An Expert Colorist Agrees: Highlighting Your Own Hair At-Home is Easy with These 12 Kits (2024)

Strategically placed highlights can instantly illuminate your face, adding dimension to your base color and giving the impression that you spent the summer in Santorini. Even better: At-home highlighting kits offer all that sans the pricey salon visit. Some formulas work better for certain colors than others, but they’re all generally easy to use, leaving you with quality color and a happier credit card statement.

To help you spice things up, we conducted hours of research on the best at-home highlighting kits, evaluating each kit on ease of use, the available shade ranges, the dye’s active ingredients, and what each kit comes with—from activators to glazes. After considering dozens of brands and consulting expert colorist Tiffanie Richards, we narrowed down the list and found formulas that nourish and protect while lightening. We then cross-referenced our results with top-rated formulas, leaving us with this list of the very best.

FAQ

  • How do you use at-home highlighting kits?
  • How do you know what shade to highlight your hair?
  • How long do highlights from at-home highlighting kits last?
  • Can you get highlights without bleaching your hair?

Our Top Picks

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Best for Balayage Effect:

eSalon Light Set at Amazon$35

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What We Like

  • Can be used over natural hair or color-treated hair

  • Helpful wishbone applicator

  • Includes toner to use afterward

What to Consider

  • May dry out the hair

Key Ingredients: Keratin, argan oil, ginseng root extract | Shades: 5 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

You gotta hand it to Madison Reed. The brand has truly revolutionized the at-home hair color market, so naturally, their innovative highlighting kit is our Best Overall pick. It’s available in five shades across blonde to medium-brown hair, and the clay-based cream color makes the experience mess-proof and more goof-proof than usual. Since it comes with a wishbone-shaped applicator, you’ll achieve the look of hand-painted balayage highlights you’d get in a salon—without the salon price. The kit also comes with a toner to use afterward, the secret to ensuring a natural- and professional-looking result.

What We Like

  • Includes a pull-through highlighting overcap for strand selection guidance

  • Color may appear brassy if the suggested wait time is cut short

  • Includes toner to use afterward

What to Consider

  • Pull-through cap can be laborious

Key Ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide, ammonium chloride | Shades: 2 | Cruelty-Free: No

Never underestimate the power of a drugstore highlighting kit like this one from L’Oréal Paris—it's budget-friendly, and it makes the application process oh-so-easy. Put on the pull-through highlighting overcap, use one of the two styling hooks to pull various pieces of hair through the holes, and apply the color to those pieces. The cap is ridiculous looking, yes, but it allows you to apply the color precisely where you want it—plus, the two hook sizes help you pull smaller or bigger pieces out for added control. The included toner (which should be followed by a good comb-through) ensures a refined color and healthier hair, too. It comes in caramel and champagne tones for darker and lighter blonde bases, respectively.

What We Like

  • Includes a pull-through highlighting overcap for strand selection guidance

  • Helpful brush applicator

  • Great for a range of blonde bases

What to Consider

  • Only one shade

Key Ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide, ammonium persulfate | Shades: 1 | Cruelty-Free: No

Whether you want to paint on just a few baby lights, do a full-on balayage transformation, or even create an ombré vibe, Clairol’s highlighting kit makes the process—whichever you choose—easier than ever. It comes with a foolproof applicator and has a quicker processing time than other highlighting kits do. While it comes in just one shade, it works on a range of light to dark blondes. (Sorry, brunettes, this one isn’t the best option for you.) It doesn’t come with a toner, but since the highlighting kit costs just $10, adding a separate toner to your cart won’t increase your budget by too much.

What We Like

  • Moisturizing

  • Long-lasting

  • Rich color payoff

What to Consider

  • The formula color isn't an exact match to what's seen on the box

Key Ingredients: Ammonium chloride | Shades: 10+ | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This Garnier highlighting kit is specially made for those with dark blonde to light brown hair and immediately gives you radiant highlights. (Leave it on anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how light you want to go.) The formula itself is packed with moisturizing avocado, olive, and shea oils and also comes with a separate ampoule of a grapeseed oil treatment to use afterward to ensure your hair stays hydrated post-highlighting. The color is rich and long-lasting, and a really fair price. FYI: We were warned that the color doesn’t exactly match the box, so you may want to do a small test on an inconspicuous chunk of hair before highlighting your whole head.

What We Like

  • Budget-friendly

  • Can help cancel out brassiness

  • Strengthens hair bonds

What to Consider

  • Pull-through cap can be laborious

Key Ingredients: Bond restore complex | Shades: 2 | Cruelty-Free: No

There are two shades of this Revlon highlighting kit available, but this particular option is best for those with brown hair. It comes with a highlighting cap, which can be tedious, but if that’s not your preferred method, check out YouTube. There are plenty of tutorials of people using the product without the cap and still achieving impressive results. Also nice: The formula is enriched with a keratin complex to strengthen hair bonds.

What We Like

  • Easy to use

  • Gradually lightens color

  • Heat-activated

What to Consider

  • Only works for blondes

Key Ingredients: Lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide | Shades: 1 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you’ve scrolled through Kristin Cavallari’s Instagram, you’ve likely seen videos of her using this brush, which she created in partnership with her longtime colorist Justin Anderson. It’s ideal to use between salon visits when you want to brighten up your highlights but don’t have the time, energy, or wiggle room in your budget to deal with full-on color. The brush-on gel uses purple pigments, lemon juice, and hydrogen peroxide to ever-so-subtly brighten and lighten blondes. The heat-activated formula kicks in when you go in the sun or hit it with a hair dryer, making it a solid choice for a fast fix.

What We Like

  • Suitable for gray hair

  • Easy to apply

  • Multi-purpose formula

What to Consider

  • Has a strong scent

Key Ingredients: Ammonium chloride | Shades: 4 | Cruelty-Free: No

This is the kit to use when changing your base shade and adding some highlights. It's available in four base shades, from dark mahogany brown to medium iridescent blonde, and two hues in between, which come with coordinating highlight tones. The highlight shade is tinged with a blue tone, which makes it easy to see exactly where you’re placing them, and the tiny fingertip brush adds to the ease of precision during application. Even better: This kit comes with a purple conditioner to ensure the color is bright and not brassy.

What We Like

  • Dries quickly

  • Includes a toner mask for added hydration

  • Plenty of helpful instructions

What to Consider

  • Can give an orangey finish

Key Ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide | Shades: 6 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Balayage highlights are often lauded for looking more natural and growing out less noticeably, but they are often more expensive. To achieve the hand-painted look at home, add one of these eSalon Light Sets to your online cart. This kit includes everything you need—even access to a personal colorist whom you can consult to determine which of their six colors is best for you. The formula, which can brighten your hair up to three shades, dries quickly so you can brush it onto your hair without the mess, and it comes with a toning mask to blend your base and highlights seamlessly. Big points to eSalon for including easy-to-follow instructions, videos, and color charts on the brand’s website, too.

What We Like

  • Easy to use

  • Customizable for many looks

  • Works quickly

What to Consider

  • Can go on a little streaky

Key Ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide | Shades: 3 | Cruelty-Free: No

Whether you're going for an ombré look or you want to add a few strategically-placed highlights to frame your face, this kit will work. The applicator is a tiny glove with bristles you slip over your finger to brush color on to select strands. Keep in mind it does skew a bit warm, so if you're looking for ashy, cool-toned highlights, this may not be the kit for you. There are kits for dark, medium, and light brown hair, making it easy to find a match.

What We Like

  • Can be used on highlights and base color

  • Alleviates the harsh bleaching process with nourishing and hydrating hair oils

  • Can lift up to seven levels of hair color in one session

What to Consider

  • Virgin brunette hair might not notice much of a difference after first use

Key Ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide | Shades: 1 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Vertone’s The Bleach 30 Volume Hair Lightening System can lift up to seven levels of hair color in one session. Yes, that's a lot of beaching power—but the formula's nourishing ingredients and vitamins aid the intense lightening process. We're talking moisturizing plant-based squalane and botanical oils, as well as toning violet micro pigment to help neutralize yellow and brassy highlights. Another plus: It can be used on medium blonde, light brown, medium brown, dark brown, and red hair for ashy, golden, and warm blonde results. And the formula's bond complex can help strengthen the hair cuticle and tame static, too.

What We Like

  • Full size or travel size available

  • Suitable for virgin hair

  • Applying a little bit of product goes a long way

What to Consider

  • May appear brassy unless paired with purple shampoo

Key Ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide | Shades: 1 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

UV-activated highlighting formulas have become increasingly popular, and for the men and women who receive the gift of natural babylights courtesy of Mother Sun, this hair lightener will replicate that very effect during summer’s off-season. That doesn’t mean you can’t use Sun Bum’s Blonde Hair Lightener during summer, too. If anything, this spray will give naturally dirty blonde hair color bolder highlights if you simply spritz it onto the palm of your hand and distribute it throughout your hair. (Brunettes, it's best you skip out on this product if you don’t already own purple shampoo—it may bring out orange undertones from your dark hair color.) The coconut scent is a nice touch, too.

What We Like

  • Includes purple, pink, and blue fantasy shades

  • Dye is formulated with squalane to help with moisture

  • Innovative applicator brush included

What to Consider

  • Washes out easily

Key Ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide | Shades: 8 | Cruelty-Free: Yes

IGK’s Color Bright One Step Bleach & Color Kit is so much fun. The processing time takes about 45 minutes to add tones of pink, purple, blue, red, or blonde to already-brunette hair color. Two emollients star in this formula—squalane and castor oil—which replenish the moisture of the hair. We love the kit's applicator, too, as it’s a comb on one side and a brush on the other. Plus, there's a rattail tip to help you easily section the hair and properly apply tinfoil.

What to Look for in an At-Home Highlighting Kit

  • Lightener or bleaching powder: Richards suggests that you use products that contain a lightener or bleaching powder rather than a high-lift color. This is a little safer for at-home use because it will allow you to check the color of your highlights every few minutes until you reach your desired result.
  • Nourishing ingredients: Bleaching your hair can be damaging and drying, and it's best left to a pro if you already have severely damaged hair. If you'd like to give your highlights a gentle lift, look for products with low ammonia or peroxide to minimize damage. Semi- and demi-permanent options, while typically don’t lift color, can also brighten and color your hair without damaging it. You can also look for a product that's meant to hydrate hair using ingredients like avocado, olive, and shea oils and a post-coloring conditioning treatment.
  • Type of highlight: If you want a dramatic statement, adding a money piece around your face can be a nice way to get some extra dimension. To focus more on the tips of your hair (read: can snip away any damage that might occur), consider an ombré approach.

FAQ

How do you use at-home highlighting kits?

Richards says they all vary in use, but the instructions typically guide you through a hand-painting process with the given tools or possibly a cap. Follow those directions, of course, but Richards recommends also watching a YouTube video on how to apply hand-painted highlights.

How do you know what shade to highlight your hair?

Most at-home highlighting kits will have a shade guide on the box (or on the product’s description on the website), which is a good indication of how light you can go based on your original base color. It’s not foolproof, but it is helpful.Typically, for the most natural results, you'll want to stay within two shades of your natural hair color. Picking a shade two shades lighter or darker will help make your highlights stand out without having to deal with obvious regrowth.

How long do highlights from at-home highlighting kits last?

Richards says highlights are usually permanent, though they usually stay their brightest for about six to eight weeks. “Keep in mind that highlights, even done professionally, won’t fade over time but will rather seem to darken or become muted,” notes Richards.

Can you get highlights without bleaching your hair?

Yes, depending on your starting shade and the look you're going for, you can achieve highlights without using bleach. Using regular hair dye to paint on highlights or even a semi-permanent gloss can give dimension to a myriad of shades, though the process can get tricky. If you're highlighting strands at home and not seeing a pro, it can be helpful to try a semi-permanent option first before you commit to a permanent hair dye.

Why Trust Byrdie

Byrdie contributor Melanie Rud has over a decade of experience in the beauty industry, writing for some of the biggest magazines and websites out there.

Chelsea Avila is a commerce contributor at Byrdie who reports on the beauty and fashion market. Her market work can be seen in publications such as Latina Magazine, CNN Underscored, and Cosmetic Executive Women. To help update this article, Chelsea considered what it feels like to experiment with highlighting hair at home as a beginner. She also pointed out the hydrating ingredients in each of these formulas that help aid the overprocessing of the hair.

Byrdie consulted an expert to inform this story:

Tiffanie Richards is a master colorist at OC61 in New York City. She specializes in creating signature blonde and rich brunette colors and is well-versed in various techniques that allow her to personalize the color for each client.

According to our Diversity Pledge, 15% of products in our newly-published market roundups will feature Black-owned and/or Black-founded brands. At the time of publishing, we were not able to find enough facial moisturizers from a Black-owned and/or Black-founded business to meet this percentage. If you know of one we should consider, please email us at contact@byrdie.com, and we will evaluate the product ASAP.

An Expert Colorist Agrees: Highlighting Your Own Hair At-Home is Easy with These 12 Kits (2024)
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