I went the hair dresser route for high lights/low lights - mainly because I was tired of my mousy brownish hair. And what he does for me is still mainly around my face. I don't get "tiger" stripes either, so the highs definitely not neon bright. One thing you have to consider is the chemicals that are used to lighten your hair. We still laugh about the first time I walked into his salon, I told him it didn't stink. Whatever brand he uses (I should know), Italian I think, doesn't stink like the hair dressers that I remember going to with my mother or grandmother when I was young. That stink has kept me out the door of many a salon.