Okay, so I finally did it. I’d been looking at my plain brown hair for ages, feeling like it needed something. You know that feeling? Just… blah. I kept seeing pictures online and people walking around with really nice, dimensional hair color. That’s what got me thinking about highlights.
I wasn’t brave enough to go full blonde or anything crazy. Decided to stick with my brown base but add some life to it. Caramel and blonde highlights sounded like a good mix – not too stark, just enough pop. Spent a bit of time saving pictures of styles I liked, trying to figure out exactly what to ask for.
Getting it Done
Made an appointment at the salon. I brought my pictures, which actually helped a lot. My stylist was cool, looked at my hair, looked at the pics, and we talked about what would work. She suggested a mix of finer blonde highlights with some chunkier caramel pieces to give it that depth I wanted. Sounded good to me, so I just went for it.
Then came the process. Man, getting highlights takes time.
- First, she sectioned off my hair like crazy.
- Then came the foils. So many foils! Applying the lightener piece by piece. It didn’t smell great, that bleachy smell, but hey, beauty is pain, right? Or at least slightly smelly.
- Waiting for the highlights to lift was the longest part. Just sitting there, foil-head, trying not to fidget too much.
- After rinsing that out, she applied a toner. She said this was key to getting the blonde bits the right shade, not too yellow or brassy. More waiting.
- Finally, the wash and condition. That part always feels amazing, the head massage bit.
The Result
When she finally dried and styled it, I was honestly pretty thrilled. It wasn’t a drastic change, but it was exactly the refresh I needed. The highlights catch the light really nicely. You can see the different tones – the caramel blends smoothly with my brown, and the blonde bits give it that little extra brightness, especially around my face.
Seriously, it just looks more interesting now. Less flat, more movement. Took a bunch of pictures when I got home, trying to capture it right. It feels good! Definitely worth sitting in that chair for a few hours. Now I just gotta figure out this purple shampoo stuff everyone talks about to keep the blonde looking fresh.
