Get Shinier Hair Using An At-Home Dye

The Trick: Bring shine and dimension to flat brown color.

The Tools: L'Oréal Paris Féria Extra Bleach Blonde Lightening System ($10; drugstores); L'Oréal Healthy Look Crème Gloss Color in Medium Brown Truffle ($9; drugstores)

The Method: For Krista Blomberg, Wellman suggests golden highlights, overlaid with a demipermanent deep brunette shade, to make her hair look brighter and fuller. Krista first paints bleach (look for a box that says "lightening") on sections of her hair. Once the highlights are done, she applies a demipermanent color a couple of shades darker than her natural color. The demipermanent dye will not only intensify Krista's allover color and tint her smattering of grays but also add shine and blend the highlights for a subtle, sun-kissed effect.

Just follow these steps...

Pin up the top layer of hair (the highlights should be concentrated on the underlayer for foolproof results on long hair). Mix the bleach in a bowl; place a two-inch section of hair on a spatula, and, starting three inches from the roots, use a brush to pull the bleach along the hair shaft. Highlight about four sections on each side. Leave the bleach on for 30 minutes or so (depending on the strand test); rinse and towel-dry.

Mix the deep brown color in the bottle provided; use the nozzle to distribute it on towel-dried hair from roots to midshaft (you don't want the dye to process on the ends for too long). Let process for about five minutes.

Use your fingers to work the dye through to the ends, and wait another five minutes. Rinse until about a minute after the water runs completely clear.

The Maintenance: In six weeks, Krista can use the same brown dye to freshen up her roots and blend away new grays. Once again, she'll apply the color from roots to midshaft first, then work the dye through the ends for the final five minutes. In four to six months, she can repeat the highlighting technique.

Next: Make over your hair color