Superhuman hair color

First, draw an imaginary line beginning at the front of the ears and up to the topmost back point of your head, where you’d wear a high ponytail. (If you have short hair, skip this and the next three steps.)

Lift that top layer of hair up. All the hair below the invisible line will be lighter, and all the hair above goes darker. (It won’t be as dramatic as it sounds, since most of the bottom color is buried.) For the most natural look, stay no more than two to three shades apart.

Do the lighter bottom color first. Then wash, rinse, tie it in a bun, and color the top layer. Apply a color-protecting conditioner, and dry all your hair as you usually would.

Now add “a pinch of highlights” on top of the head, says Licari, using the same color as the bottom layer or a third similar shade so it all relates. Apply them from your forehead to three inches back. If you’re DIY-ing, skip highlights for simplicity’s sake.

Got short hair? Wherever hair’s longest (probably the bangs), lift the top layer up. Make that part darker and everything underneath and on the rest of your head lighter. “Little ribbons of color will pop through,” says Licari.

Got curly hair? Your instructions are the same as those for straight hair. Curly hair just looks extra iridescent thanks to the coils.

And finally, upkeep: Touch up the top layer regularly if you have long hair. But “you can redo the bottom layer just a few times a year since the color is hidden,” says Licari.