Of course, if you are happy with the results, you can always go back to the hairdresser and have the lowlights reversed. Aside from that, it’s a rather short procedure and takes around 30 minutes on average.

2. Color Melt Or Shadow Root

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If you’re going for a more natural look, the shadow root approach will be your favorite. Color melts bring even more depth and darkness to your hair’s roots and mid-lengths. As an alternative to color melt, which can be thought of as an inverted ombre, a shadow root creates a more dramatic effect by emphasizing the shadows surrounding the base to soften any bright spots near the root. To maintain your natural blond color, these two treatments will help you achieve a more lived-in look by adding dimension and richness to the root area of your hair.

Pros:

If you want to preserve a few colorful bits around your face but want a darker foundation color, this approach is perfect. The idea here is to create depth in the upper area of your hair. Even though the precise placement is critical, your colorist will most likely do this as you wash your hair in the shampoo basin, making it a quick and painless operation.

Cons:

While the color melt and shadow root approaches won’t completely erase the highlights, they can help soften down the overall impression by providing a darker base color. There won’t be a noticeable difference in the intensity of your blonde highlights. The darker color will also be concentrated in the crown of your head, so you may need to use a mix of these methods and lowlights to spread the color throughout your hair.

3. Darker Gloss Or Toner

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With this method, you may preserve your hair length while getting rid of the bright tones. Make sure you ask for a complete finish from your colorist and ask if the color is well infused into your hair for longer-lasting effects. Filling the hair implies that you’re replenishing the pigment that the bleach has taken out. As soon as the hair is filled in, you’d proceed to apply the necessary deeper tone. To avoid a flat, monotonous box-dyed style, get your hair colored by a professional, even if it’s feasible to do it yourself.

Pros:

When done correctly, your highlights will disappear, at least for a short period. As a bonus, hair glosses and toners may add shine and health to your hair and can be done in only 20 minutes from start to finish, so it’s a time-saving method.

Cons:

Although using a gloss is an effective method, it is not a long-term fix for removing your highlights. With each wash, the color will begin to fade. If you don’t want the highlights to fade back to their original brightness, regular use of a gloss or toner is a must. You’ll need to return to your stylist for a touch up a few weeks after using an at-home gloss or color depositing conditioner.

4. Trim The Highlights

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Image: Shutterstock

If you want to protect your highlights from fading, the best option is to use a high-quality highlighter. This method involves going to the salon and having your stylist remove all of your white highlights, allowing your natural regrowth to take its place for a more healthy and natural appearance. It’s more like a haircut appointment. To make sure you don’t have any regrets about shaving off your hair’s length, your hairstylist will have a consultation for you before shampooing to determine whether a pre-cut is necessary.

Pros:

As a bonus, you’ll have a new hairstyle that’s fashionable. When removing all the unwanted color, you restore your health to a healthy state. You won’t have to bother with color scheme conditioners or glosses later because the enhancements will be fully removed.

Cons:

This is not a smart option if you have long hair and don’t want to lose any length. Depending on how noticeable your natural hair color is, you may not be able to get away with chopping it completely without having a very short style.

With the advance in hair styling techniques and improvements in chemicals, styling no longer corrodes your hair strands. Make sure you give ample time to your hair to regain its strength after adding highlights or color. So, which of these techniques are your favorite? Let us know in the comments section!

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