Root highlighting: technique and care after staining

Root highlighting involves dyeing the hair roots that have grown back after the previous procedure. This is a great way to freshen up your look without harming your hair. Many people try to do this procedure on their own, but you should not risk the health and beauty of your hair, it is better to turn to the services of hairdressers.

For a month, the hair grows on average by 1.5 cm, therefore, 3-4 weeks after the procedure, the regrown roots worsen the appearance of the hairstyle. Light roots are not too noticeable, but dark ones need highlighting. The frequency of root highlighting depends on the type of staining. For example, Californian technology, bronzing, ombre and shatush must be corrected every 6 months. And the classic, ash, French and American are recommended to be updated in 1-2 months.

If you do not tint the root zone, but highlight the strands completely, then the quality of the hair will be deteriorated, to a greater extent at the ends, the order of alternation of lightened and natural curls will also deteriorate, due to which the hair will have a lightened effect. It is difficult even for experienced masters to highlight hair from roots to ends for the second time, the probability that a specialist touches unpainted curls is 99%, which is why the contrast will not be clear.

Root highlighting is best done on clean, dry hair. The procedure is carried out in several stages.

• The hair must be carefully combed, the first strand must be selected with a comb. This is done selectively, as with traditional staining.
• A piece of foil is fixed under the strand.With a brush, apply the paint to the regrown hair. It is important not to go beyond the transition line. Do not leave unpainted areas.
• The foil should be slowly rolled to the center and covered with the painted area. The following curls are painted according to the same principle.
• The paint must be left for a certain time, after which it is thoroughly washed off.
• A revitalizing balm or mask must be applied.

Until recently, it was believed that dyeing has a bad effect on the condition of the hair, but technologies do not stand still, and today, sparing chemical hair treatment products are used. Root highlighting has a number of advantages:

• gives curls a neat and attractive look;
• takes less time than a complete hair dyeing;
• does not do much harm to hair;
• with such staining, a small amount of dye is used, which has a positive effect on the cost of the procedure;
• maintains the clarity of the picture;
• hair gains volume due to the fact that dark and light curls alternate;
• depending on the staining technique, you can get an ombre or balayage effect.

But despite such a number of advantages, this procedure also has several disadvantages:

• it is difficult to choose a tone and carefully apply it to a colored curl so that the borders between flowers are invisible;
• despite the fact that gentle coloring agents are used, they still have a negative effect on the hair, especially if the roots are discolored beforehand;
• it is necessary to carefully follow the procedure, since if you strongly step over the border of the previous highlighting, you can burn or spoil the strands;
• an incorrectly selected shade will ruin the hairstyle, and to eliminate the defect, you will have to dye your hair completely.

The basal highlighting must be trusted by experienced specialists. It is advisable to contact the master who did the highlighting for you for the first time, so he can easily repeat his own work. It is important to use quality products. Errors of 1-2 tones are acceptable.

For highlighting the strands with paint, the following accessories are used:

• 10 cm strips of foil;
• a bowl for mixing paint, you can use any bowl, just not metal;
• a comb with a fine handle and a massage comb;
• brush;
• clamps.

Hairdressers use 3 products for coloring the root zone.

• Brightening powder. If the curls are dark and thick, then you can lighten them exclusively with powder. Before staining, it must be diluted with an oxidizing agent in the indicated proportions. The main thing is not to exaggerate, otherwise the hair will be burnt and acquire an unattractive yellow tone.
• Specialblond - this tool is used for dark-haired female representatives - brown-haired women, dark-blond or brunettes. A distinctive feature of the dye is that it is used on uncolored hair. Before using, the specialblond must also be mixed with an oxidizing agent.
• Tonic or permanent paint - for some, it is quite difficult to remove the natural pigment, therefore, after the bleaching procedure, the strands acquire a reddish or yellow tone. High-quality root highlighting can be obtained using natural colors.

On the hair of natural blondes, spectacular highlighting is not difficult to obtain. Light strands are easy to color. The main task in this situation is the correct choice of dye so that the result of the procedure is noticeable. It is more difficult to perform basic blond highlights on bleached hair. In this case, experts use powders that completely eliminate the natural dark color. Such products contain a large amount of oxidizing agent.

This dyeing technique is usually performed the same for both blondes and brunettes. But there are also several differences:

• the hair of a brunette must be discolored before toning, natural blondes can be dyed immediately;
• bleached hair is colored faster than dark hair, respectively, blondes will spend less time on this procedure;
• the frequency of root highlighting is also different - brunettes need to update their hairstyles every 2 months, while blondes will only need to perform the highlighting technique once every six months.

To achieve effective highlights, it is important to avoid common mistakes.

• Change of hairdresser. The correction should be done by the same master as the highlighting. He knows the peculiarities of your hair, knows what shades were used and how thick your curls are. In addition, updating someone else's work is much more difficult than your own.
• Lack of care for colored hair. Hair after this procedure requires special care, it is necessary to use nourishing masks and oils that strengthen the hair, keeping the color saturated.
• Carrying out root highlighting at home, especially if the girl will do the procedure herself. Above the transition line, you need to work with the utmost accuracy in order to minimize the risk of damage to the curls.
• Ignoring hair type and color - if lightening was performed earlier, then the root area must be tinted.

To prevent the curls from spoiling, you must use special masks and balms. There are a large number of different products on the market now. You should also follow the advice of experts.

• It is necessary to buy shampoos for highlighted hair, they retain a rich color and prevent yellowness.
• Use the same brand of balm as the shampoo. The application of oils and masks is also encouraged.
• The emerging yellow tint can be removed at home with special tonics. You can buy them at professional hairdressing stores. It is best to remove the yellowness of tonics of silver or purple color.
• A good professional hairbrush has a positive effect on hair health. Experts advise using wood combs with a large distance between the teeth, or combs with natural bristles. Remember not to comb your hair when wet as it becomes brittle.
• A yellow tint appears due to exposure to sunlight or chlorinated water. So wear a hat in the summer and a cap in the pool to protect your hair structure.
• Do not perform root highlighting often. Masters recommend doing it when the roots grow at least 4-5 cm.
• protect hair from high temperatures. Before using a hair dryer or curling iron, apply special sprays to the curls.

Root highlighting is a great method to update your hairstyle, refresh the image, spending little time and effort. And professional lamination will help to improve the appearance and condition of curls after highlighting. This procedure will fix the paint in the structure of the curls and preserve the beautiful look of the hairstyle for a long time.If you have any questions regarding hair care or the frequency of root highlighting, consult your professional. A specialist will always be able to give advice on how to properly care for your hair.

For information on how root highlighting is performed, see the next video.