MaryElise.com :: Beauty > Hair

Go Blonde! Guide
By Mary Elise Chavez
Posted April 2006
Updated September 2007

Whether you are saturating your do in golden hues or simply highlighting a few strands, adding a few face-framing blonde pieces helps to brighten up any face!

1. The summer's most alluring blonde consists of golden tones with lighter pieces around the face. By using deeper tones underneath, you will add visual depth to the hair as well.

2. Every women with dark hair can always go lighter. The trick is to use honey, strawberry, or caramel hues.

3. If you are concerned that blonde won't look natural on your brunette locks, try lightening your base color, then adding subtle blonde highlights to mimic the sun's effect.

4. Seeking quick color? At-home highlighting kits are a great way to get rich color, and fast.

5. Lastly, sometimes dying your eyebrows can be too harsh if the color isn't right. As an alterative, skip the dye and pick up a colored brow wand (similar to mascara, except made in different colors specifically for eyebrows). If you have thick eyebrows, rather than dye them, thin them out for a lighter appearance.

Blonde Highlights: 5 How-To Tips

1. If you have fine hair, adding any color will give your hair body because coloring causes your hair's shafts to swell.

2. Keep in mind that highlights around the face can brighten your complexion. You'll want to opt for colors that warm the skin & enhance your natural hair color.

3. Ask your stylists about lowlights. Lowlighting means darker strands are woven into the lighter ones creating more depth & drama.

4. If you use traditional foil methods for your highlights, keep in mind these are harder to care for once your roots grow out. Foil highlights require precision application, which makes fixing dark roots costly. However, if you go with widely-spaced, less structured pieces of color (called 'hair painting' or 'baliage,' touch-ups will be easier.

5. You can opt for either full or partial highlights. Partial means the stylist sticks to the top part of your head, instead of highlighting all over. If you have thick hair, you'll want to go partial otherwise you'll be there forever. In summer, ask your stylist to color the hair that shows when you wear a ponytail.

Thanks to about.com