How to darken highlights: Easy steps at home

Getting highlights has been popular for decades. You can have a variety of highlights, such as babylights and balayage. They’re often worn to add a splash of color to an outfit. If you have committed to keeping them for a lengthy amount of time, you may now become bored. Furthermore, overly-bright highlights and brassy orange hair tones can be aggravating. Therefore, knowing how to darken highlights is essential.

Do you want to darken your highlights but are unsure how to do so? Or perhaps you’ve tried a couple approaches but nothing appears to be working. Don’t worry, there are several ways to freshen your highlights without spending an entire day at the salon. Keep reading to learn how to darken highlights.

Expert techniques on how to darken highlights

If your new highlights are too light, there are a couple ways you can fix them from the comfort of your own home. It’s a real let down when your highlights turn out to be the wrong colors. And we are aware of the high cost of returning to your salon to get your hair restored. You’re lucky we can show you how to darken highlights at home. Going back to the salon would be substantially more expensive.

Technique 1: How to darken highlights with dye

Step 1: Choose a new color for your hair

Since your highlight will take on its true tone after around 15 days, give yourself at least 15 days between the first highlight application and the next time you color it. You may choose whether or not to darken your highlights once those days are over.

If this is the case, and you have too-light highlights, we recommend a shade that is no more than two darker tones darker, such as a light or very light blonde.

You won’t get more than one shade darker to blonde if your hues are light blonde.

You’ll be in the brown spectrum if you go a few shades darker, which means you’ll lose your brightest highlights and see your gray hair more quickly.

Step 2: Prepare the materials

Let’s look at the supplies you’ll need to darken your highlights.

• A 20% peroxide solution and your hair coloring
• Dye application gloves 
• A bowl for the mixture

Keep in mind that no more than 20% peroxide should be used. If you use more than 20% peroxide, you will completely dye your hair, which is not what you want.

You may buy the peroxide and dye separately from a haircare or pharmacy, or you can buy one of the classic color kits. If you use a kit, be sure it has peroxide in a 20-volume solution.

Step 3: Apply the mixture on your hair

The dye tube in the chosen hue and the 20 volume peroxide should be blended together in a bowl.

Make sure there are no knots left in your hair by combing and thoroughly wetting it. Once your hair is wet and detangled, it is time to combine the color and developer.

Wear gloves when applying the mixture to your entire head, from roots to tips. Give the mixture 15 to 20 minutes to rest.

To make sure the mixture functions as you want it to, you may check it every 5 to 10 minutes. As usual, thoroughly rinse your hair with lukewarm water and shampoo.

It should be treated with an anti-frizz agent and dried on low heat. Beautiful highlights that are darker than the ones you previously had are now possible.

Technique 2: How to darken highlights with toner

Step 1: Select the suitable toner

You must first decide the brightness of your highlights before you can move on. It is important to review the manufacturer’s hair color chart for the toner you are thinking about purchasing.

It is crucial to thoroughly review the color chart since the opposite colors on the color wheel chart are mutually incompatible. Verify that the toner you’ve selected will produce the intended outcome.

The optimal approach is this one since you’ll be more likely to select the right hue. Hold a highlight strand up to the graph. Next, decide which shade most closely resembles the color of your real hair.

If your highlights are extremely pale, almost white, they should be in the 9 or 10 tones on the chart. Choosing the color for your highlights is the next step.

We suggest going to a beauty salon rather than making an internet purchase. You can ask the shop personnel for assistance if you need assistance selecting a toner.

Picking a toner that matches the color you want your hair to be would be preferable. Selecting a toner may be easy if your highlights are darker.

Step 2: Prepare the materials

The toning process is really quick and easy to complete. To execute this technique, you will require the following supplies:

• Toner
• A bowl for the mixture
• A 10 or 20 volume developer

Selecting a 10-volume developer is preferable.  Your hair will have a new color when you mix the developer and toner. We advise using a developer made by the same company that makes the toner.

Step 3: Apply the mixture

• The first step is to mix two parts developer with one component toner. Mix all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl until a thicker, gel-like consistency forms. You should divide your hair into a few sections to do the task more precisely. To keep the previously coloured hair in place, use clasps.
• Utilizing the color brush, spread the liquid through your hair. You can apply the toner to your full head of hair or just the highlights.
• Starting at the rear of the head, apply from the roots to the tips. It won’t matter whether you apply it on your darker strand; don’t worry. To ensure that every hair strand is covered in toner, begin at the roots and comb your whole head of hair.
• Depending on the toner, you should leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes before rinsing it off. If it doesn’t seem black enough, hold it for a little while longer, but no more than 30 minutes.
• To make sure the toning solution is working the way you want it to, it is advisable to inspect your hair every 5 minutes. On the other hand, because it yields the intended outcome, you can rinse it earlier than expected.
• To get the toner out of your hair, rinse it with cold water. Keep in mind that if you shampoo it right soon, the highlight may turn out lighter than you wanted.

Easy ways on how to darken highlights

If you feel that the above two methods seem lengthy and lengthy, here are some simpler methods that may not be as effective as the above methods, but are still quite good. Let’s check it out how to darken highlights in no time. 

Ways to darken highlights naturally

If you first dislike the new shade, the issue can go away with time. It might take up to a month for the highlights’ natural color to settle throughout the strands.

They could get somewhat darker or lighter to a color you choose throughout this period. It is advised to wait around two weeks before making any drastic hair changes that can make your highlight issue worse.

Darken highlights use shampoo

When used on highlights, this shampoo bottle is recognized for its toning properties. Strong orange and yellow tones will be softened and, in some cases, even darker by the shampoo’s purple pigments.

Use a purple shampoo and conditioner set on your brassy highlights twice a week until you achieve the desired results if you want to tone it down.

Try strong clarifying shampoo

A clarifying shampoo is a great cleanser for removing pigments from the hair. When you wash this with such a strong cleanser, any color will fade, which will serve in bringing down the tone of the highlights if they are too bright. Use this shampoo a few times each week to avoid drying out the scalp or causing frizz.

Use dry shampoo

Many dry shampoos are available in colored varieties, which might assist you in correcting the tone of the highlights.

Choose a dry shampoo in a medium or dark brown color based on the tone of your highlights and spray it gently over the roots to the tips of your highlights. It will deepen your highlights slightly while absorbing any excess grease or oil.

Remember that you should not use dry shampoo every day and that it should be washed out after three days at most. However, if you need to darken your highlights fast, this might be a great quick fix.

How to keep your new darken highlights

Avoid over washing

Wait two days after coloring your hair before washing it to enable the color to sink into the follicles.

Washing your hair too regularly may result in significant color loss and depletion of its natural foundation. Alternatively, try a dry shampoo to absorb excess oil without leaving your hair looking darker.

Color-safe products are recommended

Color-safe conditioners, cleansers, and styling solutions are essential.

 Some substances that may assist you preserve the dark colors are quinoa, sunflower seed extract, and wheat proteins. Take inventory of what you have and replace “not-so-good” sulfates with specially developed care products.

After each wash, use a color-enhancing product

Sun exposure, heat styling, and over-washing can all cause your hair color to fade over time.

While color hair care is important for maintaining the life of your color, a hue booster may refresh your shade during the application process. To preserve brightness, apply temporary color to your hair shafts between washes.

Moisturize your hair frequently

Considering that hydration is the basis of gorgeous hair color, incorporate a weekly deep moisturizer into your routine. Dry hair is brittle, prone to developing separate ends, and may have trouble accepting dye.

Contrarily, moisturized hairs are stronger, healthier, and better able to keep color, leading to consistently smooth application.

To keep your strands hydrated throughout the dry seasons, use a weekly hair mask on your conditioner. Additionally, doing it this way helps keep your hair’s lovely tone.

Final thought

Although it might be a challenge to darken your highlights, it is definitely doable with the appropriate strategy. We hope that this article will help you know how to darken highlights. They could work the first time or need to be used a few times before you see a difference.

But don’t worry, Jenhair is here to help you. If you need any advice, feel free to contact us. We are glad to give you a hand.