Hair highlights have a powerful impact on your hair; they can make it appear brighter and add dimension, making it look fuller. No matter what type of hair colour you have, highlights can work on any hair colour to brighten your current look or to transform it without having to commit to a completely new hair colour all over.
Highlighting itself isn’t too complicated: hair stylists begin by applying a highlighting agent, usually containing bleach or colour, to specific areas of your hair to create contrast and dimension. Then they start by selecting small sections of hair that are covered with a bleach or dye mix, which are either wrapped in foil or separated using a special cap. This process isolates each section, allowing the lightener to develop without affecting surrounding hair.
You can choose either partial or full hair highlights. If you are not looking to drastically change all of your hair, you might want to go with a partial highlights. Below, we take a closer look at a few highlights to choose from.
Full Babylight
If you are not considering a traditional look and are looking for something natural and sun-kissed, you can go for some babylights. These are very finely woven pieces of hair, sometimes known as micro-weaves. Although they are slightly pricier than traditional highlights, they give you a thick and blended look. By having babylights, you can brighten your look without going with a solid all-over blonde.
Red Highlights
Red highlights are a smart alternative to traditional blonde and caramel highlights; they can give you a spicier look while letting you try something fresh and new. If you have naturally blonde hair, you have to be cautious when going for this highlight, as it can give you a slightly strawberry-blonde look. Make sure you see an experienced stylist to avoid the red colour bleeding onto your blonde tresses. If your hair is brown, you can enjoy red highlights; however, you might want to lighten your hair before applying it, depending on the desired shade of red.
Black Hair with Highlights
Working with black hair isn’t an easy undertaking; you have to keep your expectations realistic when working with such a colour. If you want highlights on your black hair, don’t go to a hairstylist and ask for silver or white-blonde streaks; such colours often require multiple sessions and salon visits. A very nice choice for black hair is deep caramel or red highlights; they can give your hair a bright, full look. Caramel or brown highlights can make your black hair look softer and more natural. Whatever you choose to do, remember that adding highlights to black hair is a good starting point for transitioning to a lighter colour. By breaking up the black hair with streaks of a lighter colour, you can transition out of solid black more smoothly.
Curly Hair Highlights
Many women sometimes doubt whether they can have curly hair and still highlight it; the simple answer is yes. While curly hair looks beautiful when it is highlighted, you have to be slightly cautious. Because curly hair tends to be drier by nature, you don’t want to over-process the hair. Keep in mind that if your hair is natural and has never been coloured, you can use colour instead of lightener to add highlights. While this option will not give you super-blonde highlights, it can add some brightness to your hair in a safer way.
Whichever highlight style you choose, you’ll enjoy hair that looks more dimensional, radiant, and full of life. For the best results, trust a professional stylist to create your new look and invest in quality products to keep your colour vibrant and beautiful.
Aaron Levinson | Staff Writer
