How to Do Halo Highlights

Halo highlights brighten up any hairstyle.

Halo highlights are a new trend in hair coloring. This technique is similar to normal highlights but excludes the top layer of hair from the color process. The highlights are meant to look similar to a glowing ring of light around the head, resembling a halo. The color peeks out from the top layer of the hair creating an interesting new style for women and girls of all ages.

Things You'll Need

• Rat-tail comb
• Hair clips
• Gloves
• Foil strips
• Hair color
• Developer
• Small bowl
• Dye brush
• Shampoo
• Conditioner

Instructions

1. Use a rat-tail comb to make a circular part on the crown of your head and clip it up out of the way. The top layer of this hair will not be colored or highlighted.

2. Create a vertical part from the center of the back of the head and another horizontally to end up with four equal sections. The front of the hair is the fifth section. Clip each section off with a butterfly or claw clip.

3. Mix up the highlighting color -- according to the package -- with gloved hands. This is typically done by mixing the color with an equal amount of developer in a plastic applicator bottle or small bowl. For highlighting, a bowl with a dye brush is recommended.

4. Grip a 1/2-inch section of hair, starting on either the left or right side in the front and put a foil strip beneath it. Brush on the highlight color, saturating the strand completely. Fold the end of the foil strip over the hair and then fold once more all the way to the top of the strand near the roots. Repeat this process all over the head, separating each highlight by 2 to 3 inches.

5. Leave in the hair color for the time noted on the package, generally around 30 to 45 minutes for blonde highlights, 25 to 30 minutes for darker colors.

6. Remove all the foils carefully after the color has developed and discard them in the trash. Rinse the color out with warm water and then shampoo it out with shampoo. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the hair and apply a conditioner for five minutes and then rinse it out.

Tips & Warnings

• For a more dramatic effect, after rinsing the highlight color out, towel-dry the hair and apply another color on the top layer of the hair. Leave it on for 30 minutes before rinsing it out and applying a conditioner for five minutes.

References

• Hairstyle Questions; Have You Ever Heard of Halo Highlights? How Are They Done?; December 2007

Resources

• Latest Hairstyles; Halo Lights - Hair Color