Seems like a no-brainer, but remember to read the directions on the box carefully. "There are years of research behind these at-home colors, so they should be executed in the way they were intended. Go by the guidelines. Don't take matters into your own hands," O'Conner says.

Image via Imaxtree

To master the art of highlighting your own hair, Cona recommends practicing with your highlighting tools the day before you highlight. "Replace the highlighting product with conditioner, and practice your application on dry hair. It is a great way to get comfortable with the tools, and placement of your highlights," she says.

Buy now

Don't rush into adding highlights. You can always add more if you decide you like them. The easiest area to add highlights to (and the area that will look most natural and similar to Jessica Alba's look at left) is around your face and crown. If you've highlighted your hair several times, you can experiment with more, but start off slow, O'Connor says.

Image via Getty

Look at your hair and pick out the pieces you think you'd like to highlight. O'Connor recommends pulling them out and clipping them aside to isolate them. Then secure the rest of your hair into a ponytail. Release the sections you clipped out of the way one by one and paint them. If you're worried about getting the bleach on the hair you don't want to highlight, place a piece of a paper towel under each section after applying the bleach.

Image via Imaxtree

Don't start right at your roots when you apply the bleach, O'Connor says, instead start a couple of inches below them. Pull the product evenly through to the ends of the section you're highlighting, then go back to the top (near your part but not all the way down to the root) and glide the product through that area. This ensures you don't get too much product on top, which can look splotchy, and that your highlights don't turn out too light on top since roots develop faster.

Image via Imaxtree