Highlights and Lowlights

• For something more dramatic than traditional highlights, get the highlights in large sections instead of in small strands of hair. Go for a highlight color that contrasts sharply with the color of the rest of your hair. For example, if you have brown hair, you could get large sections of your hair highlighted in blonde for a dramatic effect.
  This effect works with lowlights as well. Get the lowlights in large sections around your head and go for maximum contrast. Lowlights look best if they're done in rich colors like eggplant, burgundy, or bright red. If you want even more contrast with lowlights, get the lowlights on the top of your head and get highlights underneath.
  Whether you're getting highlights or lowlights, ask your stylist to use the foil technique to dye your hair. This will keep the color separate from any hair you don't want to dye, producing clean, hard lines between natural hair and the colored hair, which will look the most dramatic. The foil technique will also allow your stylist to apply more than one color at a time.
  
  

Black and White

• For an unexpected dramatic hair color effect, eliminate bold color altogether and go for black and white. You could have your hair colored black and put in white (or platinum blond) highlights, have your hair colored black and color the tips white, or have your hair colored white (or platinum blond) and have the tips colored black. The effect is like a black and white photograph: classic and dramatic.
  
  

Bold Color

• For a bold burst of color, try one color on top of your head and another color peeking through, but use striking color combinations such as platinum and dark brown, black and red, copper and auburn, or purple and blue. Use your imagination and go as bold as you dare to. You can ask your hair stylist to use the foil technique to put a bold color into your hair, or you can experiment with home hair color. Some companies sell hair color in neon colors or even colors that glow under a blacklight.