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American highlighting. American hair coloring American highlighting on dark hair technique

A revolutionary technology that came to us from the USA - American highlighting - was created specifically for owners of dark and dark brown hair. The eye-catching and simple-to-perform coloring was greeted with delight by domestic fashionistas, who immediately rushed to beauty salons to buy the newfangled feature.

Today we will look at the types and features of American highlighting and try to do it at home.

Features of American hair coloring

American highlighting is a collective term for those coloring techniques that differ in the color shades used and methods of applying paint, but agree on one thing - the ability to create delightful highlights on the strands. Unlike the classical technology, which involves 1-2 shades, in the American version, colored highlights play on the hair, the haircut acquires volume and shine, and the image becomes bright and rich. The number of shades used is unlimited and the more of them, the more beautiful the hair color.

Kinds

There are 3 types of American highlighting:

Californian;
red;
Crazy Colors or “crazy” colors.

Californian

The technique is reminiscent in appearance of another newfangled coloring - blonde. It recreates the effect of sun-bleached strands dyed using the gradient stretch method: hair that is dark at the roots gradually becomes lighter towards the ends. The strands are dyed without foil or film and are in contact with the rest of the hair. This is done intentionally so that the color is uniform, with smooth tonal transitions.

The California technique, unlike other types of American coloring, can be recreated on blond hair.

Red

The American highlighting technique was originally called “red”, since to create it they chose shades exclusively from the red and orange palette. Today this rule has been safely forgotten and the palette of shades includes brown, red, chestnut tones. The colors simply have to be rich and bright.

When creating red highlights, the strands are colored according to the classic scheme, but are highlighted at different time intervals. Then they are tinted with one color. Thanks to different dye exposures, the curls acquire different shades and sparkling highlights.

"Crazy"

Crazy Colors is a type of American highlighting for theatrical, eccentric personalities whose specialty is the center of attention. To create “crazy” highlights, individual strands are lightened in the usual way, and then dyed in bright colors: red, pink, purple, green. As a rule, the strands are colored only around the face.

American-style highlighting technology

When putting this technique into practice, 3-4 related shades are usually selected, which are alternately applied to the hair. Multi-colored foil is used in the work to make it easier for the master to distinguish between the colored strands.

Coloring is done as follows:

The first stage is to apply the main color to the hair of the back section and cover it with foil.
Using a horizontal parting, separate the lowest strand at the temple, apply the main tone to it and wrap it in foil. Do the same on the other temple.
Consistently separate the strands at the temple one after another and cover them with prepared dyes, alternating with the main shade. They should be covered with foil of different colors.
Apply all the dyes once and repeat their order again, placing the foil at a slight angle and moving towards the crown.
Having reached the crown, move to the opposite temporal area and repeat the steps.
Having finished with the side zones, color the strands on one part of the parietal zone, applying all shades, starting with the main one. You need to move from the face to the top of the head. Perform similar operations on the second half of the parietal zone.
After waiting the allotted time, remove the foil one by one, starting with the darkest color and washing off the dye from the strands.
After washing off all the coloring composition, apply a product to fix and protect the color on your hair.

As you can see, creating American highlights at home is quite simple. A little effort and a spectacular, shimmering image is ready!

Almost all long-haired beauties in Hollywood choose American highlighting for themselves, as wide, highlighted strands highlight their hairstyle and shimmer beautifully in the spotlight.

So why not give your hair some stellar luxury? In the article, we will look at recommendations for this type of highlighting, which color is suitable for whom, how not to make a mistake with the choice of shade, and we will also study the coloring technique and look at the before and after photos. ...

What is it and who is this coloring method suitable for?

Classic American highlighting is a gentle coloring using several shades 2-4 shades lighter than the natural hair color.

Reference! American highlighting is perfect for those with ringlets and curls.

Hairdressers also distinguish several more types of highlighting, which, one way or another, are American.

Californian

Very similar to classic American, with the difference that looks great on straight hair and has smooth color transitions.

Red or "Red"

It gained its ignorance due to the fact that when painting, all shades of red, red, copper, and burgundy are used.

Crazy Colors or “Crazy Colors”

A mixture of several unnatural and bright shades, with the help of which an interesting image is created.

Photo

This coloring method involves the use of several shades and smooth color transitions, which is perfect for girls with the following hair type:

Medium and long.
Normal and thick.
Previously painted (at least two months must pass from the moment of coloring).
Undyed with a minimal percentage of gray hair.
Strong and healthy, not prone to cutting.

Is it worth doing?

American highlighting is a great way to play up naturally curly dark hair and add playfulness and volume to your curls. However, you should start coloring only if you are confident in the professionalism of the hairdresser and his experience. Often, amateurish coloring ends with faded yellow strands, which spoil not only the appearance of the hairstyle, but also the condition of the hair.

Advantages and disadvantages

Most of the hair remains uncolored and will therefore be less damaged.
You can cover gray hair if it is no more than 20% of the total mass.
Adds volume to the hairstyle by highlighting the strands.
Gives the face a fresher color, which visually makes the face younger.
Does not require frequent color updates - correction once every 3-4 months is sufficient.

Long – dyeing in the salon takes from 3 to 5 hours, depending on the length and structure of the curls.
It can spoil the result of curling or coloring - if highlighting is carried out immediately after these procedures, the color may turn out unpredictable.
Expensive - it is very difficult or even impossible to perform American highlighting at home, but in a salon such a service is not cheap to take offense at.

Note! Be sure to read reviews about the artist and look at the gallery of his work before signing up for American highlighting.

How to choose the right shade?

Brunettes and brown-haired women are perfect for shades such as:

Dark brown turning to ashy.
Brown-haired with a transition to red.
Black fading to chestnut.
Chestnut turning into “coffee with milk”.
Black fading to ash blonde.

Technique

As mentioned earlier, it is extremely difficult to perform this type of coloring at home, so you will have to go to a salon. The staining procedure will take place in several stages:

Coordinating shades with a colorist– it’s better if you prepare a photo of the desired result in advance and show it to the master.
Painting in the main color if necessary. You can skip this step if you plan to use your natural color as the base. Coloring begins from the occipital area, gradually moving towards the forehead and temples.
Highlighting with foil– as a rule, colorists use multi-colored foil to make a kind of marking and designate zones for applying different shades.
Toning and curing of the coloring composition. The exact time depends on the original color and the desired result. As a rule, it ranges from 15 to 40 minutes.
Removing the foil and washing your hair. The foil begins to be removed from the darkest strands, and ends with the lightest. After this, the hairdresser washes off the dye from the head, dries the strands and does the styling.

If the coloring was successful, ask the master to photograph you from all sides - this will help him orientate himself during the coloring process. The same goes for a successful hair cut.

Is it possible to carry out the procedure yourself at home?

Important! It is highly undesirable to carry out American highlighting at home.

This is a multi-step procedure that requires care and perseverance. Better contact a professional.

How long will it last?

American highlighting does not require frequent color correction, as it looks natural. If natural shades were chosen for coloring, it is enough to update the result once every 2-4 months. Toners of unnatural colors wash out faster, so you will need to refresh the shade of your locks more often - once every 2 weeks, month.

With dried out hair damaged by frequent dyeing, highlighting will look sloppy, unless you treat them first. You should also be careful if the strands have been previously dyed with henna or basma for a long time - the oxygen agent, reacting with the natural dye, can give an unpredictable shade.

American highlighting will help transform your face, making it younger and fresher and add some playfulness to your image, without changing anything radically. Many girls note that after such coloring they begin to receive a lot of compliments from friends, but no one has any idea what exactly has changed. It’s as if the curls themselves were beautifully bleached in the sun.

Hair coloring - a short excursion into hair care

Literally 15 years ago, most girls knew only two types of coloring: simple and highlighting. But now there are many more varieties, and girls are already confused with the names of types of hair coloring. Photos in glossy publications beckon with the successful results of multi-stage coloring, and I really want to try it for myself. So how does balayage differ from highlighting, and shatush from ombre?

Hair coloring - a short excursion into hair care on the site

Toning

This is a one-tone coloring, that is, the usual coloring familiar to everyone. After tinting, all hair is evenly dyed the same color. With this technique there are no transitions, no gradations, no mixing of shades on the hair. But the color can be mixed from several tubes with different shades to achieve the desired result.

Ombre

One of the new types of hair coloring, in which the color at the roots is much darker than at the ends. At its core, this technique is close to highlighting, but it does not lighten the strands, but creates a gradient along the length of the hair. The darker color becomes lighter and lighter at the roots towards the ends. According to the rules, the transition should be smooth, the result should not resemble the overgrown dark roots of a brunette who dyes her hair blonde.

Shatush

Of all the types, shatush hair coloring looks the most natural. Not everyone will even realize that their hair is dyed. At its core, shatush is similar to highlighting; it is also lightening the strands and further tinting them. But shades close to the natural hair color and gentle compositions are used.

Balayage

Perhaps the most fashionable type of hair coloring is balayage. This is a gentle and natural version of ombre. Balayage is a French word and translates to “balayage.” As with ombre, the goal is to create a gradient from dark at the roots to light at the ends. But the shades used are natural and differ from the natural hair color by no more than 3 tones.

Coloring

In 2016, a new trend started - colored hair. Girls, regardless of style and age, began to dye their hair in fancy colors such as blue, pink and even purple. Previously, only young fans of rock culture and cosplay were into this. When properly combined with clothes, makeup and beautiful hairstyle, it looks quite fabulous and magical. Few people want to walk like this all their lives, but when to try this is not at the height of the trend.

Highlighting

This is the earliest, and therefore primitive, multi-stage dyeing technique designed to imitate the effect of burnt hair. It was she who gave rise to today's trend for multi-stage coloring.

Booking

The fashion for such equipment was set by American women. The word “bronding” comes from the merger of two English words blond - blonde, and brown - brown. This is a combination of highlighting and tinting, a kind of dark highlighting. Great for natural brunettes.

Blonding

This is a classic blonde dyeing, that is, radical lightening, without any transitions. Constantly going blonde is not a cheap pleasure, but some girls are simply transformed by it. The most desirable for girls who decide to become blondes is a cold Scandinavian blonde. But it is the most difficult to do, since most girls have red pigment in their hair, which is very difficult to erase. That's why incompetent hairdressers end up blonding with a yellow tint.

10 tips on how to maintain salon results for as long as possible

Hair coloring - how to maintain salon results for as long as possible - tips from the site

Here are some tips to help you maintain your new hair color results for as long as possible.

American hair coloring is the effective coloring of each curl using one or similar shades. The technique of performing the proposed method of hair dyeing is reminiscent of American highlighting technology, but differs in one characteristic feature.

A bleaching solution should be applied to the hair, after a while it should be washed off, and then the dye should be spread on a strand of hair, wait the required time for coloring and rinse it off with warm water. The amount of dyes depends on how colorful you want your curls to be. When the dyeing procedure is completed, you must rinse your hair with shampoo and hair conditioner. By the way, we recommend looking at photos of hair coloring and possibly choosing one of the options.

Also, this method of hair coloring makes it possible to use not only a coloring cap on the head, but also paint can be applied to individual curls, and then wrapped in foil. After this, each curl will be colored separately and not mixed with others.

Dyeing your hair in this way will create the effect of a thick hairstyle, although its smooth structure will be disrupted. And if you are the owner of thin hair, it is better for you to use the coloring technique with thin curls.

American coloring looks very original on dark hair. Each lock of hair will be dyed separately and your image, to which you are already accustomed, will change for the better. Each time you wash your hair, your curls will take on a completely new shade. For fair-haired girls, the coloring technique is highlighting.

How effective your coloring results will be depends on the quality of the paint, the skill and imagination of the stylist, as well as your wishes. The more authentic you create your natural hair color, the more natural your shade will be. When dyeing, masters try to select shades that are similar to one another or paint each curl with the same color. Natural coloring of hair shades will provide the strands with a natural shine.

Dyed hair requires additional care in the future. After washing your hair again, you should use conditioner and balm. They should be purchased from a trusted brand that has a quality guarantee. Popular conditioners containing extracts of herbs, seaweed and vitamins will provide your hair with additional care. Read more about proper care for colored hair on our website.

For those who opt for multi-color coloring, it is worth noting that this coloring technique is more suitable for women of any age. Girls are always inclined to choose a bright contrast, and curls with blue, green and red colors will add their own unique style to the image.

Middle-aged women are suitable for natural shades with coloring in a single color scheme. Today, brightly colored ends of curls are at the height of fashion, so this method will make your hairstyle perfect.

Dyeing blonde hair will be organic if the curls are in three different shades. To complement your style, you can create contrasting strands with a combination of copper, gold and bright blonde colors. Light-colored hair is first treated with dye and then coloring is performed, but dark hair is first lightened and then color is applied.

The new direction of American-style coloring is improving every time and offers thoughtful and stylish options. Avant-garde and neon colors are suitable for active young people who like to go to parties and have fun. For such coloring, special gentle gels with a mineral composition are used. The result of this method depends on your imagination and what you want to say with your image.

Modern hair coloring techniques will not leave indifferent those who are used to being different and showing their individuality. Very often, the most daring fashionistas create a geometric pattern or pattern using a stencil with a combination of bright and different shades. The result in this method also depends on the client’s choice and preferences.

One of the most modern techniques that allows you to quickly change your look is the popular American highlighting. This method of coloring appeared relatively recently, but in a short time it has already gained a huge number of fans all over the world. Such highlighting is often confused with coloring or tinting, and they do not even realize that many of the models we see on the pages of glossy magazines resort to highlighting.

Description

The main difference between American highlighting and classical highlighting is that here they use not one shade for coloring, but several - usually from 2 to 5. In this case, the tones are selected as close as possible to the native color, and the hair is dyed not in narrow strands, but in wide ones. The result of this method of applying paint is the effect of maximum naturalness and naturalness of the hairstyle.

American highlighting has many advantages:

there are no age restrictions here, the coloring looks good on both very young girls and women of an elegant age;
optimal for both straight and curly hair;
adds pomp and volume to the hairstyle, gives the necessary density and at the same time lightness;
does not affect the area near the roots, therefore, it is a safe and gentle technique;
there is no need to regularly adjust the haircut - as the hair grows, the border between the dyed and natural strands is almost invisible and not noticeable, so the need for correction arises no more than once every 3 months.

Coloring is optimal for:

thick hair;
hair dyed at least 2-3 months ago;
natural mop color.

At the same time, there are features of the strands in which it is better to turn to other methods of coloring, these include:

split and damaged hair;
allergic and skin diseases;
hair dyed with basma or henna.

In addition, coloring is not recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and you should not do coloring during menstruation, when the result of using paint due to a hormonal surge in the body can be the most unpredictable.

Before resorting to this method of highlighting, you should thoroughly prepare your hair with regenerating masks, balms and special gels, and also cut off all damaged strands.

Kinds

American highlighting has several varieties, let's focus on the most popular ones.

Classic

2-3 shades are used, with the help of which the effect of natural tints of color and highlights on the hair is created. In accordance with the execution technology, the lower areas on the back of the head are first painted, then smoothly move to the temporal areas and from there to the crown. In order not to confuse the strands with different colors, they are wrapped in foil of several shades. This coloring makes the hair more stylish, interesting and truly glossy, while the effect on the hair is quite soft and gentle, since only a small part of the curls is affected by coloring.

Californian

This coloring is used only for light brown hair, diluting it with honey, as well as wheat and nude shades. This is the best option for those girls who want to get the effect of strands of hair slightly bleached in the hot sun with iridescent highlights on their curls. This technique is one of the most difficult; most often, masters use special paste-like paints based on natural wax, and do not wrap the hair in foil. This is precisely where the special “trick” lies - when in contact with the main head of hair, the dyed strands allow you to create the appearance of the most smooth transition of shades.

Red

This highlighting is applicable for brunettes; the tint palette in this case includes shades of brick, red, as well as bronze and red-brown. This method is ideal for revitalizing slightly dark, dull hair, but without damaging the curls with bleaching.

Colored

This highlighting is suitable for daring and creative girls who love beauty experiments and are always happy to try something new. Here they use the boldest bright colors, resort to contrasts and any other non-standard solutions. As a rule, such highlighting is based on the use of ammonia-free dyes, so the coloring is short-lived and washes out within about a month. This method of coloring is optimal for creating a game look on vacation, as well as during art projects and other creative events.

Selecting a shade

In order for American highlighting to look most harmonious, you need to correctly find the optimal shades for coloring; recommendations from experienced craftsmen will come in handy for this. Owners of blond hair can use a wide variety of colors, here the choice depends solely on the original color of the curls:

fairly light, almost white strands– ash, platinum, as well as pearl and caramel;
light ash– here it is worth using wheat, golden-honey and milky colors will be good;
light brown– dark blond, as well as red in any possible variations and platinum tones are appropriate here.

For owners of black hair, it is worth choosing red shades; for women with chocolate hair, it is better to use light brown tones, and for girls with chestnut curls, matte colors and milky blonde are suitable. Red-haired girls rarely resort to highlighting, because even without coloring they look impressive and bright.

If they decide to dye it, it is worth complementing the natural strands with ashy tones, if their natural hair is dark red, and if their curls are light, with hazelnut tones.

Technology

American highlighting is done only in beauty salons, since it is almost impossible to do it at home. Experienced craftsmen carry out all the necessary manipulations according to the scheme below.

The application of the main tone, as a rule, begins from the temples and the back of the head, while individual strands are separated with a knitting needle or separator on a comb. Each curl is smeared with a coloring compound and wrapped in foil. At the final stage, the product is applied to the crown. The application of additional tones proceeds in the same order, from the back of the head to the very top of the head, the master applies all the remaining shades, alternating them.

The dye is kept on the hair in accordance with the time specified in the instructions, usually up to 25-30 minutes. After the allotted time has passed, the hairdresser removes the foil, and you need to start with the darkest tone and end, on the contrary, with the lightest one. Next, the hair is thoroughly washed with warm water and shampoos that do not contain sulfates, after which the strands are treated with a conditioner and a means to fix the resulting color.

Unfortunately, it happens that even with strict adherence to all execution technology, the result turns out to be completely different from what was expected. Stylists highlight several of the most common mistakes.

The color turns out too blurry - this happens when the foil was poorly fixed or if the strands with light dyes were unwrapped first, and the dark ones only after them.
The shade is uneven, sometimes bright, sometimes dull - this error occurs if contrasting tones were used when painting. In this case, it is better to rinse your hair immediately as you unroll it. So, first unfold and rinse the strands covered with dark dye, then the middle ones and then the lightest ones.
Transitions have appeared - this can happen if the foil is not fastened sufficiently, then the coloring pigment from one curl gets onto another - the effect is not the most aesthetic.
Dry hair - sometimes after American highlighting, the hair looks like straw, this means that too aggressive a dye was used or the composition was overexposed to the hair. To prevent this from happening, you need to purchase cosmetic products from trusted manufacturers and apply them in strict accordance with the instructions.

A woman is a mystery. And in order to be it regularly, ladies have to constantly change their image.

One way is to change your hair color. Stylists help women with this problem.

American highlights offer dark hair luxury, shine, volume and long-lasting shine.

The American lightening technique came into fashion not so long ago. Originally intended to add volume using golden-red shades.

What is American highlighting?

There are three types of American highlighting:

unlike the American one, it has smooth transitions between shades;
. This species got its name because all shades of red and copper tones are used for it;
- This is a mixture of bright contrasting shades.

These methods are combined into one, due to the presence of 2 or more shades in all, as well as the play of highlights, which creates additional fullness and thickness of the hair.

This is a gentle type of highlighting, as it does not require strong lightening and is approximately 2 shades lighter. In the classic version, from 2 to 4 tones are used. This results in luxurious thickness and shine.

The peculiarity of this type is that the color is applied only to small strands.

Photos before and after

Advantages

Gives hair the effect of sun glare and beautiful tints.
Creates visual volume and density.
Suitable for any hair length and hairstyle.
Looks equally good on both curly and straight hair.
Huge selection of color palettes.
With the right choice of shade, you can successfully highlight your skin color.

Who can do it?

This method implies the absence of smooth transitions from color to color. This achieves the effect of fullness of hair. But not everyone will like this type of coloring or show it.

Great for:

thick normal hair;
painted at least 2 months ago;
natural hair color;
girls in good health.

It is undesirable to use it for:

dull, split and damaged strands;
damaged scalp;
girls with allergic reactions;
during pregnancy, lactation or menstruation;
on those painted with henna or basma.

Before performing American highlighting, you need to treat your hair with special products in the form of gels, masks and balms. Only after such procedures will the lightening result be desired.

You should not highlight immediately after dyeing. This will cause even more stress to the hair that has undergone tinting.

Peculiarities

In addition to the advantages and disadvantages, this method has the following features:

coloring is done only with foil, since there should not be smooth transitions between shades;
for a more effective result, it is recommended to use a maximum of 4 shades;
Only the top layers are lightened and colored. The lower ones remain the base color.

How to choose the right shade based on your appearance?

Correctly selected combinations of shades will bring gorgeous results. There are three main criteria by which you can choose a suitable palette with up to 95% accuracy: eye color, skin color, color type.

This type of highlighting involves coloring only the top layers.

Required tools:

baths for diluting color;
application brush;
paint of various shades (depending on how many colors there will be on the strands);
multi-colored foil;
comb;
hairdresser's cape;
clamps;
disposable gloves.

Foil of different colors is needed so as not to get confused where and what shade is applied.

It is necessary to rinse your hair correctly. Dark and bright shades are washed first, and then lighter shades.. This is necessary so that the colors do not mix and a beautiful combination is obtained. You shouldn’t lighten your hair, as highlighting your natural color will look more natural. The highlights will look brighter and more voluminous.

Shades need to be alternated in a checkerboard pattern so that all areas have an even amount of a certain color.

How long does it take to repeat?

American-style dyeing of individual strands enough for about 2.5-3 months. Experts do not recommend repeating the entire procedure, since during this time only the roots will grow and the color will fade a little. To update the shade, you just need to tint the roots and wash your hair with a tinted shampoo.

Any procedure involving a change in hair color under chemical influence has a negative impact on its condition. Highlighting affects only the upper layers of the hairstyle, but if they are damaged, the appearance of the hair will be ruined:

they will be brittle and dry;
will lose their natural shine;
the ends will split.

To prevent such consequences Highlighting should be done as rarely as possible. No more than once every 2-3 months.

Probable errors and their consequences

It happens that despite following all the steps of the instructions, the result is not what we would like. For example:

In order to avoid this, you need to memorize the instructions well, understand and fully understand the process. You need to be very careful when choosing a shade. It happens that you like the colors, but they don’t fit well with each other or don’t look good on the length of your hair. All details must be taken into account:

color type;
competent combination of shades;
hairstyle;
hair length;
face shape;
color quality;
learn how to properly wrap foil and apply tint;
Wash your strands properly.

To keep your hair looking healthy longer and less damaged, it is better to use ammonia-free dyes or tint mousses.

How to fix?

Mistakes could not be avoided. There are two ways to correct the situation: go to a specialist or do it yourself. Of course, the master will do everything correctly and competently, but he will charge a certain fee for it.

the following option is possible: wash. Use a special product to wash off all shades and apply a single color dye or leave as is and give your hair a rest.

It is important to wash off the shade from each strand so as not to stain the natural color with a mixture of several colors. Everything is washed off in a row.

It is best to dye your hair not with dye, but with ammonia-free tint products.. After rinsing, be sure to apply a caring balm or mask to the strands. This will protect them and start the recovery process.

Rules of care

The essence of American highlighting is no different from any other type. Recommendations for caring for such curls are the same:

Taking care of your curls is easy. Their healthy appearance, silkiness and shine are only in your hands. The American method of highlighting is very popular among brown-haired women and brunettes, as it stays on the hair for a long time and gives a chic volume. The process is not complicated and you can do it yourself. A chic well-groomed look, luxurious shine and incredible volume of curls after dyeing using the American method will win any hearts!