Did you ever go through a gothic phase in high school, when you couldn't stand even a slight fade to your jet black hair color? Those days, you probably thought highlights were meant only for the carefree blondes or the sun-kissed brunettes of the world -- tortured soul, much?

Or maybe you had a head full of highlights -- bright blonde strands scattered on top of your dark brown hair -- and wish you could transport your current colorist back to your life circa college. You know, so he could talk you out of those fake-looking streaks.

Whatever your highlight history, it's time to think about revisiting them. Highlights offer the ability to switch up your hair color without getting a dramatic overhaul, and they can bring depth and life to an otherwise blasè brown or dull blonde. And lazy-girls, rejoice: The latest trends in highlights allow you to go a full six months between touchups.

The key to great, natural-looking highlights, say experts, is knowing what shades will work best with your hair color. Here, the best tips on how to get the right highlight shades for every hair color.

If you're going to drop $$$ on your hair color, you should make sure you know how to properly care for it (consider it getting the best return on your investment). Ashley Streicher, Advisory Stylist for Strivectin Hair, says one of the most important rules is to wait 48 hours to wash your hair.

"Your hair is ultra clean from being chemically processed and then thoroughly washed," she says. "Waiting gives your scalp and follicles enough time to fully close and lock in the color and start nourishing your scalp on its own." Be sure to wash your hair with a shampoo formulated for colored hair (she recommends StriVectin Color Care Shampoo, $23).

L'Oréal Paris celebrity stylist Kari Hill adds, "Anything that swells the cuticle -- like hot water or hair masks -- can let color molecules escape." To prevent that, shampoo with cooler water and only leave on deep conditioners for a few minutes.

You should also keep your hair out of the sun as much as possible (Streicher recommends a hat) and products that protect your hair from UV rays (Hill recommends the L'Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Color Vibrancy line).

Try lowlights in a deeper blonde shade.

Jennifer Lawrence's latest hair color is as blonde as it gets. If you have similarly borderline-white hair, Marco Pelusi, owner of Pelusi Hair Studio in West Hollywood, California, recommends getting "lowlights in a deeper blonde color woven throughout." It would require touchups every three to four weeks, and over time you can gradually move to a darker color if you wish.

(Need a refresher on highlights versus lowlights? Get the details here.)

Try anything lighter than your hair color.

Lucky you. According to Hill, light blondes have tons of freedom when it comes to highlights. Choose a tone that's golden or cool -- "even the lightest highlight can still look natural on a light blonde."

Dark blonde lowlights also look amazing on light blonde hair, says celebrity stylist Aura Friedman.

Try golden or honey highlights.

"With medium blondes, it is a great opportunity to do an almost 'bronde' look with golden or honey highlights," says Hill. Friedman adds that if you're more of a dirty blonde, add taupe highlights or dark blonde lowlights. Both these looks will add dimension to your hair color.