Do It Yourself Hair Color Weave or Highlights!



It is easier than you might think to do a color weave or highlights yourself (or for a friend).    Salons charge between $50 to $100 on average for this service alone.  Add the cost of a haircut and tip to the bill and you can expect to spend about $150 every 6 to 8 weeks!   Save yourself a ton of money and control the results by doing it yourself.

 

big things start small tee shirt by Poppyjuice
Browse other Dreams T-Shirts

To do a color weave you will need the following products

• Desired haircolor(s) and/or hair lightening (bleach) product     (I purchased the bleach I will be using for this tutorial at Walmart but you can click on the links below to find products online)
• Aluminum Foil - Any brand will do
• A rat tail comb
• A timer or watch
• A paintbrush

 Before beginning~

• Read instructions on products you will be using.  Most hair color or lightening products recommend that you do an allergy test (to make certain that you will not have an allergic reaction) and a time test (to see how long you should leave the product on your hair to get the desired results).  Follow manufacturer's directions as indicated in the packaging
• Be certain to take contact lenses out if you wear them.
• Put on clothing that you won't mind getting ruined.  Even if you wear a cape to protect your clothing accidents do happen.
• Do not shampoo hair prior to weaving.  If your hair has excess buildup, shampoo the night before. 
• Have an old rag handy to wipe up drips
• To prevent temporary staining of your skin around your hairline, you can apply Vaseline to create a barrier.
• If you are alternating color with lightener, you will want to create the lightener foils first as the bleach generally takes long to develop.

  To help achieve the look you desire, consider the following ~

• For a bold, dramatic color weave look choose several different colors.  A color several shades darker than your natural haircolor alternated with a bleach lightener creates a very dramatic look.
• For a very subtle look, choose a color that is just a shade lighter than your natural color. 
• If your hair is anything other than a fairly light blonde, you will need to use a lightener/bleach kit to create light blonde highlights!
• Hair that is very dark will go through many stages of lightening when using bleach.  It will be orange in appearance, then pale lemon yellow prior to reaching the "platinum blonde" stage.  For hair that is naturally very dark or has a lot of red in it, hair may not easily reach the platinum blonde stage. 
• Weave larger chunks of hair for a bold look.
• Weave smaller chunks of hair for a more natural look
• For less highlights/color weave, only place foils in a row on top of the head from forehead to top of crown.
• For more overall highlights/color, also place foils on the sides of the head and farther down the back of the head.

To purchase supplies ~

Manic Panic Flash Lightning Hair Bleach Kit 40 Volume

Garnier Nutrisse Hair Color, Ultra Bleach Blond Creme Lightener Do-1

Soft 'N Style Hair Colorist Tool Kit (8 Piece)

1) Tear 15 to 30 strips of foil - approximately 6 inches wide
by 8 inches long.



2) Mix color or lightening product(s) according to manufacturer
directions.  However, mix in plastic bowl(s) instead of
squeeze bottle.  Use 1 bowl per each color used.



3) Section off strip of hair with rat-tail comb and use tail
to "weave" hair, as shown in this photo.



4) Crease an inch or so of the foil over the tail of the comb
and slide the foil firmly up under the weaved pieces
you want to color/highlight. 










5) With a paint style brush, apply to the strands.
Be very careful not to go all the way to the root

6) Once you have applied the product to the strands,
fold the foil up in half,
then fold the sides in, 
then fold up in half again.
To prevent the foils from falling out, I crimp the foil to secure. 

 



7) Finished foils ~ Her hand is on her forehead.  I put
approximately 10 foils over the top of her head
and two on each side.
Leave product on hair according to package
directions and/or the time test.
For this bleach lightener, I left the product on her
hair for about 50 minutes.  She is a dark blonde
naturally. 
Once you've achieved the desired results, follow package
directions for removing product from hair.
We rinsed the product out until water ran clear, then
shampooed.

   



8) Side view of finished highlights. 





Back view of finished highlights.



Different model, same process.

If you liked this article, don't forget to subscribe!
It's easy, just click the link on the right side of
this page to get all the future helpful
ideas from Poppy's Money Tree House!