How to Use Two-Tone Highlights to Add Volume to Flat Hair

Flat hair can appear lifeless and become quite frustrating in the face of all the beautiful voluminous hair you see on television or in magazines. There is hope, however, since you can use carefully placed two-tone highlights to add volume to flat hair. If done properly, your hair will appear fuller and more luxurious than it did before.

Instructions

1. Select two-tone highlight colors that are relatively close to your natural hair color. The general rule is to go for highlights about three shades darker and three shades lighter for a regular two-tone highlight treatment, but in order to add volume to your flat hair with highlights, you'll want to go no darker or lighter than two shades instead. This allows your highlights to look even fuller as your hair grows out since it will continue to blend into your roots.

2. Use one color of your two-tone highlights that is close to the color of your scalp, or choose both colors based on your skin color instead of your hair color. This gives the illusion of volume in your flat hair because your scalp color will now blend into your hair, giving the impression that you have much more hair than you really have on your head.

3. Apply the two-tone highlights in small, randomly spaced sections. Large, chunky streaks will actually cause the hair to appear flatter, and evenly spaced highlights will appear more like deliberate and unnatural stripes in hair that lays flat.

4. Use the darker shade mostly on the underside of your hair while using the lighter shade on the crown of your head to add overall volume. This creates a layered look by adding shadowy lowlights that rise up to brighten highlights on the top. Building up the shadows around your neck while the top catches the sun will create an all-around fuller look.

5. Consult a professional salon to create an effective two-tone highlight palette that will really add volume to your hair. Though you can select the colors to do them at home, the products are not the same as the ones used by professionals. Two-tone highlights are tricky, so unless you have experience with the particular colors and brands you have selected, it's best to leave the job to professionals.

Tips & Warnings

• Be extra careful if you plan on using any hair coloring products on your hair while it is wet. Hair is especially vulnerable to chemical and physical damage while it's wet, and flat, thin hair is even more susceptible to the effects of these products. Make sure you're selecting the gentlest products with the least amount of ammonia or peroxide in the formula.