Want to look year round like you've just returned from a luxury resort where warm sun has gilded your skin and hair? Yes? Then there are two options: either run for air tickets, or read our article and learn how to perform California highlights. We will tell you how to turn into a luxurious Californian beauty in a couple of hours.

What is California Highlights?

We all watched the series "The Beach", in which beautiful lifeguards in red swimsuits conquer not only with their shapes, but also with their hair color. To achieve the same natural look of the strands slightly burnt out in the sun, they came up with a Californian highlight. The essence of the technique is to stretch the tone as smoothly as possible from the darkest at the roots to the lightest at the tips. The secret is to smooth out abrupt transitions, otherwise the coloring will look rough and vulgar.

California highlights: pros and cons

Who is California highlighting suitable for and how is it good?

But, like any technique, Californian highlighting has its drawbacks.

California highlighting: technique, video

Due to the subtlety and laboriousness of the process, the staining technique has its own characteristics. They are worth keeping in mind if you decide to repeat the procedure at home.

• To create coloring using the California highlighting technique, at least you need 4-5 shades of paint, they will need to be mixed, so first study the basics of color and color compatibility
• To apply the composition more accurately and accurately, you can add a special thickener to the paint. Beginners should definitely try this trick.
• Lightening and California highlights are two different things. Using peroxide alone, you will never achieve beautiful color... After lightening, the strands must be tinted.
• Coloring using the California highlighting technique can be done both with persistent dyes and with more natural and gentle balms. At home, it is worth giving preference to them: if you do not like the result, unstable dyes are faster and easier to wash off
• The desired effect is not easy to achieve in one go, especially if you have dark and Thick hair... Please be patient and repeat the procedure.

How to do California highlights at home

The color drawing procedure is quite complicated and painstaking, so it is best to trust an experienced stylist. But if you have light or Brown hair, then you can try to perform Californian highlights at home. The main thing is to adhere to the proposed step by step instructions, and also choose the highest quality natural dyes. We also recommend watching video tutorials.

First of all, let's prepare necessary materials... Choose 4-5 similar shades. Pay attention to whether they combine well with each other. For Californian highlighting, special pastes are produced with the addition of beeswax... There are also ready-made kits that make color matching easier.

To protect clothes, you will need a special peignoir or cape, to protect the skin on the forehead - fat cream... To separate the strands, it is most convenient to take a narrow comb with a long tail. We will apply the dye with a special brush.

California highlighting is a fairly "fresh" trend in the hairdressing beauty industry. From the name of this technique, one can assume that its creators are craftsmen from the American state of California, which, in fact, is the case. What is the highlight of Californian highlighting? Let's figure it out.

The fair sex first began to experiment with changing the natural hair color many centuries ago, BC. Today, only a few women do not dye their hair, while the overwhelming majority willingly dye it, trying to find the most advantageous curl color for their type. Modern hairdressing has many original techniques hair coloring.

What is the difference between Californian highlighting and the classic hair lightening technique?

The main feature of Californian highlighting is to create the effect of naturally burnt hair, without sharp color transitions. This is probably what the hairstyles of tanned Californian beauties look like: under the rays summer sun their hair is unevenly lightened to very light strands, as a result of which the entire mop shimmers with incredible highlights and looks extremely impressive. The technique for performing Californian highlights is in many ways similar the classic way lightening hair. However, there are still differences, and the main one is the use of more gentle dye mixtures containing beeswax (a neutralizer of harmful substances). The California method does not use foil or thermal paper. The strands are dyed outdoors. The procedure itself is rather painstaking and laborious. Therefore, in order to get a truly high-quality result, the master needs not only to work hard, but also to perfectly master all the subtleties of color. Californian highlights are applicable on different types hairstyles. For coloring, they are used within five shades of the color palette - from cold platinum to warm golden. After the Californian highlighting, the hair shines incredibly, looks alive and, of course, does not go unnoticed by others.

Benefits of California Highlights

• much less damage to hair than other types of dyes (during such a procedure, the hair roots practically do not suffer);
• the hair roots growing between colors are not so striking, so the hairstyle continues to look well-groomed for a long time (the effect of burnt hair does not require subsequent correction);
• gives hair a healthy shine and naturalness;
• well masks hair imperfections, including gray hair;
• suitable for all hair shades.

The subtleties of the California highlighting procedure

As we said above, reproducing the effect of burnt hair is by no means an easy task, requiring from the master specific skills in the selection and the ability to combine different shades with each other. How does the lightening of curls take place using the Californian technique?

1. First of all, the master selects the most suitable shades of paint, and then mixes them, following clear instructions.
2. After the coloring composition is supplemented with a certain amount of beeswax. The main function of this component is to give the mixture such a consistency (density) so that it dries as quickly as possible after being applied to the hair.
3. Next, the finally prepared mixture is distributed over the strands with a brush and kept until the desired shade is obtained. This process is carefully supervised by a master.
4. The next step is toning the bleached hair with ammonia-free paint. This is necessary in order to achieve that very effect of maximum naturalness.
5. The procedure is completed by washing the head and applying a balm or a nourishing mask to the hair.

One of the most difficult tasks in California highlighting is that you need to choose the most advantageous palette of shades, focusing on the woman's color type (natural skin tone and original hair shade). There are some guidelines in this regard. So, for women with light or pinkish skin, cold shades of paints are recommended - various tones of ash, platinum, pearl, cold blond and others. For young ladies with warm skin, warm shades suit the face - caramel, golden, wheat, cognac, honey. For dark-skinned girls, a darker palette of colors is optimal - dark chocolate, coffee, dark chestnut, etc. The most difficult thing is to perform Californian highlighting on brunettes. This is due to the fact that the natural pigment of dark hair is quite persistent, therefore, in order to "block" it, the master has to go to certain tricks, and at the same time use a less sparing dye mixture. The ideal solution for dark hair is to combine the natural shade of the root zone with a smooth transition to light ends. Hairstyles with tips painted in bright colors look very extravagant.

It is much easier to achieve a soft stretch of color on blond hair Oh. With a warm blond, shades from a warm palette are in perfect harmony - wheat, golden, honey, but with a cold one, ash, platinum, pearl and other cold colors are better combined. Blondes resorting to Californian highlighting can count on the fact that their hairstyle will acquire additional visual volume.

Owners of light brown hair also probably will not lose if they decide to transform their appearance with the help of this type of coloring. Often fair-haired girls lack freshness and brightness in their image. This is exactly the result that the Californian highlighting guarantees. Light blond hair is dyed similarly to blond, with the exception of the root zone - it is left natural. When dyeing dark blond hair, the roots also do not affect, but the tips, if desired, are brightened as much as possible.

Californian highlighting gives red hair a special zest - an incredible shine appears in them, similar to sun glare. On the red "base" strands of golden, honey or wheat shades look great.

Below are the photos different options coloring using the California highlighting technique.

Californian highlights are ideal for beginners. It is not required to lighten the strands from the roots, the growing hair looks quite natural, and small errors can be easily hidden during the repeated procedure.

For independent work at home, you need to purchase high-quality tools and preparations. A beginner master will need:

Advice. For Californian highlighting of light hair, you can not discolor the strands, limiting yourself to toning the roots.

Dark hair must first be lightened by 4-5 tones and then toning. Light brown or light brown strands can be treated with a single-phase agent that combines dye and clarifier. The drug acts gently and is ideal for creating smooth color transitions.

The selected paint is diluted with an activator cream or an oxidizing emulsion in equal proportions. If the strands are very weak, porous, damaged by curling, you can take 2 parts of the oxidizer for 1 part of the paint. It is important to make sure that the mixture does not turn out to be too liquid, otherwise it will drain and the curls will be colored unevenly.

The color depends on the shade natural hair. For Californian technology, natural colors are used. Walnut, copper, amber, beige or light chestnut shades are suitable. Girls with light brown hair can experiment with a silvery-ash scale, although such shades are used less often.

If you are going to highlight and, then it is convenient to do this through a hat.

Advice. Foil is not used for California highlighting. Curls can be shifted with special hairdressing paper. If the colored curls are in contact with the bulk of the hair, the effect will be softer and softer.

Long hair can be streaked using a different technology.

1. The selected strands are combed, then paint is applied to them, starting from the middle.
2. After 15-20 minutes, comb the hair thoroughly.
3. In the process, the paint is distributed more evenly, the border with dark roots becomes blurred and natural. The paint is washed off with running water.
4. Then the hair is treated with a nourishing balm.

If you rinse off the paint without unraveling the fleece, the hair can get lost in a shapeless ball.

Another option suitable for long hair is highlighting with elastic bands.

1. The hair is divided into 4 parts, then strands of the desired width are separated one by one and tied into tails with elastic bands.
2. The paint is distributed over the strands on both sides.
3. After 15-20 minutes, the preparation is washed off with running water, then the tails are untied and the hair is rinsed again.

For California highlighting, both thin and fairly wide strands are suitable. To emphasize facial features, it is recommended to lighten the curls at the temples.

• California highlights - perfect option for those who are just experimenting with home coloring. The procedure is less traumatic, the unevenness of the paint application is not striking, as with contrasting classic highlighting.
• To achieve symmetry, it is recommended to apply the first coat of paint, starting from the temples and ending with the crown. After distributing the preparation from the middle to the ends, you need to apply another layer closer to the roots. This technique will create a smooth transition, the color will change shade, and the strands themselves will not be affected.
• For home dyeing, you can use ready-made kits, they include everything you need and can lighten the strands by 3-4 levels. If a more contrasting highlighting is required, professional preparations are suitable. They have a wider color range, paints can be mixed, correctors or boosters added to get the perfect shade.

Advice. girls who have experience in self-dyeing can use several colors, distributing them over different strands.

Each drug is diluted in a separate container; several brushes or brushes are needed to apply to the hair.

Before and after photos

What if the Californian highlights didn't work out?

1. Despite the emphatically relaxed look, Californian highlighting is not always successful. The most common problem is uneven paint application. As a result, the indents from the roots can have different widths, which looks sloppy.
2. To correct the error, toning with a transparent corrector mixed with paint of a lighter tone than the one used for highlighting will help. The drug is applied to all hair, it will slightly blur the color, the transitions will be smooth and natural.
3. If the streaked strands are too light, toning in a more saturated tone will help: dark beige, chestnut, nut, cognac. The use of ammonia-free drugs with natural oils does not harm the strands, providing a bright shine.
4. Sometimes bleached curls take on an unpleasant straw yellow color. To correct it for a more noble blond will help the treatment with a toning corrector in violet or blue tones. To cope with a slight yellowness tint shampoo, the procedure will have to be repeated at least once a week.
5. Perming will help smooth out the look of not too evenly colored hair. You should not use electrical appliances, it is better to try classic curlers or papillotes. Soft curls will hide not too neat strands, the hairstyle will look fresh and stylish.

   Important. If you don’t like the highlighting, you don’t need to try to paint over it with a persistent preparation. On pre-bleached curls, the shade will be different.

   Better to contact a salon with a good reputation, an experienced master will offer several options for solving the problem.

6. If the coloring was carried out on damaged hair, split ends and other small defects become more noticeable. This is a reason to refresh your haircut. Shorter strands look neater; it is almost impossible to restore delaminated ends.
7. Restoring masks, oil emulsions, moisturizing creams and balms will help to restore the lost shine to the hair. The preparations are chosen depending on the type of hair. The drier they are, the more intense the texture of the product should be.

– interesting technique providing the most natural result. The process provides ample opportunities for creativity, paints can be mixed and diluted to achieve the ideal tone.

Related videos from a professional colorist

V recent years v fashion trends the leading position is taken by naturalness. It manifests itself in general in appearance, but is especially pronounced in makeup and hair colors. When deciding to update your style and freshen up your hairstyle, you should turn to California highlighting, which allows you to look fashionable without giving up naturalness in the image.

California highlights: a barrel of honey with a small drop of tar

There are many options. Highlighting has always stood out, first of all, by the fact that with such a coloring all the hair does not suffer, but only individual strands are exposed. But this is also difficult to call a safe option. However, among all types of such staining, it stands out very much and appearance, and the impact on the curls of California highlighting (examples of the photos below), which in the past three years has become especially popular.

What is this form of hair coloring?

It is based on a fairly gentle dyeing method that traumatizes the hair structure to a minimum.

- This is highlighting, which is based on the effect of "hair burnout in the sun". The process of modifying individual strands occurs without the use of strong chemicals, and also foil and thermal paper are not used in this case.

Californian highlights are based on maximum naturalness. Due to this, there will be no sharp, noticeable shade transitions in the hairstyle. This form of coloring involves the creation of a gradient on the hair, smooth, natural. The selected individual strands are not only lightened, but also tinted to make the effect more expressive. Highlighting is also gentle because the hair roots do not touch here, and the paint does not come into contact with the scalp.

Usually, up to 6 different shades of coloring agents are used to form the most successful gradient and effect of "sunburned hair". Moreover, both tones of a light palette and a dark one are taken. In addition to the usual paints, which in this version often do not include ammonia, tint balms and shampoos can also be used. However, the effect of them will not last long on the curls, requiring frequent and regular use at home.

There is one more exceptional feature of the Californian highlighting. The dyeing process takes place outdoors. This allows you to control changes in the color of the curls, and also does not injure them too much.

Dignity

The indisputable advantages of this form of hair color correction include the following points:

• natural result and gentle effect when the dye does not penetrate deeply into the hair structure and the roots are not affected;
• highlighting suitable for any type and shade of hair, only the technology and the selection of paint tones are slightly different;
• the result obtained visually; in combination with the correct haircut, such coloring can transform every girl, this is especially noticeable on thin and rare curls;
• you can do Californian highlights at any length; however than longer hair, the longer the process; it is permissible to use staining only on the bangs or on one part of the head, without affecting all the curls;
• this form of painting is excellent means for masking appearing gray hair that can refresh the whole image;
• highlighting suitable for literally any color type, you just need to correctly choose the tones of hair dyes;
• does not require frequent visits to the beauty salon for renewal or correction, especially in comparison with conventional highlighting, which affects the color of the hair at the roots, therefore, it forces them to regularly tint.

Having once appeared in the "States" and becoming part of the American type of hair coloring, Californian highlights have spread throughout the world. He is preferred by many famous personalities, for example, Keira Knightley.

Flaws

Despite the many advantages, there are also negative aspects. However, most of them can be corrected with proper care behind the hair after dyeing.

1. Any hair suffers when trying to change its shade.
2. Incorrect staining technique can lead to unexpected results. For example, curls can be burned, gray pigment can stand out.
3. Californian highlighting is contraindicated for those girls who have recently done hair chemistry or have not passed a couple of months since the last dyeing. It is not advised to perform this procedure in the case when henna has been repeatedly applied to the hair, and there is no natural color. Otherwise, the result can be unpredictable, up to a green tint on individual strands.
4. The process of this staining is very long and laborious. It often takes more than 3 hours. And it can also require a lot of financial costs when painting both at home and in a beauty salon.

However, against the background a large number pluses and at the sight of a gorgeous result on the hair, most of the minuses lose their power. Not wanting to seek the services of a professional hairdresser-colorist, you can try to do Californian highlights at home.

It is worth considering that if the hair is thick and long enough, then there will be a need for third-party help in working with them in order to eliminate inconvenience and minimize an unsuccessful result.

How to do Californian highlighting yourself, at home?

When deciding on a not too drastic, but visually noticeable change in the hairstyle, but without resorting to the services of salons, you need to know what materials and things will be needed for home coloring.

For any type and structure of hair, you must:

1. a set for this type of highlighting or a careful selection of individual coloring agents that will not differ much in shades; it is better to choose professional hair cosmetics;
2. a comb with frequent and fine teeth or a comb to create partings; gloves and paint brush;
3. hairpins (not metal, so as not to cause an unnecessary chemical reaction), elastic bands or a silicone cap with holes;
4. if a hat option is chosen for working with hair, then a special hook is also needed, suitable for pulling strands;
5. fabric, which can be used to cover the shoulders, so that later you do not try to wash off drops of paint that accidentally fall on the clothes;
6. hair conditioner (usually comes with coloring agents), a regenerating mask and other caring cosmetics, since even after gentle highlighting it is necessary to "revive" the hair.

Californian highlighting, relying on naturalness, does not imply the use of shades of paint that are radically different from the hair color. After all, it is necessary to achieve the effect of "burnout". Moreover, this color correction combines both light and dark shades.

For example, if the hair is red, then copper, coffee-cognac and light blond tones will be needed. An example of highlighting on red hair is shown in the photo:

When all the materials are on hand, you can proceed to the process itself.

Hair coloring instructions step by step will look like this:

1. Highlighting is carried out only on clean hair, therefore, before staining, the head must be washed. The use of conditioner or balm in this case is excluded.
2. You can not use a hairdryer, the curls should dry naturally so that there is no excessive fluffiness from artificial drying. At this time, solutions for staining are prepared, based on the attached instructions for the paint.
3. A silicone cap is put on the head, after which, with the help of a hook, strands are pulled out alternately, starting from the back of the head. If there are only elastic bands among the available means, then the hair is preliminarily divided into thin partings (no wider than 2-3 cm), and then small strands (up to 1.5-2 cm) are selected in an arbitrary or checkerboard pattern, but also starting from the back of the head.
4. In California highlighting, the technique is based on applying dye not to the entire length of the hair. The selected strand is covered with neat, chaotic, but vertically directed movements with the staining agent, while you need to retreat 3-5 cm from the roots. It should be applied not with your hands, but with a brush.
5. If desired, the dyed strands are secured with elastic bands or hairpins. However, the contact of the colored curls with other hair is also permissible, this will add a glare effect, and the overall result will look like a softer gradient.
6. When all the selected strands are colored, the time of exposure to the paint is recorded. Most often it is from 10 to 40 minutes, it is necessary to focus not only on the desired result of toning or lightening, but also on the instructions in the instructions for the coloring agent. You don't need to use any head covers (plastic, towels, paper or foil).
7. The final touch is rinsing hair dye using conditioner, special shampoo. If desired, you can immediately apply a regenerating mask if you suspect that your hair has suffered more than you would like.
8. For the first time, dry your hair with Californian highlights naturally, without using a hair dryer.

If necessary, for example, additional lightening of the ends of individual strands, the dyeing procedure can be repeated. But not earlier than in one and a half to two hours. The entire color correction is done in a couple of months.

For a visual and correct presentation of the Californian highlighting technique, you can familiarize yourself with the video presented:

Features of California highlighting for different hair

Traditionally, this highlight is used for long curls. With it, the hair becomes more airy. However, this color is not contraindicated for short hair is just less popular.

Californian highlighting will perfectly complement haircuts "for a boy", an elongated bob and different options for cascades. And making a similar color correction for short curls is easier on your own.

Here are some photo examples:

Let's apply this type of color to any initial hair tone. Californian highlighting looks spectacular on dark, fair-haired and light curls. But there are some differences in the dyeing technique.

Highlights for dark hair

In this case, this color has a separate name - venetian highlights... The following color options are usually selected: coffee, chocolate, dark blond, cognac, dark wheat.

It may be necessary to pre-bleach individual strands to obtain a more expressive effect, but without lightening the roots. To remove yellowness, toning in wheat or light brown is used.