Can you get highlights over home-coloured hair?

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I've home coloured my hair, despite promising the hairdresses I wouldn't do it again. I have a small baby, grey at my temples, and I cannot afford to go to the hairdresser's that frequently!)

I really want to get lighter highlights put in that will help to mask the greys. But I know that this will probably mean having to get my hair stripped first. Will a hairdresser just laugh at me if I ask to get everything done in one session? It's just impossible to arrange a series of sessions around the baby.

Anyone had experience of this?

Hiya, it depends on how dark your home colour is, and it's tone: warm or cool. Warm tones tend to be orange-y when lightened, cool tones a blue/green undertone. Also, how colour-resistant is your grey?

You might need to go to the hairdressers to have a full-head of the colour that you want (which would involve stripping). Then, you could maintain it by colouring the roots at home, matching it to your salon colour.

IMO, having highlights and maintaining them at home would be much trickier, particularly if you're trying to colour greys. Maybe someone with moretechnical knowledge will be around later, though? x

Thanks very much for your advice! Really appreciate it.

My natural colour is a mid-brown, cool tone. The greys are not really bad, sort of golden-grey, but they bother me, and I notice them a lot more now that the rest of my hair is coloured too dark.

I thought of highlights because even in salons my hair ends up so much darker than I'd like! But I hear what you're saying about maintaining them. Will think on it a bit more :)

never been a problem for me, as long as they use bleach to lighten.

did you use semi or perm colour?

Sorry, just saw this now. I used a semi but to be honest I've been home colouring for years, and as a result my hair is pretty porous and 'grabs' colour a bit too well. So the colour has staying power...
Maybe I'll book a consultation and talk it through with an expert.

i think they could just put the highlights over your colour. I did that once. Home colour permanent and then highlights. the only thing is it is harder to do the roots with highlights yourself.

I now have a semi permanent colour with highlights. I just have the roots done in semi perm. It has been like this since jan. that way i am not putting colour through all of my hair all the time

Whilst your baby is so young why not find a mobile hairdresser?

It isn't a problem. If the highlights are done at home you'll need bleach and possibly a toner to get rid of yellow or orange tones but if you're going to a hairdresser they'll know how to approach it.

A mobile hairdresser would be ideal, but I've made some enquiries and have heard less than stellar reports about results from mobile hairdressers in my (small) local area.
alemci are you happy with your hair now? What colour is the semi and what shades are the highlights?

Thanks laura, good to know (I definitely would not attempt to do my own!)