Highlights and lowlights can bring life to dull hair colors but often they are misunderstood. Knowing the real differences between highlights and lowlights, and which one is right for you can go a long way.

Of course, you can always get one flat hair color. But where’s the fun in that? When you mix different similar colors on one head, you create movement and volume. Your hair becomes intriguing and does much more than frame your face.

It creates style and becomes the center of attention. Let’s see what highlights and lowlights are and if they can be mixed to provide such an enchanting effect.

What Are Lowlights?

Lowlights are small sections of dark color that are added to the hair. Sometimes you can add lowlights if you went too far highlighting your hair. Maybe your hair looks more like bleach blonde, but you don’t really like that look, or it’s not appropriate for your age. In this scenario, you can add a shade of deeper lowlights to your hair all over.

Sometimes, lowlights are only added to the bottom section. This gives you the appearance of having been in the sun, and only the top of your hair got lighter, but in a nice, natural sort of way.

Many people use lowlights on the top of their hair to re-create the blond hair of their childhood just as it started turning brown. To do this, the lowlights can be added close to the roots. Your colorist might use balayage techniques to blend in color with the rest of your hair. 

What Are Highlights?

Highlights are streaks of color lighter than your own. So if you have brown hair, your highlights might be a shade lighter, or two or three shades lighter, depending on your preference. It’s not unheard of for people with hair that’s close to black to sport blonde highlights. 

But these aren’t thick chunks. Highlights are almost always done in thin sections, about 10 strands of hair each. You might use a highlighter cap and choose the smallest holes, or maybe your stylist will tease a section of your hair and add bleach to what remains, then wrap the section in foil.