It’s time to lighten up your life. A fresh new head of blonde highlights can make your eye color pop, your skin glow and give you a real confidence boost. No matter what season it is, blonde highlights are always in style.
If you’re looking for some inspiration to take your highlights to the next level, look no further! We’ve rounded up 10 of the best on-trend ideas for this year to keep your hair looking on fleek and fresh.
Find out how to get the sun-kissed style, what blonde shades will look great on you, and advice for looking after your hair to make your highlights last for longer. From face-framing highlights to all-over balayage, there’s sure to be an idea here that’s perfect for you.
Let’s go!
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Table of Contents
- Top 10 On-Trend Blonde Highlights Ideas
- Are blonde highlights bleach?
- Are blonde highlights bad for your hair?
- Will blonde highlights suit me?
- What hair color suits me?
- Can you go fully blonde with highlights?
- What kind of blonde highlights should I get?
- Types of blonde highights
- What are full head highlights?
- What are half head highlights?
- What are babylights?
- What is balayage hair?
- What is Ombré?
- How long do highlights take?
- Can dark hair have blonde highlights?
- Do highlights damage your hair?
- Can I highlight my own hair at home?
- How can I get natural blonde highlights?
- The best ways to naturally lighten your hair.
- How long do highlights last?
- How can I look after my highlights?
- Parting words.
Top 10 On-Trend Blonde Highlights Ideas
#1. Face-Framing Ash Blonde Highlights
How do you get cool blonde highlights? Ash blonde is the hue for you. Face-framing highlights are a great way to add a touch of brightness around your face without going overboard and looking washed out.
Ask your stylist to place the highlights around your hairline and temples for a soft and flattering look. With a little care and patience, ash blonde highlights can also be achieved at home.
#2. Dirty Blonde Balayage Highlights
For a natural sun-kissed look, ask your stylist for all-over balayage highlights in dirty blonde.
This technique involves hand painting the highlights onto your hair for a natural and effortless look. A good starting blonde if you have light brown hair.
#3. Caramel Blonde Highlights
Glossy caramel highlights are perfect if you’re looking for a little bit of warmth and color without going too blonde.
Ask your stylist to place the caramel highlights throughout your hair for a warm and beautiful result. Caramel Balayage is another take on this a look that’s rocking right now.
#4. Chunky Honey Blonde Highlights
For a warmer vibe, honey blonde highlights give an amazing depth of color. It’s a blonde hair color that’s a richer version of classic golden blonde highlights.
Ask your stylist to place chunky highlights or blonde streaks throughout your hair for a bold and beautiful look. Works best on natural warm blondes and bases with warm undertones.
#5. Icy Platinum Blonde Highlights
If you’re feeling bold, why not try platinum blonde highlights?
This high-impact, white blonde look is sure to turn heads. Be sure to entrust this one to a professional stylist. The ice-white of platinum hair can be difficult to achieve at home.
#6. Dusty Rose Gold Highlights
Rose gold highlights are perfect if you want to add a touch of romance to your look. Blend it with light brown lowlights or light chocolate brunette streaks for a sophisticated take on the trend.
#7. Smoky Mushroom Blonde Highlights
Smoky mushroom highlights are perfect if you want to add some depth and dimension to your hair.
Brown hair with blonde highlights is such a classic combo. These are dark blonde highlights and a look that doesn’t take as much processing as the brighter blondes. So it’s a fabulous option if you have darker hair.
#8. Champagne and Beige Blonde Babylights
Soft champagne highlights add a pop of luxury to your tresses. Blend this with ashy Beige blonde babylights or pearl blonde highlights to create a multidimensional, fuller look.
#9. Strawberry Blonde Highlights
Strawberry blonde highlights add a touch of pinky-red sweetness to your look. This fun and flirty color can bring out naturally warm tones and complexions.
Strawberry blonde and copper blonde highlights are perfect for redheads who want to go lighter and keep some pinky-red warmth.
#10. Buttery Blonde Highlights
For a softer take on blonde highlights, ask your stylist for buttery blonde. This beautiful creamy shade is perfect for those with fairer skin tones and soft features.
Are blonde highlights bleach?
These days, there are many lightening techniques available. So getting a healthy head of blonde lights doesn’t necessarily mean using bleach.
It all depends on your hair depth, tone and strength as to whether bleach is an option for you.
It is possible to lighten your hair naturally using a few different methods.
But for most people, you won’t get the degree of lift you want without it. Tints will only lift your hair a certain amount and that’s when the risk of orange horror hair comes in.
So the answer really is yes, they are achieved best by using bleach.
But if it’s used correctly and you look after your hair look well enough from the moment it’s done, it can produce amazing results.
Are blonde highlights bad for your hair?
Of course, bleach is bad for your hair as the processing dries it out and can turn it into a frizzy hair factory. But that doesn’t mean you can’t repair it and lovingly bring it back to it’s best again.
Make sure you use a good deep conditioner that’s suitable for colored hair at least once a week to restore the moisture and bounce to your hair.
We’d also recommend waiting a couple of weeks and doing an at-home keratin treatment to really smooth and put the goodness back into your locks.
Will blonde highlights suit me?
How do you know if blonde highlights will look good on you?
It’s easy! Understanding your own natural coloring is the best way to help you decide whether it’s the right look for you.
And when we say your colors we mean things like your skin tone, eye color and even the clothes you wear – these determine the right blonde hair shades for you.
Use our checklist to find out whether you suit warm or cool tones.
If you have cool undertones:
- Your skin tone is pink or pale.
- You blush easily!
- Jewel and pastel colors are so your thing.
- The color yellow washes you out and does not look good on you.
- You have blue not green veins in your wrist.
- Pearls and silver jewellery look awesome on you.
If you have warm undertones:
- You have red or golden tones in your natural hair.
- Your skin tone is golden, tan or olive.
- You might have freckles.
- You have green not blue veins in your wrist.
- You suit bright or rich shades better.
- Gold jewellery looks awesome on you.
You can also take our QUICK QUIZ! that will tell you which hair colors will most suit you.
Answer a few questions and we’ll determine your colors and let you know which shades work best for you. Have a go!
Just click on the image below!
What hair color suits me?
You can also try on some virtual hair colors with these great apps that will change your hair color!
Can you go fully blonde with highlights?
Yes, you can go fully blonde with highlights!
In fact, it’s a great way to add some extra dimension to your hair. Highlights can help to create a more natural look, and they can also add a bit of fun and personality to your hairstyle.
The key is to find the right highlighting technique for your hair type.
If you have fine or damaged hair, then Highlights may not be the best option for you.
But if you have thick, healthy hair, then Highlights can be a great way to add some extra color and pizzazz to your look.
What kind of blonde highlights should I get?
There are different kinds of highlighting techniques you can choose from to give your strands some lift.
Full head, half head and babylights are three of the most popular and our favourite blonde looks you’ll find today.
T-section highlights are done on the crown of your head and used to top up your root growth as it starts to show through.
You can also choose to have some face framing highlights feathered in your fringe or bangs.
Types of blonde highights
- Full head – Good for a dramatic change, harder to maintain.
- Half head – Less time and money, grows out quite well.
- Babylights – Great for fine hair, high maintenance.
What are full head highlights?
Full head highlights are the ultimate way to brighten up your hair. All over lightening means you will be left with a very light blonde highlights and a bright blonde look.
So it’s best for those who already have pale or mid blonde hair naturally.
This is a great look to go for if you want a more dramatic result but it can be more high maintenance as the roots start to grow out.
What are half head highlights?
What is the difference between partial and full highlights? Half head or partial lights are when only half of your head is lightened with bleach. If you’re after a softer look, half head highlights are the way to go.
Just like full head, they’re done with aluminium foils but they take less time to do and are easier to maintain.
What are babylights?
Babylights are fine, thin streaks that are made to look natural like the hair of sunkissed little kids.
Babylights take longer to do than full or half head. But if you have fine or thin hair, they can add volume and dimension that makes the time spent well worth it.
What is balayage hair?
Balayage is another really popular way of adding lightness to your hair.
It’s the French word for ‘sweeping’, which is where this hair trend gets its name. This patented highlighting technique involves painting on stripes of lighter tones into darker hair, creating an effortlessly blended summery look. It looks awesome with beach waves and curls too.
What is Ombré?
Ombre is a simple way of adding different shades to your hair. It’s the French word meaning ‘shade’, and it can be as natural or dramatic as you like.
It works by adding darker highlights closer to the root and lighter ends for a gradient effect, giving off those sun-kissed vibes we all love.
How long do highlights take?
Full head – Up to 4 hours.
Half head – Up to 3 hours
Babylights – Up to 4 hours
Balayage – Up to 2.5 hours
*Of course this all depends on the length and thickness of your hair as well as your base color and whether it’s been dyed before!
Can dark hair have blonde highlights?
The short answer here is yes, most definitely!
If you’ve got medium or dark hair and want to give your locks some lighter tones, it’s totally doable.
People often have difficulties highlighting black hair, dark brown hair, or red hair because the natural pigments in these colors made them harder to lighten.
If you have dark hair, it’s not impossible to bleach it. It just means you may have to lighten your hair more than once to get the right lift.
A good rule of thumb is to choose a blonde hair dye that’s only a shade lighter than your natural hair color. This way you’ll minimise the damage to your hair and won’t get any blonde coloring surprises!
Bronde, Flamboyage and Sombre styles can work better with dark and brunette hair.
Do highlights damage your hair?
Sadly yes, blonde highlights can damage your hair.
Bleaching your hair strips away the natural melanin, which can leave your poor mane dry, brittle, and susceptible to breakage.
However, modern hair care products have come a long way in recent years, and there are now many ways to minimize the damage caused by highlights.
Also, be sure to get your highlights done by a professional colorist. They’ll be able to customize your color based on your hair texture and type, which will minimize the amount of damage that’s done.
By using a gentle bleach and following up with a deep conditioning treatment, you can keep your hair healthy and looking great and feeling healthy.
Can I highlight my own hair at home?
Home highlights can sound intimidating, but knowing the basics of home highlighting can take the challenge out of it.
With a home highlight kit, you have all the tools you need to achieve beautiful lightening effects on your own from home.
If you don’t feel ready for an all-over home highlight, a good way to practice is by doing small chunks at a time and focusing on areas of your hair that you want to brighten up.
But just remember: home highlights could be fun, but they are also quite demanding and require patience so be sure to give yourself enough time in case things don’t go exactly as planned!
How can I get natural blonde highlights?
If you’re looking for a more natural highlighted look and don’t want to spend hours in the salon. There are a few ways you can lighten your hair naturally.
The best ways to naturally lighten your hair.
- Lemon juice – Put some neat lemon juice in strands of your hair where the sunlight naturally hits.
- Honey and cinnamon – Mix 3 tablespoons of honey and 3 teaspoons of cinnamon together with your usual conditioner and leave it on as a hair mask to develop.
- Vitamin C – Crush up a Vit C tablet and make a paste with water to apply to your hair in sunkissed places.
- Salt water – mix up a salt water solution and spray it on your hair when you hit the beach.
How long do highlights last?
How long your highlights will last depends how you look after them!
The more often you wash your hair and use heat tools such as straighteners and tongs (and the higher the temperature), then it will fade much quicker.
Highlights can last anything from 6-12 weeks when treated well.
If you’re a fan of the blonde hair with dark roots look, you can give yourself some extra time in between salon trips. Just let your natural root growth show through!
In fact, it’s this root growth that will determine when you need to brighten your hair again rather than any color fade.
How can I look after my highlights?
After you’ve achieved the fabulous look you love, you’ll want to deep condition your hair regularly and avoid a lot of heat styling if you can.
Your hair will be fragile and more prone to breakage, split ends and flyaways for a couple of weeks. When you do heat style, use a hair heat protectant spray every time.
You’ll also need to use specially formulated silver and purple shampoos and conditioners to keep the color in tip top condition.
Purple shampoos clean your hair just like regular shampoos but they contain purple toning pigments that help to keep yellow undertones at bay – and keep your blonde tone bright.
Toning can also darken your highlights if they’re too bright!
Parting words.
So there you have it. Highlights are a great way to change up your look without committing to an all over color.
You can go as light or as dark as you like, which means there are endless possibilities to spruce up your look once you know how to do it yourself successfully at home.
It’s also a lot easier on your wallet than going to the salon for something that will probably wash out in two weeks anyway!
