Hair Highlights Gallery

Highlights are blended patches of color added to a base color to make it brighter and more vibrant. There are several varieties of highlights, and they can come in a wide range of colors.

These high and lowlights add both light and dark sections of color to the hair for subtle, understated look.

Chunks are bold highlights that often form very visible stripes or patches in the hair. For a more dramatic look, consider going very light on a very dark base.

This type of highlighting accentuates the face and eyes. Face framing highlights can be bold or subtle, and can be done in chunks or in lowlights. By brightening the area around the face, you help focus attention there.

Peek-a-boo highlights move and shift as your hair moves. This allows the highlights to become more or less visible depending on the light and position of your hair, thereby creating a natural look.

Slicing is a technique that controls where and how much of the highlight you see. They can be evenly placed in thin sections throughout the hair, or "sliced" in at random intervals, like in the bangs or other areas where just a hint of color is desired.

Balayage is a natural-looking form of highlights. The word "balayage" means "to sweep." The technique involves sweeping on the color in a non-ordered pattern that produces natural looking highlights with a random placement.

If you want a subtle, yet sexy look, then you may way to consider adding a few red highlights. The look is eye-catching; sexy and very natural-looking in its finish.

If your complexion is dark with warm undertones, honey is a lovely color option for highlights.

Chestnut highlights offer another subtle highlighted look that can be a good alternative to red highlights.

Using high contrast colors, unnatural colors or bold streaks adds instant drama and daring to any look. Use bold colors in the same manner as other highlights, like chunky stripes, to maximize the effect.

If you want to make a bold statement with your hair color but fuchsia isn't your favorite shade, you have other options. Consider chunky hair highlights in a trendy punk rock color like the bright red pictured here.

Blue highlights are another bold option for those who really want to stand out. If you want to be recognized as a punk style trend setter, this may be a shade that you want to try.

If you love punk colors, but are not ready to go to the extreme with a bold bright pink, red or blue, consider a lighter shade. Pastel highlights can be a fun alternative. The color is romantic, yet avant garde.

Pastel shades can be used in wild ways. While not for everyone, radical, multicolored highlights provide a great way express the inner you and declare your independence.

This type of natural coloring adds warm accents to a style to give it the appearance of sun-brightened hair. Lighter sections can also frame the face, while the color makes a subtle shift darker as it moves back from the face.

Highlights don't need to use shocking or unusual colors to be bold. Platinum, red and dark lowlights can all offer a bold and beautiful alternative to natural-looking highlights.

Hair highlights can give your style a more youthful, playful appearance. Blended, all over highlights are a popular choice for mature women, since this type of highlighting works well to help conceal grey hair.

Frosted hair highlights wax and wane in popularity, but the look never completely fades from the fashion culture. The reason? This is a look that gets noticed, every time.

Note that lightening hair dramatically is often damaging to the hair shaft, so if you like this look, consider visiting a professional to have it done.

Where you place highlights is just as important as deciding what shade to use. A you can see, highlighting the hair strategically can yield truly lovely results.

If you don't want to get all over hair highlights but still want a great color contrast, consider highlighting just your bangs. Because the bangs frame the face, the effect will be instantly noticeable, yet it won't be overwhelming if only a small portion of your hair is colored.

Instead of placing hair highlights at the crown of the head, opt for more unusual placement with highlights underneath the bulk of your hair. This is a fantastic style that will need less maintenance and fewer touch ups than highlights that are more immediately visible.

Blonde highlights situated as under placement streaks can be a great choice for African American women with long hair. The look is lovely on curly locks as pictured here, as well as on smooth, straight styles.

Schedule an appointment at your favorite hair salon, save money by visiting a beauty school, or get together with your best girlfriend and do it yourself.

No matter how you achieve it, highlighting your hair is a great way to add texture to thin hair and the illusion of movement and bounce to any hair type.