Highlights and Balayage Hair

If you love your natural hair color but want to add depth, dimension, and a modern touch, balayage and ombre techniques are perfect for achieving effortless, blended highlights. Whether you’re after a sun-kissed glow, soft color transitions, or something bold like pastel or neon hues, highlights and lowlights create stunning, unique results. Classic choices like brown hair with blonde highlights or blonde streaks in red hair have stood the test of time, while more adventurous options – such as purple highlights on dark brown hair or peek-a-boo pops of color – offer a fun way to experiment. If you're not ready for something too bold, warm caramel or soft red highlights are a great way to ease into the look. No matter your style, we’ve got plenty of inspiration to help you find the perfect color upgrade!

Latest Articles

Color

70 Flattering Balayage Hair Color Ideas for 2025

From soft caramel sweeps to high-contrast blends, balayage will give you every option in between for creating a hairstyle full of movement and shine.

by Nataly Green

February 28, 2025

Highlights

60 Shades of Gray: Silver and White Highlights for Eternal Youth

Silver highlights are glamorous, fashionable and a must-have for a funky, cool and trendier you! Gray hairs are often kept as one of Mother Nature’s top secrets, but did you know you can use the powerful effect of shimmering whites to step up your look? See the best examples!

by Stacey Bradshaw

June 13, 2025

Color

60 Hairstyles Featuring Dark Brown Hair with Highlights

There are a great deal of charming ways to spice up your dark brown hair with highlights. These 60 hairstyles offer endless inspiration!

by Mary Allen

June 24, 2025

Highlights

60 Looks with Caramel Highlights on Brown Hair

Of all the shades you can pick for your highlights, caramel is the most versatile hue that suits everyone, from blondes to brunettes and redheads. Have a look at these captivating photos of sweet caramel highlights to arouse your appetite for your own "yummy" hair color combo.

by Stacey Bradshaw

February 28, 2025

Highlights

50 Blonde Highlights to Play Around with Your Hairstyle

From sassy to sultry, blonde highlights convey any style you want. Play with lighter accents to revamp your look.

by Nataly Green

June 14, 2025

Brown

50 Ideas for Light Brown Hair with Highlights and Lowlights

Check our selection of hair coloring ideas featuring light brown hair with highlights and lowlights to find a perfect shade for your hair.

by Marissa Palmer

February 28, 2025

Highlights

50 Hot Brunette Balayage Styles You Don’t Want to Miss

If you have ever considered brown hair to be boring or dull, think again. With the balayage technique, dye is applied to hair without the use of foil, resulting in a natural and exquisite look that feels like any brunette’s major hair goal. Mixing colors has never been this fun, so check out these brown balayage styles and book an appointment with your colorist!

by Madison Breaux

February 28, 2025

Highlights

What’s the Difference Between Partial and Full Highlights?

You want highlights to spice up your hair but aren't sure if you want partial or full highlights? What's the difference between partial and full highlights anyway? We explain how to get each look and how to decide which one may be the right fit for you.

by Kaleena Stroud

March 07, 2025

Short

44 Balayage Short Hair Ideas to Steal the Show in 2025

Want short hair with dimension? Soft blends and high-contrast streaks will turn your cut into a statement.

by Nataly Green

February 28, 2025

Blonde

40 Beautiful Blonde Balayage Looks To Try in 2025

If you’re considering a fresh color for 2024, these beautiful blonde balayage looks are a must-see! With a range of tones and techniques, these styles offer a natural, sun-kissed effect that enhances your blonde hair. Discover the perfect balayage to give your locks a chic, effortless glow.

by Marissa Palmer

February 28, 2025

Highlights

40 Ideas of Pink Highlights for Major Inspiration

Hairstyles with pink highlights are quite popular, and honestly, we love them all! Ready to give one a whirl? Well, here are our top 40 – all just ready and waiting for a daredevil like you! Wear all year round for a warm fuzzy feeling, even on the coldest nights!

by Marissa Palmer

March 07, 2025

Highlights

40 Versatile Purple Highlights for Blonde, Brown and Red Hair

Having bright colors in your hair can be so much fun! Any color of the rainbow is literally at your fingertips, including all shades of purple! It was once a color of royalty, only reserved for the wealthiest and most revered people, because the sources of the color itself were very rare to find — therefore expensive (like pretty snails and Sea Urchins!) But now, we have “animal-free” versions of all shades available if you choose to unleash your creativity and indulge in bold or soft and tender purple highlights!

by The Editors

April 30, 2024

Wavy Curly

20 Fabulous Curly Hair Highlights You Can Try Right Now

Curly girls, listen up. Have you always wanted to try hair color, but don’t want to harm the gentle hair texture? Curly hair highlights are the best way to embrace a touch of color and make your luscious locks pop. Choose which highlights will work best for you, get to know which techniques to use and how to prep your hair to minimize the damage. Here, we’ll tell you everything you need to know and inspire you with our favorite curly hairstyles with highlights.

by Nikki Goddard

March 06, 2025

Highlights

40 Ideas of Peekaboo Highlights for Any Hair Color

What sets peekaboo highlights apart is their ability to add dimension and intrigue without overwhelming the overall look. By strategically placing lighter or brighter tones underneath the top layer of hair, peekaboo highlights create subtle pops of color that catch the eye and add depth to any style.

by The Editors

June 04, 2025

Highlights

30 Ideas of Chunky Highlights to Rock in 2025

From bold contrasts to playful pops of color, these 30 chunky highlights variations will give your hairstyle the depth and drama you crave!

by The Editors

March 31, 2025

Highlights

20 Best Face-Framing Highlights for Every Face Shape

Face-framing highlights are the perfect way to accentuate your features, no matter your face shape. In this article, we’ve rounded up 20 of the best styles that add dimension and brightness. Whether you have a round, square, or heart-shaped face, these highlights are sure to enhance your natural beauty.

by Andrea Payme

March 31, 2025

Highlights

20 Jaw-Dropping Partial Balayage Hairstyles

A partial balayage is a freehand coloring technique, when you apply highlights only to specific areas instead of throughout the whole head — generally, the top layer, or just around the face. Let`s see the best examples of this trend!

by Karen Hill

February 28, 2025

Highlights

10 Stunning Lowlights Ideas for Rich Dimensional Colors

You must have heard the term lowlights before, but what are they and what is their function? Lowlights and highlights are achieved using the same techniques, the difference being in whether the colored strands are darker or lighter than the base color. Blending in lowlights creates contrast and dimension resulting in some gorgeous color transformation. Read on for the comprehensive lowlights vs highlights guide and the best examples of how to enhance your hair color with lowlights.

by Sarah Cabral

March 07, 2025

Highlights

101 Guide to Babylights with Stunning Inspiration Photos

If you love soft blended hair color and a soft grow-out, then you have probably heard of the term babylights. However, a few actually understand how these differ from traditional highlights or balayage. Here is your ultimate colorist's guide to babylights with 20 awesome ideas to copy. Read on to stay on top of modern-day hair color.

by Sarah Cabral

December 26, 2023

Highlights

What is the Difference Between Balayage and Ombre?

Do you often find yourself asking what is the difference between balayage and ombre? Both are among the hottest hair trends for everyday women and celebrities alike; sporting a gradual color transition from dark to light, balayage and ombre give us low-maintenance, lived-in color.

by Kaleena Stroud

February 28, 2025

Highlights

30 Ideas of Black Hair with Highlights to Juice Up Your Look

To brighten or spice up your luxurious brunette locks, you don't have to fully dye them, as there are these stunning black hair with highlights ideas you can try.

by Arijana Arci

March 21, 2025

Highlights

40 Two Tone Hair Styles

Thinking of two-tone hair? Browse through these 40 styles and decide which technique captures your vision for your own color. Today’s trendy hair is always complex in color, meaning solid colors are still ok, but if you want a really chic hairstyle, you’ll want to incorporate some subtle or more pronounced accent highlights in your strands.

by The Editors

March 07, 2025

Highlights

20 On-Trend Brown to Blonde Balayage Looks That Will Make You Jealous

Brown to blonde balayage is the most frequently asked dye job variety. Now we understand why! These styles are “the one-size-fits-all”: they flatter all skin tones, base hair shades, and eye colors (if the right brown and right blond are chosen). So, if you need new hair color ideas, read on!

by The Editors

February 28, 2025

Highlights

20 Sweet Caramel Balayage Hairstyles for a Bold New You

Caramel balayage always adds a delicious touch to hair! Explore the latest styles and tips to achieve this gorgeous, sun-kissed hair color.

by Karen Hill

February 28, 2025

Highlights

50 Cool Ideas of Lavender Ombre Hair and Purple Ombre

Lavender ombre hair is a really fun way to get a creative style without a lot of daily maintenance. Whether you choose to go tame with wash-out hair chalk or make the jump into a permanent color, purple hair brings personality and pizazz to any head of hair.

by Marissa Palmer

February 28, 2025

Highlights

The Fullest Guide to Balayage Hair

Are you going to balayage hair for the first time and know nothing about this technique? Or already have it and want to try its new type? We've gathered everything you need to know about balayage, check!

by Nataly Green

February 28, 2025

Highlights

40 Vivid Ideas for Black Ombre Hair

Black ombre is a lovely hair coloring method that gives depth to your locks. See various ideas to find your ideal hue!

by Nataly Green

February 28, 2025

Highlights

40 Fairy-Like Blue Ombre Hairstyles

Ombre is not an invention of the contemporary hipstress or of the manic pixie dream girl. However, versions of this delightful style have started cropping up in more daring colors of late. Blue ombre, with its indirect references to fantasy creatures like mermaids and fairies, is all the rage with the younger set these days. It’s nowhere near as difficult to pull off as it may seem: all you need is a good colorist/stylist and a shade of blue you actually like.

by The Editors

February 28, 2025

Highlights

Root Smudge Hair Color Technique and Ideas for 2025

You must have heard the term root smudge before. It can also be called a root melt and a root stretch, too! With so many professional terms, it can be confusing to understand how the root smudging technique is different and whether you should ask for it at your salon. A spoiler - there are some good reasons to do this, especially if you tend to wear highlighted hair. Let us break down the technique and its benefits for you.

by Sarah Cabral

March 11, 2025

Highlights

20 Purple Balayage Ideas from Subtle to Vibrant

Balayage has maintained immense popularity over the last few years because the hand painted technique offers natural and effortless color. Once thought of as a summer dyeing trend, the style can now be seen on women throughout the year — skip blonde, and spice up your locks with purple balayage this season.

by Nataly Henderson

February 28, 2025