DIY highlights for teen dd

[WhoseGonnaDriveUHomePorkPie]

Hi, I want to help my dd who is feeling down about her looks. She recently seems to have lost her 'glow' eg skin paler and spottier, blonde hair has been cut from very long to shoulder length and is now much darker blonde as a result. She has asked if she can have her hair dyed blonder but I'm reluctant to let her have an all over colour as I know from my own experience what a pain roots are to maintain. Also her hair is slightly frizzy so I think an all over colour would make this worse. Are there any alternatives? I can't afford highlights at a salon but thought I could get some spray like John Freidas lightening spray (a bit like sun-in) and just spray a few strands here and there. Would this be advisable or does anyone have any alternative suggestions?

I've just bought another Loreal Ombre kit to lighten the ends of mine. I've used it and several other Loreal highlights kits before with (imo) pretty good results. I just use a small amount of the mixture to do a few bits here and there. I have brown hair so I would think it's be even easier with your daughter's hair. I may be corrected but I think those lightening sprays are far more damaging for your hair so are better avoided - they may well have moved on since Sun-In days but I'm sure I read about someone ruining their hair with one.

My blonde friend used to swear by the Clairol highlighting kit and her hair was always lovely.

Oh and not your question but on a recent thread someone was singing the praises of Cidal soap for spots after years of trying everything else and I read that somewhere else too. Hope your dd feels better soon.

I'm not sure about other brands, but my hairdresser specifically asks about the use of Sun In before she'll colour hair. Apparently there is something in it that can cause awful reactions if anything mixes with it.

I just get a highlight kit and do strands randomly around my top layer. I don't use a cap just my fingers. It gives it a nice sunkissed look (I think!) and is really easy to do.

Thank you - I hadn't thought of an ombré or highlight kit. Something like that would be ideal as I could just add a few strands of colour for the first time just to trial it and then do some more at a later date if it looks ok and doesn't damage her hair too much. I think I'll forget about the sun-in idea - too risky!
Thanks also for the soap suggestion, I'll check that out too. I think a few little things like this will really help lift her confidence and mood if they work ok.

Used the BleachLondon dip dye kit on my daughter (2 boxes) and it looks great. There are YouTube guides which are really helpful.

Do you have a local college running hairdressing courses? Cheaper and potentially more reliable. My DD had a rough time in her teens and having good hair made a huge difference!

Some shampoos/ conditioners lighten blonde hair. I use Aveda but BBlonde are supposed to be good

My advise, as a hairdresser in training would be don't do it.

If you absolutely must do it, research, research, research.

Go to a salon supply shop or Amazon and get some decent bleach with 10 vol or pastel developer (even in salon supply shops you'll find cheap and more damaging bleaches - look for Tigi or Wella Blondor steer clear of BlondMe)

Stay away from sun-in. It will wreck her hair. Over the counter kits aren't great. The bleach is usually very harsh and cheap and you have no control over the level of developer. I'd imagine the developer in most of them would be 20-30vol which will just be unnecessarily damaging on already blonde hair unless you're looking for a super white result.

Is her hair naturally quite dry and frizzy or is it damaged?