California highlighting technique for dark hair (50 photos)

California highlighting on dark hair is great for refreshing a tired color Hair highlighting has been attracting the attention of millions of women and their stylists all over the planet for several years now, and one of these techniques is California highlighting on dark hair. This technique is relatively new compared to other types of highlighting that are already loved by dark-haired fashionistas around the world, such as ombre, balayage, shatush, and Venetian highlighting.

The secret to the popularity of many ways to highlight hair is simple - women don’t want to be gray and inconspicuous, and plain hair seems boring

A few light strands on dark hair will radically change your look.

This coloring is considered gentle, because does not affect horse hair

California highlighting - the effect of burnt curls
Trending colors this season
Pros and cons of California highlighting of dark hair
Features of the California highlighting technique for dark brown hair
Useful tips
Coloring at home
Sun highlights on short hair
Subtleties of caring for highlighted hair

Highlighting is the choice of women around the world

The secret to the popularity of many ways to highlight hair is simple - women do not want to be gray and inconspicuous, and plain hair seems boring. Moreover, it is well known that the dark color of curls makes you look somewhat older, and the well-established beliefs that fair-haired women are more feminine and gentle are still quite popular.

California hair highlighting is one of the varieties of shatush and a fairly new coloring technique.

She came to us from the USA, namely from sunny and warm eternal summer California. After all, the result of this technique will be curls that look as if they have been burnt out under the scorching sun, and take on very bright light shades.

Curls after this coloring look very natural and natural

Therefore, many dark-haired beauties want to change their dark curls to lighter ones, resorting to lightening and various types of dyeing. But to achieve a similar effect, it is not at all necessary to bleach your precious hair - you can simply highlight it. This procedure is more gentle - because the chemical effect will not affect the roots, and a smooth transition from a darker shade to a lighter shade will give you the opportunity to look like a celebrity for several months.

Advice! To avoid subjecting your hair to a lot of stress and damage, choose highlights instead of full dyeing. Indeed, in the case of highlighting, approximately half of your hair is exposed to dye, and not every last one. Plus, you will save time and money, since you will not suffer from the problem of “overgrown roots.”

Do I need to wash my hair before highlighting?

There is a widespread belief that it is better not to wash your hair before dyeing. This is explained by the fact that sebum (sebum) protects hair from deep penetration of aggressive chemicals. There is some truth in this statement, but to understand whether you should wash your hair or not, you need to weigh all the arguments for and against.

Arguments against washing your hair:

Thanks to the layer of sebum, the harmful effects of paint are partially neutralized.
Most hair shampoos contain alkali, and it slows down the oxidizing reactions.
The dye must be applied to dry hair, which means that after washing the hair will need to be dried with a hairdryer. A hairdryer will additionally dry out your hair before a rather traumatic procedure.

Arguments for washing your hair:

The dirtier your head, the longer you have to keep the paint on it. To penetrate under the hair scales, the dye must first dissolve the layer of fat.
On greasy hair, it is difficult to separate thin strands, in addition, if you plan to apply makeup with outside help, the hairdresser will simply be uncomfortable working with dirty hair.

From all of the above, we can conclude that you don’t need to wash your hair if no more than a day has passed since the last water treatment and there are no traces of styling products left on your hair. In all other cases, the curls should be washed with sulfate-free shampoo.

California highlighting - the effect of burnt curls

California hair highlighting is one of the varieties of shatush and a fairly new coloring technique. She came to us from the USA, namely from sunny and warm eternal summer California. After all, the result of this technique will be curls that look as if they have been bleached under the scorching sun, and take on very bright light shades. Curls after this coloring look very natural and natural, because, unlike many techniques, in this case they do not use foil. California highlighting is a way to make a woman’s image unusual and memorable. The hair will gain shine and the color will be enriched thanks to smooth transitions of different shades.

California highlighting is a way to make a woman’s image unusual and memorable

Hair will gain shine and color will be enriched thanks to smooth transitions of different shades

The base color of the Venetian should be as dark as possible, and the base color of the Californian should be shades from light brown to light brown.

Some people confuse Venetian and California staining. But there are several differences:

The base color of the Venetian should be as dark as possible, and the base color of the Californian should be shades from light brown to light brown.
For Venetian, a golden shade is used, and for Californian, cold and warm shades of light tones are used.
California highlights are light in color.

California highlighting of dark hair can be called a rather gentle procedure. Strands are chosen in different sizes and the transitions between light and dark hair can also be different. These simple secrets make your hair look very natural.

For Venetian, a golden tint is used, and for Californian, cold and warm shades of light tones are used.

California highlights are light in color

Strands are chosen in different sizes and the transitions between light and dark hair can also be different

Who is it suitable for?

Sometimes it seems that the Californian technique has no restrictions on type, because this is the method of hair coloring chosen by a variety of women. Many blondes like it, because they can create an interesting combination of colors on their curls. The hair visually becomes thicker and more voluminous, which is important for those with sparse strands. Light brown hair should not be lightened, but darkened, and in the root zone. True, in this case more frequent correction is required.

Finding the right color schemes for brown-haired women is difficult, but possible. The palette depends on the color type: cold or warm. This highlighting looks quite contrasting. A significant number of tones (up to 5–6) will make it possible to make the transition from dark roots to light ends as smooth as possible. But stylists advise brunettes to be careful with such experiments, because it is most difficult for them to achieve a natural gradient.

California highlighting is usually done on light hair, and Venetian highlighting is chosen for dark hair.

For light, brown hair

Natural blondes belong to either the warm spring or cool summer type. Taking this into account, you need to select a color scheme. In the first case, golden blonde, honey, and wheat are optimal. In the second - ashen, pearl, mother-of-pearl. Platinum, ash, and light brown look good on light brown hair. Blondes can choose just 2-3 tones to look great.

For fair-skinned girls with expressionless “mouse”-colored hair, neutral shades are suitable: light blond, wheat, beige, dark or light brown, walnut. If your skin is prone to tanning, you need to take a closer look at a warm palette; if not, look at a cold palette.

For dark hair

Girls who belong to the fall (warm) or winter (cold) color types are also suitable for different color schemes. They should be close to the natural color of the hair. The best shades are golden, honey, cognac, amber.

Brunettes can use copper, bronze, chocolate (warm or cold), chestnut. These colors are also optimal for covering gray hair. The white tone on the bangs looks extravagant in combination with black curls.

By the way. Red-haired girls should choose golden, amber, light brown, cognac and wheat.

Trending colors this season

Beige
Honey
Sandy blonde
Baked milk
Wheat
Splashes of champagne
Caramel
Cinnamon
Walnut
Rosewood
Amber
Cognac
Coffee

Californian hair highlights are increasingly being chosen by Hollywood stars

Many girls have been resorting to this type of highlighting for a long time, but not everyone knows its name.

Today, a range of gentle lightening products is available to girls with different shades of curls.

Advice! Before you do California highlighting on dark hair, you should understand what suits you best: cold or warm shades.

Californian hair highlights are increasingly being chosen by Hollywood stars. For example, Sarah Jessica Parker never tires of delighting us with her luxurious hair.

Many girls have been resorting to this type of highlighting for a long time, but not everyone knows its name. In every city, and not only large ones, there are a lot of craftsmen who are ready to perform such a procedure. Remember, back in the early 2000s, hairdressers did not advise dark-haired young ladies to highlight their hair? Today, a range of products for gentle lightening is available to girls with different shades of curls.

Pros and cons of California highlighting of dark hair

Any procedure has positive and negative sides. Let's look at the pros and cons of California highlights for dark hair. Pros:

Half of the hair is not dyed during highlighting and remains healthy

Highlighting is an excellent disguise for emerging gray hair

Highlighting gives volume to hair and revitalizes hairstyle

Half of the hair is not dyed during highlighting and remains healthy.
An ideal way for those who decide to change their image.
The ability to grow your natural hair.
Excellent camouflage of emerging gray hair.
This technique is suitable even for allergy sufferers.
Looks very natural and natural.
Highlighting gives volume to the hair and revitalizes the hairstyle.
Saving money and time. Stylists do not advise doing too much highlighting on dark hair. So you will need to visit the salon not once every three weeks, but once a quarter (depending on the speed of hair growth).

Minuses:

Highlighting is a labor-intensive process, so give yourself about 5 hours at the hairdresser

It is better to highlight already colored dark hair no earlier than after 1 month, because when interacting with active reagents, the curls may take on an unpleasant shade

It is almost impossible to do high-quality, most accurate and beautiful highlighting at home without having the necessary skills.

Duration of the procedure. Highlighting is a labor-intensive process, so give yourself about 5 hours at the hairdresser.
It is better to highlight already colored dark hair no earlier than after 1 month, because when interacting with active reagents, the curls may take on an unpleasant shade.
It is almost impossible to do high-quality, most accurate and beautiful highlighting at home without having the necessary skills.

Advantages

Source: @ viktorinovaya

Hair looks as natural as possible.
This coloring suits almost everyone, regardless of hair length and texture.
Due to the shimmer, the hairstyle looks more voluminous.
Frequent correction is not required.
The coloring looks presentable even when the roots grow.

Features of the California highlighting technique for dark brown hair

California highlighting is a rather complex process in terms of technology. It has a number of features:

Coloring usually takes place in stages. Achieving a gradual transition from color to color will require time, endurance, patience and skill.
Strands of hair are dyed in beige, golden and even cognac shades. To obtain the desired result, the master sometimes has to use from 4 to 6 types of paint.

Coloring usually takes place in stages. Achieving a gradual transition from color to color will require time, endurance, patience and skill.

Strands of hair are dyed in beige, golden and even cognac shades. To obtain the desired result, the master sometimes has to use from 4 to 6 types of paint

A professional hairdresser simply must be able to mix different types of products, know the rules and proportions, understand the combination of colors and shades

A professional hairdresser simply must be able to mix different types of products, know the rules and proportions, and understand the combination of colors and shades.
Regular lightening will not give the desired results. Moreover, if your hair has previously been bleached, then by repeating the procedure, you may encounter an unpleasant yellowness. The bleach is usually left on the hair for up to half an hour. The total time of such a procedure will depend on the desired result. The entire process is controlled by a hairdresser to protect hair from damage by ammonia.
The next stage is tinting the bleached strands with soft dyes, coloring masks and balms. Remember, the last option is not long-lasting and the shade will quickly wash off.
The dyeing itself takes place outdoors.
No foil is used. This is the only way to achieve the desired result and the transitions will be smooth.
Dyed strands are sometimes covered with specialized paper. As a result of this, the strands accidentally touch and color each other, and this is how the so-called effect of natural burnout in the sun is achieved.

Regular lightening will not give the desired results. Moreover, if your hair has previously been bleached, then repeating the procedure may result in unpleasant yellowness.

The bleach is usually left on the hair for up to half an hour. The total time of such a procedure will depend on the desired result. The entire process is controlled by a hairdresser to protect hair from damage by ammonia

For California highlighting, foil is not used. This is the only way to achieve the desired result and the transitions will be smooth

Painting technique for different lengths

The smooth transition of the range of shades looks great regardless of the length.

Short

Thanks to the Californian technique, short haircuts look more colorful, unusual, and avant-garde. They are chosen by young confident girls or extravagant ones who love to attract attention.

With a short hairstyle, you will have to touch up the colors more often to maintain the geometric structure of the haircut. Lighter shades are recommended for these haircuts.

Sometimes only the bangs are tinted using a light application technique. The master, like a painting, applies strokes of tinting paint to individual strands and areas.

The main thing is that the color transitions are invisible. This is practically jewelry work.

Average

Medium length is preferable as it is convenient for cutting and creating different hairstyles. Here you can experiment with strands. The dyeing technique is as follows : one side, several strands, bangs, part of the hair closer to the ends, etc. are highlighted with color.

With a medium length, it is easier to achieve a natural look when the hairs are naturally and freely “bleached” in the sun.

Long

Those with long hair are even luckier - they have many color options and haircut configurations available to them. The effect is amazing. The beauty with flowing hair, in which the reflections of the sun play, is impossible not to notice. She is always the center of attention.

At the same time, both blondes, brunettes and redheads are good. Strands - straight, silky or curled.

For a master, working with a long length requires endurance and patience, because the color parts are longer. It is necessary that the places of “joining” are not noticeable. Long hair can be dyed less often. Growing roots are not so noticeable with most shades.

Useful tips

If you decide to change your look using California highlighting, then the following tips will be useful to you:

The key condition for any hair manipulation is healthy curls. If your curls are damaged, it is better to treat them and only then proceed with such traumatic procedures.

If you still decide to highlight your hair, despite its injury, then honestly and accurately tell your stylist when, under what conditions you dyed your hair, and what brand of dyeing materials you used. Such information will help avoid unexpected unpleasant results.

The key condition for any hair manipulation is healthy curls. If your curls are damaged, it is better to treat them and only then proceed with such traumatic procedures

If you still decide to highlight your hair, despite its injury, then honestly and accurately tell your stylist when, under what conditions you dyed your hair, what brand of dyeing materials you used.

Natural shades never leave the peak of popularity. To make the strands look as natural as possible, you need to choose a tone that is 2-3 shades lighter than natural and close to the color of your skin and eyes.

Trendy shades: coffee, honey, caramel, beige, milk chocolate, cinnamon and mocha. Hair after any coloring requires special care. Use a hairdryer less, and even less so with straightening irons and curling irons, and do not pull your hair into tight buns or braids. Pamper your curls with good professional shampoos and conditioners, make nourishing masks.

Coloring at home

California highlighting technology has a number of difficulties, so it is better to entrust your hair to a good specialist. But salon procedures cost a lot of money and not everyone can afford the services of an expensive specialist. In such cases, many resort to dyeing at home. And if you still decide to carry out the procedure at home, then take our advice into account.

California highlighting technology has a number of difficulties, so it is better to entrust your hair to a good specialist

But salon procedures cost a lot of money and not everyone can afford the services of an expensive specialist. In such cases, many resort to dyeing at home.

When coloring, keep a distance of 2-3 centimeters from the roots; lightening from the middle of the length, or coloring only the ends, also looks very beautiful

Before starting coloring, prepare for highlighting:

Pick up and put on protective clothing (don't forget about gloves), apply a rich cream to the skin along the hairline so that the paint does not get into the skin.
Prepare a mixture of paint and oxidizing agent, maintain the proportions and immediately begin work immediately after preparation.
You need to separate your hair with horizontal partings - you will get strands of 1.5–2 centimeters each.
When coloring, keep a distance of 2-3 centimeters from the roots; lightening from the middle of the length, or coloring only the ends, also looks very beautiful.
The curls are processed vertically with the dyeing mixture.
To get a smooth transition, you can backcomb it with a flat comb in advance, at the level where the expected lightening line will be.
Tint the lightened ends with the desired shade of dye.

Remember that if highlighting was unsuccessful due to the wrong choice of paint and process, then after a month the effect may be very different from what it was at the beginning. After finishing the procedure, apply more special balm to your hair; it will soften the destructive effect of the dye on your curls.

Curls are processed vertically with the dye mixture

To get a smooth transition, you can backcomb it with a flat comb in advance, at the level where the expected lightening line will be.

Tint the lightened ends with a dye of the desired shade.

Advantages and disadvantages

California highlighting has not lost popularity for many years both among ordinary girls and among world stars, including Beyoncé, Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez. This demand for coloring is due to a long list of advantages:

Does not damage hair roots - the composition is always applied at a distance of 2 or more centimeters from the roots.
Does not destroy the hair structure - thanks to open action without foil.
Does not require frequent correction - regrown roots look natural.
Masks the first manifestations of gray hair due to correctly placed color accents.
Gives hair additional volume due to the contrast of dark and light strands.

But there were also some downsides:

Damages the length - after bleaching, the strands become dehydrated and require more intensive care than before.
Strands can turn yellow and become faded if you neglect the rules of care.
High cost of the procedure compared to classic highlighting.

Sun highlights on short hair

The procedure for Californian highlighting for dark short hair (up to 15 cm long) is not so complicated and easier than that done for long hair. You need to use a special brush and apply lightening paint to the ends. The tips painted in this way shimmer and shine, the highlights create a cool volume effect. The advantage is the creation of a smooth, slow transition from natural to artificial shade. Looks ideal on dark-haired ladies with a beautiful even bob or bob.

The procedure for Californian highlighting for dark short hair (up to 15 cm long) is not so complicated, it is easier than that done for long hair

You need to use a special brush and apply lightening paint to the ends.

The tips painted in this way shimmer and shine, the highlights create a cool volume effect

Subtleties of caring for highlighted hair

Highlighting dark hair is carried out with dyes that are created on an alkaline basis and can destroy the structure of the curl, contribute to split ends and even weaken the roots. Even if the coloring is gentle, it can cause hair loss, sometimes in whole strands. Do you want to help your hair survive the stress it brings? Then here is a list of effective tips from experts that will definitely help you:

The main and unchangeable rule for a successful procedure is healthy hair. If they are damaged by any chemical influence, you will have to cut off the “dead” ends and treat the entire head.
It is better to trim the ends a little after highlighting.
After highlighting, use good professional hair care products.

Highlighting dark hair is carried out with dyes that are created on an alkaline basis and can destroy the structure of the curl, contribute to split ends and even weaken the roots

Even if the coloring is gentle, it can cause hair loss, sometimes in whole strands

It is better to trim the ends a little after highlighting

After highlighting, use good professional hair care products

Search the Internet for masks for colored hair. Many of them are prepared from products that everyone has at home and are very good for damaged hair.
Thermal effects will also not benefit your hair. Hide your hairdryer, curling iron and straightening iron in the closet.

Use masks for colored hair. Many of them are prepared from products that everyone has at home and are very good for damaged hair.

Thermal effects will also not benefit your hair. Hide your hairdryer, curling iron and straightening iron in the closet

Don’t be afraid to experiment on yourself and change your boring image

Highlighting dark hair is a wonderful way to pamper yourself and become several years younger in a couple of hours and change your boring image.
Don’t be afraid to experiment on yourself and change your boring image! Highlighting on dark hair is a wonderful way to pamper yourself and become several years younger in a couple of hours and change your boring image. By choosing a skilled craftsman and a true artist, and giving your locks proper care, you can look like top celebrities at fashion shows and red carpets.