Hair is a huge part of a person’s style. Our cut, color, hair do, the accessories we choose; everything about our hair screams of who we are. This is especially true for those who really like to project something of their fashion sense, creativity, interests, and tastes. As such, it is understandable why some people desire to find a style that really sticks out, yet compliments their hair color. One way to do that is to choose a highlighting scheme that will make the most of your color.
There are two things that you’ll want to look for in a good highlighting option. A) That the highlights maximize and emphasize your haircut, and B) the color blends or contrasts well with your base color whether that be your natural color or a color you’ve chosen. These two points are extremely important as they will be the deciding factor between good highlights and bad ones. In order to pick the best highlighting scheme for you, you can work with an experienced colorist. They can ensure that you get the blend of colors you want, and that those colors will give you the look you’re going for. As for color schemes, you’ll want to do a little research on what your options are. You can use this article as your first resource.
For Blonde Tones:
For a platinum shade (a very delicate and light shade of blonde) strokes of a buttermilk yellow tone can look absolutely amazing! You’ll want to stay away from this if your blonde is really yellowy, but if you’re more on the white side of blonde, buttermilk accents can make a world of beautiful difference in your style. Try having it sliced in gently along the bang area of a fringe where the buttermilk is laying on a lower layer and shows through the blonde layers. An experienced colorist will know how to get this effect and best work the buttermilk into your hair.
Highlight your blonde tresses with strokes of pink or mulberry. This is an exciting color that adds life, originality, and spunk to a style. These highlights will look especially cool on a funky crop, bob, or any short or mid-length cut.
For Brunette Tones:
For a light brunette add funky style by swashing in highlights of light orange. This color is a bit tricky since you’ll want to make sure it matches your skin tone and hair color, so consult a colorist who can help you adjust the highlights to your needs. This funky is a great style statement that can be played up with asymmetrical cuts or teased hair, or played down with more classical cuts and styles.
Light brown – Medium brown tones (or an auburn tone) can mix their color with a very light brown to blond tone to add some style. Great ideas include adding flashes of color, going for natural or traditional highlights, or for shorter funkier styles try adding the color to a large chunk of one side. This looks very futuristic and adds a cute flare of originality. It’s a great way to let your artsy side show through! The color of the highlight, whether it is a light brown or blonde will depend on what your base color is and how much contrast you want.) Blonde colors will obviously blend better with lighter browns and auburn tones, while medium browns might want to go for a nice light brown shade. A blonde will add a lot of contrast and can look fabulous, just be sure you’re up for that amount of contrast.
Dark brown hair tones look fabulous with varying amounts of deep red. Show flashes of color through fringes and layered tresses, or go for an all around red look with your brown showing through on the tips and hairlines. This adds a darker feel to your hair and goes well with people who like to sport a quiff or other funky style.
Dark browns also look fantastic with several swatches of purple tones put in. You can go for a lighter pinky-purple, or for a flat out purple, either way your hair will look fantastic and very artsy.
Red Tones:
Red is a hard to color to blend with other tones. Depending on your red you might want to accent it with some other red tones. For something stark and different, go for blonde highlights. You can make these as bold or subtle as you’d like, dulling and yellowing the highlight to make it fit in with your color. Blonde is a great way to dress up red hair.
Black:
Black hair can be mixed with just about anything these days. While it’s hard to get a highlighting effect of black hair you can have colors put in or blended in with your color. Dyeing hair with a “blue-black” as opposed to a raven black will add a nice shimmer and highlight of blue. You can do the same with red tones as well. If you want a large chunk of color or small streaks of it, you’ll probably have to have those sections bleached first and then colored. But you’re black hair will look great with a range of different colors like blonde, red, mulberry, purple, and pink. Your imagination will be the limit here.
While there are a number of other highlights to be had, these are generally more common choices and can be found in any hair magazine. I would recommend you pick one up and have a look at ways to put the highlights in to accent your cut. I also cannot stress enough the importance of a consultation with your colorist before taking the plunge into the world of highlights, especially if it’s a very stark contrast you’re looking for, and even if you’ve done highlights before.
Hair is a huge part of the world of fashion. So style yours up, up date it, and make a new statement about yourself that turns heads and causes envy just about everywhere you go. Have fun with your hair and treat it nicely and you can enjoy the range of different ideas and styles that come to light as you change your cut and color.
