Foils are the way to go.

Never seen anything but foils. Bu they do a few strands at a time. Very thin. Make sure to get highlights and lowlights for natural looking variation.

Right, they can do very thin strands with foil. Takes very little time.

Showing my ignorance here, what are lowlights?

Highlights are a color lighter than your hair, lowlights are darker or closer to your base color.

Everywhere, I see people with skunk stripes, streaks that are too light, too thick, on the wrong color hair. Be careful if you have dark hair...it's tough to get a good shade of highlight that doesn't look skunky, if you go blonde. You're better to use a something just a few shades lighter, golder or redder, rather than blonde. If you have a light brown or dirty blonde color, your options are greater.

don't do this....

I get foils with highlights and lowlights and it involves just a few strands of hair in each foil. Every once in a while, and my next appointment next week will be one of those times, I do get a chunk of blonde hair. My hair is light brown anyway and with the sunny summer we had this year I figure I can get away with it - just for fun.

I decided to give my hair some color life this year. Like blfenton I went with both high and low lights. The benefit to that is it gives a more natural look. I too am a light brown and at 56 I'm lucky to only have basically one stripe of gray by my bang and it looks more blond than gray. When it was all said and done, that ended up looking like a chunk as opposed to a few strands had been done but it must be ok cause I get compliments on my hair all the time now which is a first for me.

I want to add too that I didn't do the high and low lights in one shot, first I did highlights and then 6 - 8 weeks later I did low lights. My thought was that it would look more natural and it worked.

How often do you have your hair highlighted? How long can you get away with NOT highlighting it?

It depends on the base color and how different it is from what you are trying to achieve. It also depends on whether you get the whole head done or a "half head". I go about 6-8 weeks between.

Foils, because you can compliment the cut with their placement. The foils can be pieces or slices, triangles, etc. for different looks. Pieces and slices are most common. You can also have highlights or lowlights painted on depending on what look you're trying to achieve. I agree with Oly about the colors/stripes. It's a personal preference, but I think the older a person gets (and I feel that limit is the teen years) the more it looks out of place.

I started highlighting/lowlighting my hair when I was 30 because my hair was the proverbially mousy brown hair with no interest or definition. I'm 62 now and I don't do a base colour because I don't have enough grey to warrant it.. I go about every 3 months. How often you have/want to go really depends on how far you stray from your natural colour and honestly how good your colourist it. I follow mine from salon to salon because she's so good and gets headhunted. (unintentional pun).

If you get a base colour done, some people will get their roots done as an interim measure without doing highlights.

I get highlights, very subtle, tiny pieces a little lighter and a little warmer than the rest of my hair. It's only around my face and at the crown and only have them done once a year. Told my stylist subtle is key - as soon as someone notices they are highlights, I'm done. She got the message!

Thank you all for your comments. now I am getting the drift, so if a 37 year old had a med. brown hair color with a med. lenghth style and wanted both highlights and lowlights, any suggestions on the two shades to pick.

The 'do this' example above called her highlights caramel - is your hair lighter than hers? If so, then maybe a honey highlight, something close to the color your own hair turns when the sun bleaches it. I'd want to have the lightness controlled by the amount of highlighting added, rather than going a dramatically lighter color.

I'd get it highlighted first, then see if you really need lowlights. Sometimes those help when the roots are growing out, to disguise the beginning (root area) of the highlights.

I'd find a good colorist, highly recommended, and follow her/his advice.

Bottom line is for you to find a good colorist and have photos to show what you're looking for.

Coloring is complex and leave it to a professional if you have the resources to do so.

Lyban - we are about the same age and have similar hair (from your description). I colored my hair for the first time about a year ago. Highlights for summer. I took several pictures that showed the color I liked. Then I talked with my stylist about what specifically I liked or disliked. She brought swatches of hair to lay on mine for a comparison. It worked out. I like what she did. When you make your appointment be sure to mention that you're new to color so they'll add time for consultation.

Lyban, it's like decor (ha ha) everyone's hair is a little different and it's all based on what you want. A good colorist will be able make recommendations based on what you want. What I do is keep a board onPintrest and post all the samples I find that I like. Because I alternate between high and low lights I get mine done randomly whenever I feel the need, but usually every 3-4 months I'll do something.

My colorist uses the term "base color" to refer to my natural haircolor, to which she adds highlights. I didn't know people changed their overall color and then added highlights too ... sounds tough on the hair.

Not really, M. Think about those with all gray hair, but it looks natural colored. It takes a variety of techniques to have natural looking hair and cover gray.

far, far too expensive

Again, thank you all for this much needed education on hair coloring.

so, if it is not too tacky ,can I ask about how much money are we talking for keeping your base color and then having some highlights and lowlights.

also how often would you then do it.

About twice a year.???

I have dirty blonde hair and I get highlights and lowlights done about every 8 weeks. IIRC a "half head" is like $125, and a whole head is $165. I usually alternate between half and whole. That said, prices vary greatly among salons and by geography, so not sure if that is indicative.

The Kate Beckinsale photo above looks like bayalage --- I think bayalage is the trendy "it" thing for highlights currently. No foil is used. Rather, the stylist uses a free hand approach to paint on the color. It is supposed to look more natural (instead of having the future grow out showing your roots all evenly.)

I have dark brown hair and my stylist/colorist does bayalage. She suggests the color and I'm happy with the results. The color she uses is in the chestnut/red color family; blonde on me looks like the "don't do this" picture above. I only do it a couple times a year and don't remember the cost, but would guess $100. plus.

I get mine done every 6 weeks...sometimes he does more, sometimes less. Not sure how much I pay for just the highlights, I get a cut too. It's about $160 before tip. I love my guy now...I have used stylists who have charged double that and weren't as good! I have really crappy, mousy, fine hair...it is totally worth it to have it improved every 6 weeks, lol!

I don't do a base colour (and yes, doing a base colour is usually done to cover up the grey and then highlights are done on top of that) and only do a whole head highlights about every 3-4 months and I pay $160 before tip.

I am mostly gray now, but my hair was naturally mousy brown. I get a dark blonde base color every 6 weeks or so, and foiled highlights during the summer (I usually get highlights every other visit during the winter). Work with your stylist to get the right combination for your coloring -- most people are surprised that I am not naturally blonde because my hair color is appropriate for my skin tone.

I paid $172 last week for the base color, highlights, and a cut/style.

sugar plum brings up a really good point about skin tone. As you age your skin tone changes and a good colourist will take that into account when mixing the colours for your highlights.

robo - love the grey at the temples and the way everything works in your hair. I have very little grey but do have some at the temples. Up until the past year I have always had my temple grey coloured as well. But, come on, I'm 62 so with my colourist we're slowly unveiling the temple grey and I quite like it.

I'm 36! But have been greying since I was a teen.

Thanks for sharing that Robo. I have alot of grey (I fear LOL) and have a base color. BUT my hair grabs color (it's dark brown), so you can't use color that matches the true color of my hair. The hair color is more like a very light brown. Which works well because it gives the appearance of highlights on the grey hairs. I have from time-to-time had highlights (very lightly) added and think I may do that again. I have the paint on type done. I'm going to share with my stylist how yours is done. Thanks again!

Wow, I'm considering myself fortunate, I pay about 125 including the cut for highlights and 137 for low lights. I usually get my whole head done (it's less if I do half) and then I add the tip...it's average for the area so it must be a demographic thing.