Hair highlights have been popular for quite some time now and can give you an instant makeover. Whether you decide to apply highlights all over your hair or just around your face, they can enhance your appearance and increase your self-confidence. However, if you are new to the hair highlighting world, it is easy to make mistakes. Here are seven hair highlighting mistakes you should avoid:

Picking the Wrong Shampoo

If you decide to put highlights in your hair, the type of shampoo you use matters. Regular shampoos are not designed for color treated hair and will not do enough to protect your highlights. If you buy a shampoo specifically made for color treated hair, it will keep your highlights vibrant and prevent damage to your hair. If your highlights start to look a bit brassy, try washing your hair with a purple shampoo a couple times a month. This shampoo will neutralize the brassiness and help your highlights look beautiful again.

Choosing Bleach Blonde Highlights Right Away

If you are thinking about lightening your hair, you may be tempted to go bleach blonde right away. However, if you have naturally darker hair, going this light can be too much of a shock. It is better to go lighter gradually so that you do not have any regrets. For instance, if you have medium brown hair, consider putting dark blonde highlights all over your hair.

Picking the Wrong Shade of Blonde

There are many shades of blonde out there, so it is important to choose one that suits your skin tone. Picking the wrong shade of blonde can leave you looking washed out. For example, if you have pink undertones, P&G Everyday recommends going with cool toned blonde highlights. If your skin is more on the olive side, warm buttery blonde highlights would be more flattering.

Washing Your Hair With Hot Water

A hot shower might be very comforting, but it won't do your highlights any favors. Hot water not only dries out your hair; it can also turn your highlights orange. When you are washing your tresses, make sure to use cool water. It may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but cool water will help you maintain gorgeous-looking highlights.

Not Changing Your Base Color

Depending on what shade of highlights you want to go with, it may be necessary to change your base color. For example, if you have strawberry blonde hair and want to add platinum blonde highlights, your hair may look orange. It is best to dye your hair an ash blonde color before you apply highlights.

Matching Your Eyebrow to Your Hair Color

If your hair is naturally darker and you add blonde highlights, you might think that dying your eyebrows is appropriate. However, this is not a good idea. Your eyebrow hair is actually a different color than the hair on your head, so dying your eyebrows can give you an unnatural look.

Opting for Chunky Highlights

Chunky highlights all over your hair can definitely give you a bold look, but they don't look so natural. If you want your hair to still look natural, it is best to stick with thinner highlights. They will still give your hair the change you're looking for but will not look so obvious.

You can avoid many of these hair highlighting mistakes by going to an experienced hair colorist, like one at Hott Heads Salon. She will thoroughly examine your skin and natural hair color and help you choose the most flattering highlight shade. If you are ever in doubt about something, do not be afraid to ask the hair colorist questions.