Benefits of Lowlights

Blonde hair with lowlights
Photo: Zdenka Darula/Shutterstock
Q: What are the benefits of lowlights? Are lowlights less damaging for your hair than highlights?
 
A: Lowlights are thin strands of color that are darker than your natural hair color, strategically placed throughout your hair to create depth and dimension. Unlike highlights which lighten sections of hair, lowlights add darker tones that create a rich, multidimensional effect that can look incredibly natural.
 
One of the major advantages of lowlights is that they're significantly less damaging to your hair structure compared to highlights. This is because the coloring process doesn't require lifting (lightening) your existing color. It simply deposits darker color into the hair shaft. Without the need for harsh lightening agents like bleach or high-volume developers, your hair maintains more of its natural integrity and strength.
 
Many hairstylists recommend lowlights because they offer versatility without commitment. Since lowlights don't require lightening, they can be applied using semi-permanent color formulas. These gentler options typically wash out after 6-12 shampoos, allowing you to experiment with a new look without permanently altering your hair color. This makes lowlights an excellent choice for anyone hesitant about making dramatic color changes or for those new to hair coloring.
 
Lowlights also serve as an excellent correction technique for "over-highlighted" hair. This is a common issue when someone has received multiple highlighting treatments over time, resulting in hair that appears too light, brassy, or one-dimensional. Rather than applying an all-over toner that would darken the entire head of hair (which can sometimes look unnatural), lowlights allow to target specific areas, creating a more balanced, natural-looking color distribution.
 
The placement of lowlights can be customized to enhance your facial features and complement your skin tone. When strategically positioned around the face, they can create shadow effects that contour and flatter your features. Many people find that adding lowlights around the crown area adds the appearance of fullness and volume, making them particularly beneficial for those with fine or thinning hair.
 
For those concerned about gray coverage, lowlights can be an effective way to blend gray hairs without committing to full color coverage. By darkening select strands around gray areas, they create a natural transition that requires less maintenance than all-over color.
 
The best results often come from combining both highlights and lowlights in what stylists call a dimensional color. This technique mimics how hair naturally varies in tone when exposed to sunlight, creating a sun-kissed effect that looks organic rather than obviously colored. The contrast between lighter and darker strands adds remarkable depth that single-process coloring simply cannot achieve.
 
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See also:
 
How to color hair
 
Highlighting and highlights
 
What is the difference between highlights and lowlights?