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How to Add Lowlights to Dyed Dark Hair

Aug 18, 2011 / By Diana Prince

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Selena Gomez, performing here during the 2011 Teen Choice Awards, has black lowlights in her dark brown hair.

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Adding lowlights to your hair is a relatively easy, always fab way to add depth and dimension and get a subtle but stunning hair change. Even if your dyed hair is pretty dark already, you can still add in some lowlights. For medium to dark brown hair, use a black shade to create a contrast in your hair.

Put on a pair of gloves and mix the hair dye according to the instructions. Now is not the time to skip for the sake of saving time, so take a minute and read those directions, honey. Even if you've dyed your hair before, make sure you know exactly what you're doing.

Pour the prepared dye into an applicator bottle with a nozzle tip, and screw the lid on.

Pull out the first section of hair you want to darken. Keep it about ¼-inch wide -- don't worry about pulling out your measuring tape here, just eyeball it -- or a bit larger if you want more of a chunky look, and apply color to the strand by squeezing some dye out of the applicator bottle. Comb over the hair with a hair coloring brush, using the stiff bristles on the brush to coat the hair all the way from root to tip.

Once the entire section of hair is saturated in dye, fold a foil strip up around the hair to hold it in place.

Move on to the next section of hair and color it the same way; continue like this, adding lowlights around your head, until you have as many as you want. Remember, to keep them as lowlights and not end up with a solid color, leave sections of your dyed hair dry between the colored sections, so you're alternating between colored sections and sections of your already dyed hair.

Check those instructions to see the recommended processing time for the dye, and set your timer accordingly.

Once the timer goes off, rinse your hair out until the water runs clear. Once your hair is dry, you'll really be able to see those beautiful lowlights and the difference they've made in your hair.

1.Gloves

3.Applicator bottle

5.Foil strips

2.Black hair dye

4.Hair coloring brush

6.Timer

If you don't have a coloring brush handy, you can blend the color into your hair with your fingers.

Home lowlighting kit are available that come with everything included. There are lots of different brands and hues to choose from, so have fun shopping.

Make some lowlights thinner and some wider for a more natural look.

To add lowlights around the bottom layers of your hair, clip part of your hair up out of the way and add lowlights to the lower layers before dyeing the top layers.