It sounds counterintuitive, but here's the summer hair color secret you need to know—sometimes the key to looking brighter is going darker. While everyone's instinct is to chase the lightest, most sun-kissed blonde possible, the smartest approach to summer color might actually involve adding some strategic darkness back in with the help of lowlights—a technique that's about to completely change how you think about summer hair color.
Lowlights: The Power of Contrast
When your hair color is all uniformly light, it can actually appear flat and lifeless, lacking the dimension that makes color truly pop.
This is where lowlights come in. By strategically placing darker tones throughout your hair—typically 2-3 shades deeper than your base color—you create the contrast that makes your lighter pieces appear more vibrant. Because, by adding “shadows”, the highlights have something to shine against.
Why Your Summer Color Needs This Boost
During the summer months: the sun will continuously lightening your hair whether you planned it or not. Everything from beach days to pool parties, and rooftop hangouts are constantly working on your color, lifting it higher and higher while also causing fading, which can work against you.
Without deeper tones to create contrast, all that natural lightening can leave your hair looking washed out, brassy, or one-dimensional and muddy. Lowlights act as anchors, giving your eye something to rest on and creating the depth that makes your lighter pieces truly shine.
The Technique That Changes Everything
Lowlights use the same weaving technique as traditional highlights, but they're placed in strategic positions to create shadows rather than brightness. Think of them as the opposite of highlights—where highlights lift and brighten, lowlights ground and deepen.
The placement is everything. Colorists will put lowlights exactly where you need depth, creating pockets of richness that make the surrounding lighter hair appear more vibrant by comparison. It's a technique that requires a trained eye and understanding of how color interacts with your natural features and bone structure.
The best part? As summer progresses and your hair naturally lightens from sun exposure, those lowlights create an increasingly beautiful contrast that actually improves over time.
Products To Make It Perfect
Creating stunning lowlights isn't just about placement—it's about using the right formulas to achieve the perfect depth and tone. Redken Color Gels Oils and Shades EQ offer colorists the precision needed to create exactly the right amount of contrast.
And no matter which option you choose, always pair lowlights with an all-over Redken Shades EQ Gloss. The gloss unifies all your tones, eliminates any brassiness from summer sun exposure, and creates a glossy, multidimensional finish your hair craves during the warmer months.
The Timeline
One of the most exciting things about lowlights is how they evolve throughout the summer. Unlike highlights that can become increasingly brassy or washed out as the season progresses, lowlights get even better as the season progresses.
- Week 1-2: Fresh lowlights create immediate depth and dimension
- Week 3-4: Natural sun exposure begins to soften the contrast slightly
- Week 5-6: Between your hair lightening and deeper lowlights, you’ll see the most natural-looking dimension
- Week 6-8: Time for a refresh to maintain the perfect balance
This timeline works whether you're using permanent or demi-permanent color formulas, though demi-permanent options offer a softer grow-out.
Upkeep Tips for Summer
For shine that shows off your dimension: Acidic Color Gloss Shampoo, Conditioner + Glass Gloss Treatment + Naked Gloss Lightweight Shine Oil, create the kind of reflective surface that makes every subtle tonal variation visible and beautiful.
For strength and vibrancy: Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo, Conditioner & Leave-In Treatment rebuild your hair's integrity while maintaining the richness that makes lowlights effective.
