Hair Color Ideas: Lowlights

Lowlights are a popular hair coloring trend.

Most people are familiar with highlights for hair, which lighten the natural hair color to a blond or light brown tone. However, if you like the lightness of your hair color but want to add depth and dimension, have a qualified stylist add lowlights to achieve this look. As the name suggests, lowlights are strands of deeper, more vibrant color added to your natural hair. They can make your hairstyle more interesting and help your hair better complement your skin tone.

Basics

A general rule of thumb for lowlights is to not go more than three shades darker than your natural hair color for best results. Unlike highlights, which are generally added to the top layer of hair and around the face, lowlights are typically woven into the sides, under layers and to the tips of the hair.

Lowlights for Blondes

Actress and dancer Hailey Baldwin shows off her lowlights.

Blond hair is said to be the most coveted color of all, but one shade of blond has never been chic: dishwater blond. This dull shade can easily be livened up with some lowlights. Blondes are usually best suited for caramel, honey or bronze lowlights. These can be added to the base of the hair near the neck and sides, or at the tips for the most natural look.

Lowlights for Brunettes

Brunette actress Kerri Kasem sports rusty lowlights.

Lovely, rich brown hair can benefit from lowlights, too. Brunette hair is best complemented by red-toned lowlights like cinnamon, auburn or rust. If you have black hair, you might consider adding dark brown lowlights to create dimension and texture. Blond colors are not advisable for brunettes and those with black hair because they often appear unnatural.

Lowlights for Redheads

Actress Bella Thorne shows off her auburn locks.

Red hair is beautiful but is often very solid in color without much variance. Redheads ought to choose a lowlight shade close to their natural hair color. If you're a ginger, add a slightly darker shade than your own. Those with auburn hair are usually able to add golden brown lowlights. Redheads should avoid adding blond to their hair.

Combining Lowlights With Highlights

A stylist adds both highlights and lowlights to a client's hair.

To achieve the most dimension with your hairstyle, consider having highlights placed in your hair along with lowlights. Highlights are meant to frame the face in order to brighten it up, whereas lowlights are placed in more discrete areas of the hair to create more depth and richness in color. Together, they can create a wide range of dimension, add transition and texture and look fresh and modern.

References

• Behind the Chair: The Lowdown on Lowlights
• MyHaircuts.com: Hair Lowlights

Resources

• BecomingGorgeous.com: Types of Highlights and Lowlights