There’s nothing as beautiful as black hair with highlights.
There’s just something about the contrasting colors that scream sexy.
Here are some of the most popular black hair with highlights ideas:
Table Of Contents
- 26 Most Popular Black Hair With Highlights Ideas
- Natural Highlights for Black Hair
- Black Hair With Blonde Highlights
- Black Hair With Caramel Highlights
- Dark Hair With Blonde Ombre Tints
- Brown Tones in Black Hair
- Honey-Blonde Tones
- Gorgeous Platinum Highlights
- Copper Streaks on Straight Hair
- Full Highlights on Black Hair
- Balayage
- Black Hair With Red Hues
- Burgundy Streaks
- Purple Lowlights
- Grey Tints
- Blue Highlights
- Auburn Highlights
- Icy Blonde With Black Hair
- Golden Tones on Wavy Hair
- Subtle Highlights
- Chestnut Streaks
- Black Bob With Indigo Tins
- Short Black Hair With Highlights
- Partial Balayage on Dark Hair
- Medium-Length Black Hair With Light Brown Tones
- Babylights on Long Dark Hair
- Highlights on Afro Hair
- How to Style and Maintain Highlighted Black Hair
- Best Methods to Naturally Lighten Your Hair
- Things to Avoid
- Do’s and Don’ts of Highlighting Black Hair
- FAQ
26 Most Popular Black Hair With Highlights Ideas
If you are thinking about adding highlights to your black hair, here are some ideas you can borrow inspiration from:
Natural Highlights for Black Hair
Keep it calm and collected with subtle highlights that bring out the best in your gorgeous shade without overpowering it. An ashy brown tone will do the trick!
With natural hues, you can start brightening close to your head’s crown and continue doing so to the ends of your hair.
Black Hair With Blonde Highlights
Buttery blonde highlights will bring radiance to your skin and illuminate your face. Blonde is the perfect color for those who want to try out lighter shades without committing to coloring their entire head of hair. Highlights will open up your eyes, and shade will continue from your eye line.
Black Hair With Caramel Highlights
Caramel highlights add more depth and give your hair an instant youthful glow while also adding shine and depth. Keeping your hair’s base color black while adding accents of creamy caramel hair color that give it a summery glow will draw attention to the contrast.
Start the tones in the middle of your hair to achieve an organic and natural ombre.
Dark Hair With Blonde Ombre Tints
A creamy blonde ombre will help you transition into the warmer months by giving your features a glow and bringing life to your hair.
The highlights start dark near the base of your roots and get lighter as you go down. At the top of your hairline, keep your dark tones the primary focus while adding ribbons of blonde where the sun would naturally shine.
The ends should only have gorgeous blonde. Use a toner now and then to prevent brassiness.
Brown Tones in Black Hair
Brown accents draw light and give the appearance of depth to your face. Pull some brown tones toward the center of your hair, then gently comb them into your ebony hair.
Even if you’ve spent the entire day in an office, maintaining this shade will make it seem like you’ve spent the day lounging in the sun.
Brown highlights look cool on every hair type and require very little maintenance. Brown hair highlights will add a chocolate brown effect to your look, take your black hairstyle to the next level and make for a statement haircut idea.
Honey-Blonde Tones
With beachy waves or loose, voluminous curls, honey-blonde highlights beautifully illuminate the face. The just-got-out-of-bed, tasseled style is a great way to give your hair some drama without overpowering it or detracting from your best features.
Gorgeous Platinum Highlights
Ice-cold highlights will give you an edgy look; this color is ideal for people with light skin and eyes. This look requires some effort, but it’s so worth it.
Start by placing a few centimeters’ worths of platinum slivers near the base of your head, then gradually combine the lighter shade with the contrast color.
Copper Streaks on Straight Hair
Use copper to give traditional highlights a new spin. Copper is the perfect color for those who prefer subtlety or want to add some drama, depending on the intensity you want to convey.
Full Highlights on Black Hair
Full highlights give depth to every aspect of your hair, preventing flat-looking hair. Dark hair is given texture and dimension by a delicate blend of dark and light browns that don’t overpower your base color.
Balayage
Balayage is the best technique for going from a darker shade to a lighter one without looking harsh. The highlights will brighten and soften your features.
Contrary to an ombre, balayage is a natural transition from dark to light, with illuminating colors beginning close to your head’s crown and naturally settling in your hair.
Black Hair With Red Hues
A splash of color can give your hair a cool, playful feel. Dark hair colors look sexy and vampy with red highlights. Start with highlights at the roots of your hair and blend the rest of the wash for a less-than-subtle shade.
Burgundy Streaks
Burgundy highlights add a warm, vibrant glow to black hair, making them ideal for people with darker skin tones. You can begin sweeping the muted color through the middle of your hair by starting the dark red near the front.
When you turn your head, the others will be in for a lovely surprise because this shade is so delicate.
Purple Lowlights
Be ultraviolet and attract attention with stunning purple accents. The dark hue draws attention to your eyes and gives your hair a hint of magic. You don’t have to use purple colors all over; you can use them sparingly and still come across as edgy and fashion-forward.
Grey Tints
Grey highlights instantly give off the impression of being high fashion while also brightening your profile and giving your hair more life.
When applied from the middle to the ends of your hair, this shade looks the best, so you don’t need to get your roots colored when your hair grows.
Blue Highlights
The intensity of the blue will reflect the lights and instantly convey a sense of glitz. Similar to purple, you don’t have to emphasize blue on every part of your hair; add a few blue locks here and there to keep things interesting.
Auburn Highlights
The color enhances the depth of your features and complements olive skin tones. Start at the roots of your hair with the red color, close to your face, work your way through the middle, and end with the jewel-toned colors.
This red color is ideal for feeling seductive and vampy without exerting too much effort.
Icy Blonde With Black Hair
Cool-toned blonde accents will help you to become the ice princess you were meant to be. Like balayage, the highlights’ natural placement is the secret to maintaining this shade’s effortless appearance.
Work your way down subtly, starting at the roots of your hair with one or two strands that have a full, icy glow. Leave darker shades at the top and frostier shades from the ear to the ends.
Golden Tones on Wavy Hair
You can complement your deep black tone with a golden hue. This combination of colors gives you a vibrant youth and the impression that you just left a catwalk. To give off a beachy, sun-kissed vibe, feather the golden hues from your ear length to the ends of your hair.
Subtle Highlights
Maintain your stunning dark hair with subtle highlights that draw attention to the deep shade and keep it voluminous. Remember that less can be more when bringing life to dark hair; blonde isn’t the only option.
Ashy tones maintain your hair’s youthful and chic appearance without drawing attention away from your natural shade.
Chestnut Streaks
Your dark hair will look more vibrant with warm chestnut highlights. These earthy hues complement all hair textures and look great on olive and darker skin tones.
Starting from any angle on your head, the shade may move downward toward the ends of your hair, starting at the crown or close to your eye line.
Black Bob With Indigo Tins
Sometimes, the least common shade is the best for your hair. Try an indigo tint on your hair and see how much style it adds to your look.
Short Black Hair With Highlights
Highlights are not only beneficial for long hair! Your locks are highlighted and can be used to your best advantage by a cute bob haircut or pixie cut with highlights.
Partial Balayage on Dark Hair
Partially balayage your hair to keep most of your lovely, dark hair. Soft highlights add depth and a delicate frame to your hair by gradually lightening only a portion. You don’t always have to choose a blonde to achieve a beautiful balayage; pick any shade you like.
Medium-Length Black Hair With Light Brown Tones
Subtle highlights are ideal for blending with your natural hair color if you want a more natural look. Your hair will appear as though the sun just naturally kissed it because they are more delicate.
Babylights on Long Dark Hair
Your long dark hair will look even better with babylights on the tips.
Highlights on Afro Hair
Even afro hair looks great with highlights. Try any shade you like, and keep changing the hues for a more versatile look. You can check out some hair color ideas for your afro hair.
How to Style and Maintain Highlighted Black Hair
Here are some tips to help you style and maintain your highlighted black hair:
Step 1 – Pick the right one
Choose the right highlight for your hair, depending on your preferences. If you are going to a hairstylist, remember to ask all the crucial questions, like how much a balayage is or how long burgundy streaks last, before settling on a particular highlight.
Step 2 – Crucial styling tips
There are many ways to style highlighted black hair, like adding layers. If your hair is too flat, consider adding some layers. At the same time, consider spicing up your hair routine by experimenting with different haircuts.
Step 3 – Maintain it
Keep your hair clean and moisturized with the right natural shampoo and deep conditioner. Also, pamper your highlighted black hair by regularly giving it deep conditioning treatment. Lastly, trim the split ends once in a while to maintain damage-free hair.
Step 4 – Best products to use
Some of the products you can use for your hair include:
- Anti-dandruff shampoo
- Color-safe hair conditioner
- Hair dye such as Arctic Fox hair dye
- Curling cream
Best Methods to Naturally Lighten Your Hair
- Lemon juice: Apply some fresh lemon juice to the parts of your hair that naturally receive sunlight.
- Honey and cinnamon: As a hair mask, combine your regular conditioner with 3 tablespoons of honey and 3 teaspoons of cinnamon.
- Vitamin C: For an effortless sun-kissed look, crush a vitamin C tablet and mix it with water to make a paste that you can apply to your hair in sun-kissed areas.
- Salty Water: When you go to the beach, prepare a saltwater solution and spray it on your hair.
Things to Avoid
- Make sure not to style your hair with hot tools or harsh chemicals.
- This may harm your hair and cause the color to fade quickly.
- Instead, use heat styling tools on a low or cool setting and air dry whenever possible.
- Use lukewarm water and avoid vigorously rubbing your hair when shampooing. Before using any heat styling products, gently pat your hair dry with a towel after shampooing.
Do’s and Don’ts of Highlighting Black Hair
Here are crucial things to remember if you have highlighted black hair:
Do’s
- To avoid any patches, apply highlights evenly throughout your hair.
- If there are no indications of damage from excessive processing, then take pleasure in the new hue.
- DO use the right products; choose moisturizing conditioners over sulfate-free shampoos.
- When highlighting black hair, it is best to use a color that resembles your hair’s natural shade.
- Consult with a stylist thoroughly before beginning any procedures.
Don’ts
- If you have dark roots or want to look natural, DON’T highlight your entire head.
- A highlight job should not contain too many colors; doing so will make your hair appear unkempt and unprofessional.
- Be careful not to overdye the item if there are signs of damage from over-processing because this could cause even more breakage and damage.
- Don’t go overboard! Highlights ought to be understated, not striking.
FAQ
Which highlights are best for black hair?
The best highlights for black hair will complement your skin tone, whether warm or cool. Black is a fantastic neutral base color that goes well with most hues. If you want your highlights to look more natural, pick a color that is just one or two shades lighter than your base.
Can you highlight black hair without bleach?
Yes, you can use any other natural method, such as lemon juice or salty water.
How often should I shampoo my black hair with highlights?
You can shampoo your hair as often as you need to.
How long will black hair with highlights last?
It should last 7-9 weeks.
How much does black hair with highlights cost?
Anything between $80-100.
Do highlights damage black hair?
No, as long as you take good care of your hair.
Jay is one of the members of the Beardoholic writers team and NFL, celebrity barber. As a master barber with years of experience, Jay can make your beard look any way you envision. Jay’s specialty is black men’s hair and beard styles, but he also has deep knowledge on how to create a perfect neck and cheek line, short or long beard and virtually any beard and hair shape and style.