• Jazz up dark hair with frosted caramel highlights.hair image by DXfoto.com from Fotolia.com
  
  Frosting is not just for cupcakes anymore. It's also a style of highlighting hair, where selected sections of the hair are lightened using a peroxide or bleaching agent, before adding the hair color to those specific areas. It is a fairly advanced technique, and if you aren't confident in your abilities as an at-home colorist, it's best to go to a salon to get it done. However, if you do plan on doing it yourself, there are a few things you should know.
  
  

Hair Color and Complexion

• In order to frost your hair with caramel highlights, you need an ideal starting hair color of light brown to brunette. Caramel tones tend to look brassy or too yellow when paired with red hair or blond tones. Because of the rich color of caramel highlights, it is recommended for persons with a medium to dark complexion as well. Very fair complexions tend to look washed out and unnatural with caramel highlights in their hair. So before you begin, make sure that your overall hair color and skin tone will be flattered by caramel frosting.
  
  

Highlighting Cap

• For short to medium length hair, a highlighting cap in an indispensable tool. Simply place the cap on your head, over your hair, and tie it so that it fits snugly but comfortably. Use the hook that is provided with the cap to pull out strands that you would like to frost. This ensures that you will dye only the hair that you pull out, as the rest of your hair remains protected under the cap. Apply the highlighting mixture to only the strands that you have pulled out of the cap, and wait the indicated time for the color to develop.
  
  

Timing

• Timing is everything, from how long to cook the Thanksgiving turkey to how long you want the highlighting mixture to sit on your pretty head. While at-home kits give you an estimated time frame, depending on your starting hair color, it is always important to do a strand test. Test the dye first on a small piece of hair that is easily hidden.Time it while the color develops, and when that piece of hair reaches your desired shade of caramel, you know the correct timing for your hair. When dealing with a lightening agent, it is important not to exceed the maximum allotted time, as this can cause grave damage to your hair, including making it fall out in some cases.