Varieties of ash highlighting and subtleties of coloring

The peak of popularity of solid dyeing is gradually receding into the shadows, but it is being replaced by such techniques for changing hair color as shatush, ombre, balayazh and, of course, highlighting.

Cool tones are now gradually taking over positions, and one of the most fashionable colors is ash and all kinds of its shades from crystal white to heavy gray with bluish and dark shades.

Ash highlights will suit those girls who want to create a bright look, but do not seek to use flashy colors. This is the choice of elegant women who respect the classics, albeit a little modern.

Ash highlighting is a rather unusual coloring option. This method involves dyeing some individual strands in a cold silver color, which, if dyed incorrectly, can take the form of early gray hair.

But the strands of ashy color will look very harmonious on girls of a cold type. These are the owners of blonde hair, eyes and skin. But we remember that girls of a particular color type in their pure form are very rare. Most often, we meet carriers of a mixed type, therefore, recommendations for wearing ash highlights will be based on some individual features of their appearance.

Ash highlights look good on light brown hair, but only if you have very good skin, as any redness, acne and imperfections will only become more noticeable. The same will happen with smoky highlights on black hair.

Gray shades fit very well on blonde hair, but you should turn to a professional for advice if you are very dark-skinned or easily and “sunbathe” to blackness. A smoky blonde highlighted will also look strange if you have dark or bright green eyes.

And in any case, do not try to make highlights of a graphite shade on red hair! They just don't fit together, and you end up with a messy tone.

Middle-aged or slightly older ladies should choose this type of staining with caution, as the ash color can make them look several years older than they really are. But the ash color is well suited for those who look much younger than their age and want to seem more mature and serious. And also smoky shades mask early gray hair well, but here a lot depends on the colorist and the chosen shade, therefore, it is recommended to consult a master before staining. For example, the shade "ash blonde" will not only accentuate early gray hair, but also create the impression of not the most well-groomed blonde.

The main types of highlighting are frequent (it is also frequency - this is the coloring of many small strands) and classical (strands of medium width are painted). The rest of the highlighting techniques, one way or another, are based on these two, the difference is only in the number of colors used. Frequent highlighting is suitable for thin hair, since it can be used to give the hair the splendor and volume it needs, and also visually lift it up from the roots. It looks the most natural, as it eliminates abrupt transitions, and creates a natural, smooth gradient.

Ombre - uses two colors that are very close to each other. Often, with ash highlighting with the help of ombre, they paint over the ends of the hair.

Zonal (it is also partial) - suggests, as the name implies, the selection of some zones on the hair. Often these are face framing, bangs, or ends. It is used to add freshness and energy to the image.

Balayazh. This technique requires the use of several shades at once to create gradual color transitions from natural hair to highlighted hair.

Cold silver strands will look good on light brown hair, but only with light eyes. And it will also be appropriate to use ashy shades on light brown hair and in the presence of very light skin, without redness, moles and freckles. With this option, you should choose deep smoky or ash shades - give up shiny white tones. In dark gray colors, you can add a little pink pigment in order to liven up the face and avoid the doll coldness. The color of silver goes well with very light skin, pinkish and porcelain, in other cases it is necessary to observe the absence of tanning.

Ash highlights will add elegance to black hair, and with thin hair that cannot boast of splendor, it will significantly add visible volume. Such highlighting on black hair should be performed by fair-skinned beauties with light eyes. This is a portrait of a cold, winter-type girl. Strands of sparkling silver will look harmoniously, which will complement the overall cold look, give elegance and mystery. The metallic shade will add severity and seriousness, create the image of a decisive and strong-willed lady.

On light hair, ashy highlighting looks the most advantageous, however, much depends on the shade of the blonde. Use light silver and ash blonde shades. In general, the color of strands of any smoky shade - from snow-white to wet asphalt - will fit well on blonde hair. For a harmonious look, you only need to take into account your color type, hair length and appearance features such as freckles or age spots.

For blondes, the "salt and pepper" highlighting option is also well suited. A bonus to this is that if you are a dyed blonde, then the ash color will almost completely interrupt the yellowness that appears over time on all bleached hair with a golden blond.

Some types of highlighting are designed to be applied to long hair, respectively, to show a full transition and play of colors, it will be possible only at a suitable length. Others, on the contrary, are not suitable for stretching the paint pattern for long transitions, and look most advantageous on short hair, which is given volume and lightness.

Ash highlighting on a short haircut will give the wearer style and expressiveness, add volume to the hair, and in the presence of light eyes, emphasize their color and fill them with saturation. The plus of short hair is the absence of the need for constant styling, and with an ash blonde, a slight negligence will only add charm. Only the growing ends should be tinted, but they can also be beaten in an original way in gray tones, which will look very natural.

Both types of highlighting are suitable for a short haircut - both frequency and classic. Wide strands (up to two centimeters) make the hair look longer and also help to better reveal the shade of gray.

The medium length provides much more room for the colorist to take action. On such curls, you can perform pure highlighting (when only one color is used over the entire surface of the head, without transitions and extraneous shades) and other types.

With pure highlighting, a more austere image is obtained that emphasizes facial features, gives them expressiveness and clarity of lines.

Another way is highlighting in graphite tones. In this case, all shades of graphite are used, from the lightest with a silvery sheen to the dark color of a pencil rod.

Zonal highlighting looks good on curls of medium length. Much depends on the area that you want to paint. For example, when lightening the area near the forehead or cheekbones, the face appears more open and refreshed, and the eyes become deeper. Since this method uses several shades to create gradual transitions from a natural color to a smoky one, it becomes possible to softly highlight the bangs (if any).

Highlighting the bangs usually occurs last, when the result of dyeing is already visible, and the master understands how to properly dye the bangs so that it is in harmony with the rest of the hairline. One more point is important here - with the wrong selection of highlighting, the bangs can take on an unkempt, "sleek" look. It is important to choose the size of the strands and the number of shades in such a way that the bangs also look voluminous and thick. Highlights look best on long or medium-length bangs with a diagonal cut. Dyeing asymmetrical bangs is not allowed.

Long hair allows you to reveal any type of highlighting in a rather unusual way. In this case, only those types that require short colored "feathers" are not suitable, since on long hair it will look just spotty and a little ridiculous. All other methods that allow you to stretch the color along the entire length (or most) of the strand will work well on both medium and long hair.

The alternation of light gray, light ash and snow-white shades will look good. This will help fill the image of the bearer with grace and nobility. This alternation will look especially impressive on dark blond and black curls.

A method suitable for long hair is back highlighting. Very complex, but interesting in its execution: the entire mass of hair is dyed in the selected shade of ash, after which the colorist paints over individual strands with natural shades - light brown, chocolate, black coffee and others.

Another original variation of highlighting for long curls is salt and pepper highlighting. In order for this option to turn out not too difficult for execution, it is necessary to have natural hair of any shade of brown - light brown, dark blonde, brown or chocolate. Separate thin strands are dyed in the selected shade of smoky scale, and the remaining strands, which should turn out to be also thin, remain natural.

If you want to make it so that only the lower part of the hair becomes more prominent, then this is quite acceptable, but at the same time the hair growth zone (root) and the upper part of the head should remain natural, unchanged. Starting from the area in the back of the head, the highlighting goes down, gradually becoming lighter towards the tips.

Ash highlights have a lot of positive sides, for example, overlapping gray hair and the ability to use a huge number of colors and tint tonics if you suddenly get tired of a gray tint. Even with graphic highlights, the new color will easily fall on the smoky part, giving you a new look.

To learn how to make highlighting ashy, see the video below.