Once in a while, you make a spur-of-the-moment decision to add highlights to your hair. However, you are now unhappy with the results and wondering if there are methods for removing highlights from your hair.

Maybe you are struggling with brassy tones, as blue and purple shampoos and deep conditioning can only do a certain amount of magic.

The excellent news is that Haste is here with some of the best practices for saying goodbye to those highlights using different techniques, from cutting your hair to adding lowlights.

1. Lowlights

You can quickly eliminate your highlights with lowlights to tone them down and keep the dimension. We use balayage or foil with lowlights to add darker pieces to the blonde hair. This adds darkness and richness to any blonde highlights, but does not entirely conceal the blonde.

Pros

If you are undecided about eliminating highlights but still want to tone down your hair, lowlights offer a happy medium.

It is an excellent technique if you have doubts and are unsure about going darker, as it allows you to test the method quickly.

If you are unhappy, you can quickly reverse them when you visit our salon. It is a quick process, taking half an hour to place and another half an hour to process.

Cons

Lowlights might not answer your question about removing highlights entirely, but it will reduce the brightness of the number of lowlights you want added.

2. Color Melt or Shadow Root

With a shadow root, you add depth to the base and root area of the hair. Color melts add depth to the lower roots and mid-lengths of the hair.

You can think of a reverse ombre with a color melt while using a shadow root, which will concentrate the depth around your base to help diminish the highlight appearance directly in the root.

This will ensure the color grows more naturally as the lines of demarcation fade. Both techniques will add richness and depth to the hair root area.

If you want to maintain your blonde look, you have more freedom in the time between your highlights, resulting in a more lived-in appearance.

Pros

This method is perfect if you want to keep some bright pieces around your face and prefer a darker base shade. We will add more depth to your top portion, a quick technique. The placements are essential and must be specific, as you will be seated in the shampoo bowl for 30 minutes.

Cons

As with lowlights, both these methods will not remove the highlights altogether, but can tone down the effect with the deeper base color. Neither will it reduce the brightness of blonde highlights, as you will still see them. The deeper color you find concentrated around your top, and you may need to combine it with lowlights.

3. Using a Dark Gloss or Toner

Another highly effective technique for removing highlights is to use a darker toner or gloss for color correction. This method is excellent if you want to keep your hair length but want to remove bright tones.

When you visit us, we will ensure that you receive a multi-dimensional finish and that we apply your shade correctly to your hair for long-lasting results. When we fill your hair, we replace the color that the bleach stripped out when you went blonde.

Once filled, we apply a darker toner. While you can do this at home, we recommend visiting us instead.

Pros

When you do a gloss or toner correctly, it temporarily removes the highlights. Furthermore, it can help give your hair a healthier and shinier appearance and takes around 20 minutes.

Cons

Using gloss or toner is a temporary solution for removing highlights. Eventually, your color will start to fade when you wash your hair.

Furthermore, it is high-maintenance if you do not want your highlights to return. While you can use an at-home color-depositing conditioner or gloss, it can cost some extra time. However, to get the full effect, visit a professional hairstylist.

4. Cut The Highlights Out

A sure way to remove highlights when they start fading back is to cut them out. You can visit us at the salon to have all the highlights completely cleared to return to natural color.

We will begin with a hair consultation before you receive your shampoo to determine if a pre-cut will be necessary. We will discuss how short you want your hair to be, so you have no regrets about the cut.

Pros

Cutting the highlights out can give you a new hairstyle that will leave your strands looking healthy and vibrant. You will also remove your damaged hair and return to your natural color immediately. Another positive aspect is that you will no longer need to worry about using glosses or color-depositing conditioners.

Cons

The only concern is whether you love having long hair and want to maintain its full length. The same applies to short hair; the highlights cover a large area. Furthermore, it also depends on how prominent the color is, as cutting it off might result in a very short style.

5. Do an All-Over Color

As with hair gloss, you can use the permanent route to cover the roots to tips with color. Compared to gloss, using an all-over color will not fade when you wash your hair and provides an instant and effective process. The process takes up to an hour, including blow-drying and styling.

Pros

With permanent color, you get more staying power as it lasts longer. While a gloss is effective, it fades after a few washes, unlike permanent color. It also presents low maintenance as it does not need regular touch-ups.

Cons

Changing your hair color can be drastic, especially if you want to go lighter again. If you want to go lighter in the future, we will need to lift your permanent color, and this also depends on how dark the hue is. Hence, you can end up with aggressive color lifting using bleach that can damage your hair, and it needs to be done gradually.

Wrap-Up: Embrace Your Natural Hair with Confidence

Removing highlights from your hair, whether you’re dealing with a brassy tone or want to restore your natural look, can be done in a few simple steps.

You can remove your highlights with lowlights, toners, coloring, or cutting your hair. A method is available that suits your style.

Each method offers different benefits, but we recommend considering the disadvantages before making a decision.

If you need help deciding which highlight removal technique to use, let our stylists at Haste assist you with a consultation to ensure you get your desired look.

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