Choosing the perfect highlight shade can be a game-changer for your hair, brightening your complexion, adding dimension, and enhancing your overall style. But with so many options available, from subtle sun-kissed strands to bold, contrasting streaks, how do you determine the best hue for you? This comprehensive guide will break down everything you need to know to select the most flattering highlights for your hair color, skin tone, and personal aesthetic.
Understanding the Basics of Highlights
Highlights involve lightening specific strands of hair to create contrast and depth. They can be applied using various techniques, including foiling, balayage, and babylights, each offering a different effect. The key to successful highlights lies in selecting a shade that complements your natural hair color and enhances your features.
Level and Tone: The Foundation of Hair Color
Before diving into specific highlight shades, it’s crucial to understand the concepts of hair color level and tone. Level refers to the lightness or darkness of your hair, ranging from 1 (black) to 10 (platinum blonde). Tone describes the underlying warmth or coolness of the color, such as warm (gold, copper, red) or cool (ash, violet, blue).
Consulting with a Professional
While this guide offers valuable insights, the best way to determine your ideal highlight shade is to consult with a professional hairstylist. They can assess your hair’s current condition, consider your skin tone and personal preferences, and recommend the most suitable options.
Matching Highlights to Your Natural Hair Color
The first step in choosing the right highlight shade is to consider your natural hair color. The goal is to create a seamless and harmonious blend that enhances your existing color without looking artificial.
For Brunettes: Adding Dimension and Depth
Brunettes have a wide range of highlight options, from caramel and chocolate tones to lighter shades of blonde. The ideal choice depends on your natural level and the desired level of contrast.
Subtle Caramel Highlights: For a natural and sun-kissed effect, caramel highlights are a great option for medium to dark brunettes. They add warmth and dimension without being too dramatic.
Chocolate Brown Highlights: For a more subtle and sophisticated look, chocolate brown highlights can add richness and depth to dark brown hair.
Ash Brown Highlights: If you have cool-toned brown hair, ash brown highlights can help to brighten your complexion without adding warmth.
Golden Blonde Highlights: For a bolder look, golden blonde highlights can create a striking contrast against dark brown hair. However, it’s important to ensure the blonde shade complements your skin tone.
For Blondes: Enhancing Your Natural Radiance
Blondes have a variety of highlight options to choose from, ranging from subtle brightening to dramatic transformations.
Babylights: These ultra-fine highlights are perfect for adding subtle dimension and radiance to blonde hair. They mimic the natural highlights that occur from spending time in the sun.
Platinum Highlights: For a bold and icy look, platinum highlights can create a striking contrast against blonde hair. However, this option requires significant maintenance and can be damaging to the hair.
Golden Highlights: Golden highlights can add warmth and richness to blonde hair, creating a sun-kissed and healthy glow.
Strawberry Blonde Highlights: For a unique and playful look, strawberry blonde highlights can add a touch of warmth and vibrancy to blonde hair.
For Redheads: Balancing Warmth and Vibrancy
Redheads have a more limited range of highlight options, but the right choice can enhance their natural vibrancy and create a stunning effect.
Copper Highlights: Copper highlights are a classic choice for redheads, adding warmth and richness to the hair.
Strawberry Blonde Highlights: Strawberry blonde highlights can brighten up red hair and create a more youthful and radiant look.
Caramel Highlights: For a more subtle and natural effect, caramel highlights can add dimension and depth to red hair.
For Dark Hair: Adding Depth and Definition
Working with dark hair can be tricky but the results are beautiful and well worth the effort.
Mocha Highlights: These highlights add a subtle depth and enhance the natural shine to dark hair colors.
Auburn Highlights: These highlights create a warm and soft transition for those with naturally dark shades.
Espresso Highlights: This offers a gentle variation and accentuates the natural dark tones already in the hair.
Considering Your Skin Tone
Your skin tone plays a crucial role in determining the most flattering highlight shade. The goal is to choose a color that complements your complexion and enhances your natural radiance.
Warm Skin Tones: Embracing Golden Hues
If you have warm skin tones (golden, yellow, or olive undertones), warm-toned highlights like gold, copper, caramel, and honey will generally be the most flattering. These shades will enhance your skin’s natural warmth and create a healthy, radiant glow.
Cool Skin Tones: Opting for Ashy Shades
If you have cool skin tones (pink, red, or blue undertones), cool-toned highlights like ash blonde, platinum, and icy brown will generally be the most flattering. These shades will complement your skin’s natural coolness and create a sophisticated and chic look.
Neutral Skin Tones: Versatility is Key
If you have neutral skin tones (a combination of warm and cool undertones), you have more flexibility when it comes to choosing highlight shades. You can experiment with both warm and cool tones to find the perfect match for your complexion.
The Importance of Undertones
Determining your skin’s undertone is key to selecting the right highlight shade. A simple way to identify your undertone is to look at the veins on your wrist. If they appear blue or purple, you likely have cool undertones. If they appear green, you likely have warm undertones. If you can’t tell, you may have neutral undertones.
Highlight Techniques and Placement
The technique used to apply your highlights can significantly impact the overall result. Different techniques offer different levels of dimension, contrast, and maintenance.
Foiling: Precision and Control
Foiling involves separating strands of hair and wrapping them in foil while applying the lightener. This technique allows for precise placement and control, making it ideal for creating highlights with a high level of contrast.
Balayage: A Natural and Sun-Kissed Effect
Balayage is a freehand technique where the lightener is painted directly onto the hair. This creates a softer and more natural-looking highlight effect, mimicking the sun-kissed highlights that occur from spending time outdoors. Balayage usually starts away from the root of the hair giving it a lower maintenance requirement.
Babylights: Subtle Dimension and Radiance
Babylights are ultra-fine highlights that are applied using the foiling technique. They are designed to mimic the natural highlights that occur in children’s hair, creating a subtle and radiant effect.
Ombre: A Gradual Transition
Ombre involves a gradual transition from dark roots to lighter ends. This technique is ideal for creating a bold and dramatic look with minimal maintenance.
Chunky Highlights: A Bold Statement
Chunky highlights are thick streaks of color that create a bold and contrasting effect. This technique is not as popular as it once was, but it can still be a great option for those who want to make a statement.
Highlight Placement: Framing Your Face
The placement of your highlights can also impact the overall result. Highlights placed around the face can brighten your complexion and enhance your features, while highlights placed throughout the hair can add dimension and depth.
Maintaining Your Highlights
Once you’ve achieved your desired highlight shade, it’s important to maintain them properly to keep them looking their best.
Use Color-Safe Products: Invest in shampoos, conditioners, and styling products that are specifically designed for color-treated hair. These products will help to protect your highlights from fading and keep your hair healthy and hydrated.
Minimize Heat Styling: Excessive heat styling can damage your hair and cause your highlights to fade more quickly. Minimize your use of heat styling tools like blow dryers, curling irons, and flat irons, and always use a heat protectant spray before styling.
Regular Touch-Ups: Depending on the technique and the level of contrast, you may need to touch up your highlights every 6-8 weeks to maintain their vibrancy.
Toner: A toner can be used to adjust the tone of your highlights and keep them looking fresh and vibrant. Your stylist can recommend the best toner for your hair color and desired look.
Additional Tips for Choosing the Right Highlights
Consider Your Lifestyle: If you have a busy lifestyle and don’t have time for frequent salon visits, opt for low-maintenance highlight techniques like balayage or babylights.
Look at Inspiration Photos: Browse magazines, social media, and online resources to find inspiration photos of highlights that you love. Bring these photos to your salon appointment to help your stylist understand your desired look.
Communicate with Your Stylist: Be open and honest with your stylist about your hair goals and concerns. The more information you provide, the better they can tailor your highlights to your specific needs.
Choosing the right highlight shade is a personal decision that depends on a variety of factors, including your natural hair color, skin tone, and personal preferences. By understanding the basics of hair color, considering your skin tone, and communicating with your stylist, you can find the perfect highlights to enhance your natural beauty and achieve your desired look. Remember that professional consultation is key to a successful and satisfying result.
What is the most important factor to consider when choosing a highlight shade?
The single most crucial aspect to consider when selecting a highlight shade is your skin’s undertone. Understanding whether you have warm, cool, or neutral undertones will dramatically influence which highlight colors complement your complexion best. Warm undertones generally look stunning with gold, caramel, and honey highlights, while cool undertones are beautifully enhanced by ash blonde, platinum, and cool beige tones.
To determine your undertone, observe your veins in natural light. Blue or purple veins suggest cool undertones, green veins indicate warm undertones, and if you can’t easily discern either, you likely have neutral undertones. It’s also helpful to consider how your skin reacts to sun exposure; those who tan easily typically have warm undertones, while those who burn easily often have cool undertones.
How do I choose highlights that complement my natural hair color?
The key to selecting highlights that enhance your natural hair color lies in staying within a few shades of your base. For brunettes, caramel, chocolate, or mocha highlights can add dimension and warmth without looking artificial. Dark blondes or light brunettes can explore lighter shades like honey blonde or golden blonde for a sun-kissed effect.
For blondes, the possibilities are vast, ranging from baby blonde highlights for a subtle brightening effect to platinum or ash blonde highlights for a more dramatic transformation. Remember, the goal is to create a harmonious blend between your natural color and the highlights, avoiding stark contrasts that can appear unnatural or unflattering.
What are the best highlight options for dark brown or black hair?
For dark brown or black hair, warmer-toned highlights like caramel, mocha, or chocolate brown create a beautiful and noticeable contrast without being too drastic. These shades add dimension and depth, bringing out the richness of your dark base. Consider a balayage technique for a more natural, blended effect that grows out gracefully.
Avoid overly light or cool-toned highlights, such as platinum blonde, as they can appear harsh and unnatural against very dark hair. Instead, opt for subtle variations within the brown family to enhance your hair’s natural beauty and create a soft, multi-dimensional look. Reddish-brown tones like auburn or burgundy can also work well, depending on your skin’s undertone.
Can highlights make my hair look thicker?
Yes, strategically placed highlights can create the illusion of thicker, fuller hair. The contrast between the highlights and your base color adds dimension and depth, making your hair appear more voluminous. Opt for fine, closely spaced highlights throughout your hair, rather than chunky or bold sections.
Focus on highlighting the areas around your face to draw attention to your features and create a brighter, more youthful look. Additionally, consider a balayage technique, which involves hand-painting highlights to create a natural, sun-kissed effect. This technique can add subtle dimension and movement, contributing to the illusion of thicker hair.
What are some low-maintenance highlight options?
Balayage is an excellent low-maintenance highlight option as it grows out seamlessly, minimizing the need for frequent touch-ups. The highlights are hand-painted onto the hair, creating a soft, natural transition from the roots to the highlighted ends. This technique allows you to go longer between salon visits without visible lines of demarcation.
Another low-maintenance option is babylights, which are very fine and subtle highlights that mimic the natural sun-kissed effect of children’s hair. Because the highlights are so delicate, the grow-out is less noticeable, and you can extend the time between appointments. Both balayage and babylights are ideal for those seeking a natural-looking, low-effort hair color.
How can I maintain my highlights to prevent fading or brassiness?
To prevent fading and brassiness in your highlights, use a shampoo and conditioner specifically formulated for color-treated hair. These products are designed to be gentler on the hair and help preserve the color. Also, limit your exposure to direct sunlight, chlorine, and hard water, as these can all contribute to fading and brassiness.
Invest in a purple shampoo and conditioner to neutralize any unwanted yellow or orange tones in your highlights. Use these products once or twice a week, or as needed, to maintain the cool tones and keep your highlights looking fresh and vibrant. Consider using a hair mask or deep conditioner regularly to keep your hair hydrated and healthy, preventing dryness that can exacerbate fading.
Are there any highlighting techniques better suited for certain hair lengths or textures?
Yes, certain highlighting techniques work better depending on your hair length and texture. For shorter hair, such as bobs or pixies, babylights or foil highlights can add subtle dimension without overwhelming the style. Balayage can also work on shorter styles, but the placement needs to be carefully considered to avoid a choppy or uneven look.
For longer hair, balayage, ombre, or traditional foil highlights are all excellent options. Coarser hair textures can handle bolder highlights and higher contrast, while finer hair textures benefit from more delicate techniques like babylights or lowlights to add subtle dimension without weighing the hair down. Consider the overall style and desired effect when choosing a highlighting technique for your hair type.