If you have dark hair and want to experiment with ash highlights, balayage might be your perfect solution. This technique uses hand-painted highlights rather than harsh bleach solutions for optimal results that are gentle on locks.
Light Brown Ash
Subtly add dimension to a dark brown bob with light ash brown highlights complementing cool-toned complexions. Leave your roots natural for a low-maintenance color that doesn’t need frequent touch-ups. For a richer appearance, ask your stylist for dark brown lowlights as an effective way to balance out the brightness of your new shade. This technique can help mask unfavorable red or orange tones while keeping the warmth of your natural hue intact. Balayage, an artistic coloring technique that emulates nature by blending lighter shades with darker ones, works beautifully when applied to ash-brown hair. This frosted ash-brown balayage looks fresh and youthful on this chin-length bob.
Caramel Ash Brown
If you love Kim Kardashian’s approach and can’t give up honey highlights, take a cue from her book by striking a balance: ask your colorist to add face-framing silver streaks while also including more ash tones in your brunette strands and up top. Wavy textures make achieving this look easy, thanks to their ability to emphasize every subtle change of hue. At the same time, their gentle caramel tones will blend better into darker base colors than foils or ombre techniques.
Smokey Brunette
The trend of adding smoky brunette highlights to black hair is an easy way to add depth and contrast without bleaching your strands. Your stylist can hand-paint soft ash-blonde highlights throughout your strands for an eye-catching, low-maintenance style. Add an eye-catching accent with chunky face-framing highlights for an eye-catching finish. Your stylist can paint these in lighter ash shades such as 0/63 or 0/666 from Koleston Perfect’s Special Mix shades collection. For longer-lasting brunette color, switch to L’Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Vitamino Resveratrol Color Radiance shampoo and conditioner duos that specialize in protecting paint from the elements like the L’Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Vitamino Resveratrol Color Radiance duos. They contain antioxidants that soothe your hair as you cleanse, replenishing it with the nutrients it needs to retain its beautiful hue between salon appointments.
Dark Brown Ash
If you have very dark locks, dusting them with ash highlights is an easy and effective way to lighten up your look without going too light. Also, consider adding in subtle babylights for an organic-looking finish. As Tyra Banks has demonstrated with her cool-toned ash brown ombre, cool brown shades work beautifully on all skin tones, even those with warmer tones; if you want an allover, ashy brown look without the added maintenance requirements, ask your stylist to add cashmere highlights instead. That way, you’ll still achieve that stunning appearance while reducing maintenance needs.
Ash Blonde
Ash blonde highlights are an elegant way to lighten dark locks, adding subtle contrast and depth. Ash-blonde hues pair well with most textures and lengths of hair, but for something a bit less bold, try opting for balayage highlights where colors lighten nearer the roots while becoming darker toward the ends. Balayage ombre highlights are another stunning style for ash blonde highlights, featuring a light ash blonde base that fades to an attractive mushroom brown shade, creating a natural and seamless appearance.
Snowy Blonde
Cool blonde shades are an effective way to lighten dark roots without going all-out platinum. Their frosty ash-blonde color blends in effortlessly, adding an airy and fresh aesthetic. Have you seen the “money piece” highlight trend on Instagram? Well, it works beautifully on black hair as well. Lighten a few face-framing strands to showcase this cool-toned hue before dyeing your entire head with dyed shades. Silver-blonde ombres look beautiful on all complexions and eye colors yet are particularly flattering for those with naturally graying locks who wish to extend the time between root touch-ups. Accessorize this look with soft waves and texturizing spray to add beachy appeal.
Purple Highlights
Purple highlights look fabulous on black hair if you can confidently pull them off. Purple highlights can provide an eye-catching contrast from pastel hues to vibrant tones. Go bold by opting for an allover head of purple, or layer your style for an alternate approach. If you want to experiment with purple highlights but are concerned they will look too flashy, try opting for more discreet styles. Light purple with blue undertones tend to be less dramatic and look more appealing than their counterparts with red-based hues. Add a pop of pink to your purple highlights for an eye-catching mixture of colors that creates an eye-catching flower-like pattern on a short mermaid haircut.
