Recreate a more natural look by opting for subtle highlights that appear sun-kissed rather than bleached. This style works exceptionally well on dark hair and complements many skin tones.
Choose a box dye for dark hair; most will include “before and after” examples for various shades. Starting at your crown or eye line, start dyeing slowly, working down through your head, adding more dye as you go.
Muted Highlights
Highlights that blend in seamlessly with your natural hair color can be an excellent way to lighten it without doing damage. To achieve the most natural-looking result, select shades and tones close to those found in your locks – this way, your highlights will look more subtle and complement all the different styles found within them.
Mocha Latte highlights are an elegant combination of light brown and honey blonde to add vibrancy and dimension to naturally dark hair, or for those with cooler undertones, ash blonde would make an excellent option. To achieve highlights, first, clip up sections of hair so only a tiny area is dyed at one time. Use a tinting brush and carefully paint in highlighted strands using tinted colors.
Ashy Tones
Golden blonde and rich red hues are popularly used to highlight brunettes’ dark locks, but cool-toned tones like ashy brown also look striking with dark locks. Try an all-out dye job of ashy blonde for an eye-catching, dramatic effect, or opt for soft and subtle balayage to add shimmer without making your locks appear too light.
If you want the ashy brown look but don’t want it too light, emulate Gigi Hadid’s gorgeous honey streaks for inspiration. Her balayage adds dimension and dimension while softening caramel highlights and complementing copper roots that help enhance her complexion.
Providing highlights at home requires using a box dye specifically intended to work with darker strands; this will ensure your highlights turn out how intended, rather than appearing brassy or turning orange.
Fine-Tuned Highlights
Subtle highlight ideas are also fun ways to add vibrancy and dimension to dark hair. Have your colorist use hand-placed ashy light brown highlights for an attractive, sun-kissed effect that won’t clash against your rich brunette base color.
Use toning shampoo such as L’Oreal Paris EverPure Sulf-Free Purple Shampoo or Matrix Total Results Brass Off Blue Shampoo between coloring sessions to keep blonde highlights from brassy. However, remember to test on an inconspicuous area first before committing it all over your mane!
Caramel blonde face-framing highlights are an attractive way to enhance dark brown locks. Your colorist will ensure the gradient of hues creates healthy-looking streaks of caramel blonde, creating glossy hair streaks for a luxurious effect.
Low-Key Highlights
Brown hair is an ideal canvas for highlights, accommodating multiple hues to produce striking contrasts in hue and tones, according to Matrix brand ambassador and hair colorist George Papanikolas. Therefore, techniques like ombre, balayage, somber, and flamboyage work well.
If you love copper or gold tones, ask your stylist to incorporate them into your dark locks for an eye-catching look. Copper and gold hues work particularly well when creating frame-friendly strands that will undoubtedly win hearts!
For a subtler approach, caramel or honey highlights may be just what your natural chocolate-shaded hair needs to make it shine like never before! Easy to maintain and create an authentic sun-kissed effect, caramel and honey highlights offer an attractive way to highlight locks without risking their damage with excessive blonde hues or bleach. They look incredibly stunning on loose waves or ringlets!
Blonde Highlights
If you want to venture into blonde without the commitment of bleaching all of your locks, try opting for a gradual lift. This technique keeps roots dark while gradually lightening mid-shaft to ends for an approachable hue with low maintenance needs.
Ash blonde highlights are an elegant choice for cool-toned brunettes looking for natural highlights in dark brown hair, providing subtle yet easy maintenance with regular conditioning treatments after highlighting.
If you want to experiment with strawberry blonde or other vibrant hues, use balayage on a wavy brunette bob for the best result. Hand-placed highlights add a soft, natural-looking dimension that can easily be moved or toned down as your hair grows out. Furthermore, this technique also works well if you prefer bolder tones!
