Home highlighting episode

Laura,Although have colred my hair at home without incident, everytime I tried highlights...Uuggghh! Anyway, when i botched my "lights" I waited about two days and then put a semi-permanant color like Loving Care over them. I have also gone really drastic and have covered up with permanant color (I have very strong hair). Anyway, both of these worked well for me. Now I pay to have my entire head highlighted and it is WELL worth it!Sherry> A while back I posted about home hightlighting. Yes,> salon highlights are great, and I used to get them a> few years ago before I quit work. I used a particular> brand a few months ago, and loved the results. Since> then, the product has not been found...and believe me,> I looked. In more than one city. In many stores. So, I> settled for Clairol Hydrience highlight kit. My strand> test was botched somehow, and my hair is too light!> Perhaps there was not enough developer in the test> solution. Anyway, the highlights are more like> SPOTLIGHTS saying Hey! I did my Hair! Look how light> it is just around my face! It's livable, and not what> I'd really call a color DISASTER, but it is a good bit> lighter than what I had in mind. Any remedies (I did> this saturday night, it's now Monday morning). Sorry I> didn't go to a salon, guys, but I'm a stay at home mom> and money is a big factor. Thanks. Laura.

> A while back I posted about home hightlighting.Yes,> salon highlights are great, and I used to get thema> few years ago before I quit work. I used aparticular> brand a few months ago, and loved the results.Since> then, the product has not been found...and believeme,> I looked. In more than one city. In many stores.So, I> settled for Clairol Hydrience highlight kit. Mystrand> test was botched somehow, and my hair is toolight!> Perhaps there was not enough developer in the test> solution. Anyway, the highlights are more like> SPOTLIGHTS saying Hey! I did my Hair! Look howlight> it is just around my face! It's livable, and notwhat> I'd really call a color DISASTER, but it is a goodbit> lighter than what I had in mind. Any remedies (Idid> this saturday night, it's now Monday morning).Sorry I> didn't go to a salon, guys, but I'm a stay at homemom> and money is a big factor. Thanks. Laura.try reverse highlighting with color rather than lightener.That works well for my wife.

> Laura,> Although have colred my hair at home without incident,> everytime I tried highlights...Uuggghh! Anyway, when i> botched my "lights" I waited about two days> and then put a semi-permanant color like Loving Care> over them. I have also gone really drastic and have> covered up with permanant color (I have very strong> hair). Anyway, both of these worked well for me. Now I> pay to have my entire head highlighted and it is WELL> worth it!> SherryLaura,To 'bring back' your high lights a level or two, try this, pick a color of 'deposit only' color one level lighter than you want it to be. Do a test strand to the reccomended timing, (usually 20 minutes), rinse and thoroughly dry to check color and any possible damage. If ok in color and condition proceed to color the rest of your highlighted hair. The reason to use only one step difference is that highlighted hair will absorb color easier than virgin hair and will 'take' darker than usual due to the porosity. Check often during test strand coloring and recoloring by wiping dry with a paper towel to check on how the color is 'taking'. Don't panic, it should look a couple of shades darker than it will when it is rinsed and dried, (remember it is 'wet' with color). william

Laura,Hi! No my results were always OK-- however, I always did a starnd test and made sure that the base color was not red in nature. I know that my method was a bit extreme, and I have given it up since, but in a pinch it has worked for me. By the way, I also get my hair highlighted at the salon now, and when it starts to get to "yellow" from water or sun, I use a formulation called "Gold Out" that I bought at my local beauty supply store. They also make a "Red Out" Anyway, this is a shampoo formulation and I use it about once a month-- it really ashes things up and I truly like the results. The stuff is very inexpensive and IT works! So if covering up isn't for you, I would try toning down with a solution like this! Hope this helps!Sherry> You didn't get "off color" results? I called> the clairol line (closed but used the recorded> options) and they said "natural instincts"> is the only brand recommended for highlighted hair,> and then only certain colors (which I wrote down and> am considering). I just want to tone down the> highlights. I love the placement of them, but they are> just too yellowy gold and not the results I had hoped> for.

Okay, I recolored. I used the Clairol hotline this morning, and, as instructed, I mixed 1 oz Natual Instincts #06 Med Ash Blonde ("Linen") color lotion, 1 oz developer, and 1 oz my regular shampoo (Artec Smoothing). I left on 5 minutes, checked, and it was perfect (they said ck every 5 min and use no more than 20 min)! I rinsed, conditioned with the conditioning packet in the color package, and now it's great! Thanks for all your input! I was going crazy.Laura