Are Dimensional Highlights The Secret To Fuller-Looking Hair?

Working with fine hair when you want to switch up your hairstyle can be tricky, to say the least. While there are always hair extensions for a fuller look if you have thin hair, they can get costly and are often hard to maintain. Voluminous hairstyles using styling products to achieve the desired result are a budget-friendly alternative but aren't necessarily a permanent solution.

Dyeing your hair could actually be your best shot at making your strands appear thicker. Even though hair dye does affect thin hair, some coloring techniques are more beneficial than harmful in the long run, especially if you'd like to enhance your volume, at least visually speaking.

For the illusion of a thicker mane, don't stick to a single color when dyeing your hair. Darker hues do add dimension to thin hair on their own, yes, but doing your entire head in one shade will make it look flat. To get the most out of your hair dyeing experience for fuller-looking hair, dimensional highlights could be the answer you've been looking for.

When asking for dimensional highlights, know that your stylist won't be doing just one specific type of highlighting technique. Dimensional highlights are all about adding dimension to the hair, hence the name, which can be done with basically any highlighting approach. If you're not sure what the real difference between partial and full highlights is, don't worry, as they can both be used to achieve the rich, dimensional look you're after.

The highlights are placed strategically throughout the hair to create contrast and add depth, thus achieving fuller-looking hair. Think of it like contouring but for hair. Dimensional highlights will work with your base color to create the illusion of volume. Master hair colorist and stylist⁣ Bobby Mack explains the reasoning behind the process. "For every light or dark piece of dimensional color, there must be a balance. That means incorporating depth with color shadowing and adding bolding brightness with highlights," he tells Southern Living.

The color of your dimensional highlights is going to be determined by your base color; if your hair is darker, the highlights will be lighter, and vice versa. This will also determine the coloring process itself. For example, lighter-colored hair is most likely going to get the foil treatment containing darker shades, while darker hair is going to benefit from a freehand coloring technique like balayage. While you won't really be getting thicker hair, the added dimension will definitely make it seem so.

Even though dimensional highlights visually make the hair fuller, you can make them work for hair that's already voluminous. As they enhance existing color, they're definitely not only reserved for thinner heads of hair. If you feel like your hair color is a bit flat or you'd like something a bit different without committing to a full head of one color, they're a great option.

For instance, if you're a blonde looking to add some interest to your color without changing it too much, dimensional highlights will do the heavy lifting. "If you're feeling your blonde is looking a little too solid, you can ask your stylist to add some lowlights to create dimension without having to go darker," colorist Olivia Casanova tells FabFitFun. On the other hand, full highlights and different-toned shades would better create depth on a redhead, as colorist Stacie Magana explains.

As your hairstylist will adjust the highlighting process to you and your hair, you can't go wrong with some contrasting strands. They can be made more or less obvious with alternating thickness and different hues, depending on your desired outcome. While dimensional highlights work with all colors and styles on the hair spectrum, cute wavy hairstyles will seriously have everyone guessing if you've gotten hair extensions. Bad hair days don't stand a chance anymore!