Highlighted hair never goes out of style. Hair color lighteners were invented in the 1900s and soared in popularity in the 1960s. But looks and techniques come and go, so how do you know which one is right for you? No matter what color your hair is, there’s a hot trend in hair highlights for you, from ombré and sombré to babylights, foilayage, and more. The best part? You can easily learn how to highlight hair at home.
Hair highlights run the spectrum between style and technique. So, dream up the look you want, and then pick your type of highlights. You’ve probably noticed when scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest that when it comes to highlighting hair, you’ve got lots of options. Here are the types of hair color highlights you’ll want to be familiar with as you decide what look you want to achieve.
Toasted Brown Highlights
Toasted brown highlights are a fresh take on caramel highlights. As the name implies, this warm look accentuates warm brunette shades.
Cool Tone Dark Brown with High Contrast Highlights
Pair a black base with golden blonde highlights for a dramatic multidimensional contrast that is still somehow subtle.
Chestnut Brown Hair with Highlights
Who said blondes have more fun? If you love a chestnut brown base color, you can still hop on the highlight train by adding subtle highlights in a complimentary shade.
Deep Coffee Brown with Barely There Highlights
It’s hard to give up coffee. Brunette enthusiasts love the deep, rich, brown a coffee color base gives, and it’s a favorite when the seasons change to cooler temps. By adding subtle highlights, just a shade or two lighter, or a deeper lift for a café au lait look, the base color’s beauty really shines.
Golden Sun-Kissed Highlights
Nothing gives more California vibes than golden highlights. No matter the technique, golden blondes make us think of the beach, the sun, and summer.
Subtle Platinum Highlights for Thin Hair
Muted shades of beige and bright platinum bring dimension to thin hair. Now that’s blonde ambition.
Golden Flamboyage
Achieve golden luminosity by combining the flamboyage technique with rich hues inspired by this precious metal.
Ashy Bronde with Face-Framing Highlights
The base isn’t brown, and it’s not blonde. It’s bronde. And the highlights? Face framing for serious flair.
Bronde Shag with Highlights
The shag is a full-bodied cut, and when paired with a bronde base and blonde highlights a few levels lighter, you’ve got dimension galore.
Flaming Red Hair Highlights
These flaming red hair highlights can be applied using the teasylight technique for diffuse color. Teasylights are one of the hottest new trends for highlighted hair, and we think this look is fire.
Blonde Highlights with Red Undertones
If your base color is already gingery, blonde highlights can achieve a beautiful strawberry-blonde look. Perfect for summer.
Garnier has two kits for doing your highlights at home, allowing you to customize your looks, especially if you want face-framing highlights, babylights, or an om-bré effect. To create lighter highlights on hair that’s light to dark blonde, try the Warm Bronze Multi-Lights kit or our new ammonia-free Olia Highlights H02 for Blondes. If your base color is light to medium brown, go for the Olia Highlights H03 for Brunettes. Or you could also choose any color and apply it only to the sections you want, for example, to do lowlights, flamboyage, or peek-a-boo highlights. Garnier Olia Highlights can help you achieve a glowing, healthy, highlighted look by lifting your hair up to four shades— all without ammonia, parabens, or silicones.
Now that you’ve swoon-scrolled over honey, caramel, and champagne color highlights, have you considered that when it comes to a genuinely stunning head of highlighted hair, your base color should be as pretty and as flattering as your highlights? In fact, the two colors should enhance one another as well as complement your skin tone and cut. Not sure which base color you want to start with? Check out our Hair Color Virtual Try-On tool, where you can upload a selfie or virtually try on any shade of hair color. That way, you’ll be certain of what base color will go best with whatever types of hair highlights you choose.
