It is time to move on from the ‘I-was-bored-so-colored-my-hair’ sentiment. Give your hair the ultimate makeover with the best at-home highlight kits. Highlights are, essentially, pieces of hair colored a shade or two lighter than the natural or the base hair color. They could be full or partial, lighter or darker. They add dimension and dazzling freshness to the hair. Adding highlights to hair has been around for centuries but highlighting hair as we know it today, the modern form, developed during the 1960s.

Since then, it has taken many new techniques and processes under its wing. From balayage and strobing to lowlights and money pieces, highlights have been an immensely popular hair trend that refuses to die down. It notoriously takes a lot of time, energy, and most importantly, money, to get 'em highlights. And not everybody can afford that. So, we are here to tell you that now you can highlight your hair in the comfort of your home. 

Through our trial and error, we discovered the best at home highlight kits that will give you stunning, sun-kissed locks. Transform your look without breaking the bank with our top-rated picks of home highlighting kits. Get ready to shine!

Highlighting hair is a tricky business. There is a reason it takes hours for your hair professional to get the desired results. So, can you do it yourself at home? Short answer, yes. Thanks to the plethora of high-quality at-home highlight kits available in the market, yes, you can. Drawing from our experience, here are some steps you must follow to make highlighting hair at home more fun and less taxing:

Choose the Right Kit: You need to choose the right home highlighting kit. It should be suitable for your hair type and only a shade or two lighter than your natural/base hair color. If they come with all the tools, it would be a bonus point. If not, make sure you have a hair coloring brush, a pair of rubber gloves, a rat tail comb, sectioning clips, a pull-through cap, or aluminum foil depending on the technique you wish to use.   

Start With the Prep: Wear an old T-shirt you don't mind getting bleach or color on (because things can get messy!). Make sure you have clean, dry, and detangled hair. You must also do a strand test as part of your prep. 

Read and Follow the Instructions: The best at home highlighting kits come with step-by-step instructions. Read them carefully and follow them to the T. Develop and mix the color as per the instructions. Similarly, let the color sit on your hair as per the duration suggested in the instructions.

Get Around Sectioning: Make the best of box highlights by learning how to section your hair for desired results. If you want a natural, sun-kissed look, take fine and thin sections. If chunky highlights (think Kelly Clarkson, Lindsay Lohan, and Avril Lavigne from the early 2000s) are your end goal, you should take thick, chunky sections. If you are merely testing the waters, take thin sections of front-face framing pieces.

Applying the Highlights: You may use a pull-through highlighting cap for short and medium hair. Place the cap on your head and pull your hair using the tail end of the rat tail comb through the holes in the cap. Once pulled out, you can apply the developed color.

Use aluminum foil for long hair. It also prevents color from seeping into the remaining hair and offers precision. Place a rectangular strip of foil under the sectioned hair and apply the developed color. Fold the edges of the foil to cover the colored section.

It is suggested to start coloring from the ends and work your way up for a more natural look that easily blends with the base color. Let the color rest for the duration suggested in the instructions. Keep monitoring the progress to prevent over-processing.

Rinse, Condition, Shine: Once the color has developed, rinse your hair with a color-protecting shampoo. Don't forget to follow up with a conditioner. It usually comes in the at home hair highlighting kits. Use a heat protectant and style as usual.

• 1
  Best Blonde Highlights

  Sun Bum Blonde Hair Lightener

  BUY ON AMAZON

We put the Sun Bum Blonde Hair Lightener on the top of our list because, based on our observations, it gives the perfect sun-kissed beach hair look. It is a heat-activated hair lightener enriched with Costa Rican Pineapple, Hawaiian Lehua Honey, and Meyer Lemon. Bust out your hair dryers or go out in the sun after spraying this hair lightener and wait for the results to show. It creates the best at home blonde highlights if natural and subtle is your vibe.

2

Best Lowlights Kit

L'Oréal Paris Couleur Experte Express

BUY ON AMAZON

Try this at home hair highlighting kit from L'Oreal Paris for a complete hair makeover without going to the salon. It is not like your average highlights at home kit. Our findings show that this product is so much more, thanks to its multi-purpose formula. With highlights, lowlights, and even the option for all-over color, you can do all this and more with just one box! Available in four shades ranging from medium blonde to dark mahogany, it efficiently works as a highlights kit for dark hair.

3

Best Overall

Revlon Color Effects Frost & Glow

BUY ON AMAZON

This at home highlight kit is a game changer for those who want salon-worthy highlights in the comfort of their home. From its formula and color pay-off to the components of the kit, Revlon has made sure to cater to your every highlighting need. It is an all-in-one lightener kit using which you can create customizable highlights, balayage, ombre, or, as the name suggests, frosted highlights. Available in three shades — Blonde, Honey, and Platinum — it promises professional results for all hair colors.

4

Best Sun-kissed Highlights

Sun Bum Lighten and Tone Blonde Highlighting Kit

BUY ON AMAZON

The Sun Bum Lighten and Tone Blonde Highlighting Kit is an affordable way to achieve your desired sun-kissed locks without any fuss or muss. This kit includes a hair lightener spray and a toner, both easy to use, even for beginners. The hair lightener lifts the hair's color effortlessly while the toner counteracts any potential brassiness. However, as indicated by our tests, this kit works best for those with blonde hair.

5

Best Balayage Kit

Clairol Nice 'n Easy B Balayage Highlighting Kit

BUY ON AMAZON

Balayage is the latest hair trend and for all the right reasons. Here is the best at home balayage kit for you with this blonde highlight kit from Clairol. You can get a beautiful balayage from the comfort of your home. They were one of the first brands to introduce the at-home hair coloring kit in the 1950s. No wonder they are so good at what they do, making this balayage kit a cult favorite. We determined through our tests that it can also double up as a babylights at home kit.

6

Best for Dark Hair

Streax Ultralights Highlighting Kit

BUY ON AMAZON

Packed with the goodness of argan oil and walnut oil, this DIY at home highlight kit from Streax is targeted at darker hair colors. Available in ten different and vibrant shades, this highlight hair dye will transform your hair coloring game. Now, you can easily give yourself a hair makeover that lasts long and also reflects your personal style. You can try the soft subtle blonde and brown highlights or opt for the vibrant red and purple.

7

Best for Ombré

L'Oreal Paris Superior Preference OmbréTouch

BUY ON AMAZON

Give yourself a luminous hair upgrade without burning a hole in your wallet with this highlighting kit from L'Oreal Paris. This has to be the best hair highlight kit for ombré hair. It is perfect for creating a full-on ombré look as well as for subtle face-framing pieces. Based on our firsthand experience, this kit will work great for those looking for adding some warm dimension to their hair lengths. You may also use it for money-piece highlights.

There are a few things you always need to keep in mind before using the best at-home highlight kits to keep any kind of damage at bay. 

Natural Hair Color and Type

One of the most important factors for consideration before purchasing a highlight kit is your natural hair color. Different highlight box dyes cater to different hair colors. Some are specifically created for lighter hair like blonde and light brown, while others are created for darker hair shades like dark brown and black. A rule of thumb is to stick with colors that are a shade or two lighter than your natural or base hair color.

You must also consider your hair texture before zeroing in on a home highlighting kit. Why? Because different hair textures have different tolerance for these products. For instance, fine or delicate hair may require a gentle and moisturizing formula.

Ingredients

One of the most used ingredients in the hair highlighting kits is hydrogen peroxide. It is the lifting agent. So, make sure that your at home highlight kit has this ingredient. Also look for ingredients that are nourishing as highlighting may cause dryness or damage. Look for oils such as argan, olive, marula, walnut, and coconut among others. Shea butter, glycerin, and keratin are some other ingredients that can ensure the maintenance of hair health.

Type of Highlights

Consider the type of highlights you want. Whether you want subtle and natural-looking highlights or something chunky and bold, there is an at home highlight kit for everyone. From balayage to ombre and from lowlights to babylights, you must choose the kit that suits your requirement.

Application

There are mainly 3 methods of adding highlights to your hair. You can apply the color to your hair using either aluminum foil or a pull-through cap. Both of these strive to give precise results. You may also use your hands for painting a more natural look. 

Particulars of the Kit

Ensure that the kit of your choice comes with certain things, including a pair of gloves, an applicator brush, a mixing tray, a conditioner, and possibly a pull-through cap. It should also have easy-to-follow and precise instructions to achieve the desired results.

Customer Reviews/Feedback

Look for customer reviews to get well-rounded and real-life insights into the performance of an at home highlight kit. It will give you an idea of the kit's effectiveness, user-friendliness, and overall satisfaction.

Adding highlights to hair has become easier, convenient, and affordable, all thanks to the availability of home highlighting kits. After putting several products to the test, our team discovered the absolute best at home highlight kits just for you. With our expert recommendations, you can now achieve salon-quality results without leaving the comfort of your own home. Choose the kit that aligns with your specific requirements and follow the instructions diligently. Invest in color-protectant shampoos for the maintenance of color. Make deep-conditioning hair masks your hair's best friends as they counteract the potential dryness and hair damage. Remember to be patient throughout the process and get ready to dazzle everyone with your stunning highlights.