27 brown hair with blonde highlights ideas, from babylights to rebel streaks
The recent wave of “expensive” hair looks have centred around soft, multi-deminsional colour. So it's no surprise that brown hair with blonde highlights remains one of the easiest (and prettiest) ways to add a little interest and brighten things up – all while maintaining beautiful brunette strands, and offering a stress-free update that'll grow out seamlessly.
Gone are the days of single-process colour, flat blocked out hair and rogue patches. If you’re looking to intensify your strands, there are endless gorgeous highlighting techniques to choose from, including balayage, babylights and sombré.
The techniques are getting more specific, delicate and tactical, too. These days, highlights have the power to accentuate facial features and brighten complexions – like your own personal sunbeam. You can use colour techniques to create the illusion of light across your strands, whether you want a mini glow-up, a low-maintenance look or you want to amplify pretty texture. Where you concentrate that spotlight is up to you.
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Before deciding what direction you want to head in, we've answered a couple of Google's most-asked questions when it comes to brown hair with blonde highlights…
Of course, there's as many different shades of brown as there are of blonde and not all combinations will work for your natural colour, your skin tone or your preferred aesthetic. That's why it's important to sit down with your colourist to work out what you want to achieve. It's helpful to take inspo pictures, especially of people with a similar base or natural hair colour to you, and similar colouring. But, blonde highlights can look good across all different brunettes. In general, if you want a softer look, it's best to keep things low contrast, so if you have dark brunette hair, opt for a darker shade of blonde highlights, or more of a caramel or bronze. And if you have lighter brunette hair, you can push things brighter. That said, high-contrast moneypiece face-framing sections are still popular and nineties chunky highlights are even making a return.
Again, this is down to personal preference and the vibe you want to achieve. If you want something statement you can choose shades that contrast and clash. If you want something softer, opt for a blonde that's only a few shades brighter than your natural colour. It's important to think about undertones, too. In general, cool-toned brunettes will suit cool-toned blondes, like ashy blonde. However, you may want to go for a warmer, honey hue for a little extra glow. Likewise, warm toned brunettes will find warm toned blondes the most complementary, but may want to dial down brassiness with some cooler highlights. Talk to you colourist about what you want to achieve and they can suggest the best combination for you.
Browse our pick of the best brown hair with blonde highlights looks we've seen for your next salon trip inspiration.
Balayage
Balayage means French for "sweep" and is a technique, not a look. The idea is to create areas of light and shade throughout the hair by hand painting colour onto strands with a brush. The finished effect is a subtle all-over sunkissed look with lighter strands mixed amongst darker strands throughout hair. This is one of the most requested techniques in the salon so if you go in asking for balayage, your colourist will know exactly what you're looking for.
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Babylights
Babylights are when superfine strands of hair are coloured. It’s a technique that makes the hair appear multi-dimensional because of the gentle wisps of colour that are so micro, they’ll have everyone thinking you were born with it. No need to tell them otherwise. This is perfect if you're a little apprehensive about hair colour changes; it allows you to experiment with a sprinkle colour without committing to anything.
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Twilighting
Twilighting has nothing to do with Bella Swan, it's actually a mix of the above. Twilighting relies on a mix of balayage and babylights to create an ultra subtle, dimensional look. It offers up brunette hair with warm golden tones and is perfect for those with darker hair who want to try something trendy but not too drastic.
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Ombré
Ombré in this instance isn't like the 2010 colourful trend, don't worry! In 2022, it sees a graduation of colour from darker at the roots, to lighter at the ends. For instance, brunette roots edging into caramel and honey mid-lengths with light blonde ends. Ombré can be as dramatic or subtle as you like.
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Sombré
Sombré is essentially soft ombré. Effectively it's a more delicate and subtle version of traditional ombre to make it look more subtle and natural. This is perfect if someone wants hints of a lighter hue without going full blonde.
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Spotlight highlights
Particularly beautiful for curly and coily hair, spotlight highlights are kind of like balayage, but your curl pattern is taken into account so that the placement really helps to spotlight all that gorgeous movement. “Essentially, it’s a way of hand-painting natural-looking highlights for a pretty pop of colour that truly shines through on curly and coily hair,” explains Charlotte Mensah, hair artist and founder of Manketti by Charlotte Mensah.
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Face framing and moneypiece highlights
Face framing, or moneypiece highlights involves spotlighting the front section of hair around your face. These strands naturally tend to go blonder as they face the sun. It can help to brighten complexions, without committing to an all over colour. This is a perfect highlighting technique if you want to subtly change things up for the summer months.
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Rebel streaks
Rebel streaks are an amped up version of face framing. The throwback '90s technique creates a more statement contrast between the bleached sections either side of your face and the rest of your hair.
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Chunky highlights
Another 90s reference, chunky highlights are bringing back piece-y statement blonde sections blended more obviously through darker strands. It's a bolder way to add some more defined dimension back into balayaged hair.
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Still unsure of what it is you’re after? See which celebrities have gone to the bright side in our round-up…
Here's how the celebs wear brown hair with blonde highlights…
ShutterstockAllison Williams illustrates how balayage highlights give monotone brunette locks a new lease of life for the summer months. Plus, any regrowth just adds to the style – win!
ShutterstockCould we be any more obsessed with Chrissy Teigen’s hair? The root stretch on these caramel highlights creates the perfect sun-kissed look.
ShutterstockJessica Biel’s grown-out highlights are a perfect example of how to keep your colour as low-maintenance as possible.
ShutterstockAll hail Sarah Jessica Parker – the queen of blonde highlights. We’ve been obsessed with SJP’s highlighted locks since her Sex and the City days, and this glossy look is a real winner.
ShutterstockIf you’ve got naturally curly hair, be sure to take this one into the salon for colour inspo. Miley Cyrus’s side-parted mane is giving off seriously chic Goldie Locks vibes.
ShutterstockHave you ever seen hair glossier? Miranda Kerr’s caramel highlights delicately warm up her chestnut tresses.
ShutterstockJoan Smalls’ princess hair is making us want to skip on our next trim appointment big time, and the ashy tones of her highlights keep things fresh rather than brassy.
ShutterstockLook closely and you’ll spot that Eva Longoria’s brunette locks are highlighted just around her face and artfully blended throughout – subtle but very effective.
ShutterstockIf you’re after natural-looking highlights that could have people guessing your natural colour, look no further. Olivia Wilde’s ashy tone is colour goals.
ShutterstockYes, yes, yes to everything about Heidi Klum’s boho locks. The shaggy fringe and summery highlights are giving us all of the summer hair inspo.
ShutterstockHilary Swank’s treacly look is almost too perfect for words. Styled into glamorous loose curls, the actress perfectly demonstrates the art of subtle highlight.
ShutterstockJamie Chung’s ashy balayage-style highlights create a contrast with her naturally dark hair – this is colour blending at its finest.
ShutterstockKate Beckinsale’s super-fine highlights frame her face with a subtle honey tone. Lighter than her natural colour, but still far from blonde, this is the perfect way to lighten up super dark hair.
ShutterstockAt first glance, you might not notice the warm highlights that run through Sofia Vergara’s wavy locks. But trust us, they’re there and they’re gorge.
ShutterstockCould this hair style be any dreamier? Amber Heard’s blonde highlights give the illusion they’ve simply been combed through her hair, and we love.
ShutterstockKeeping things classy, Emma Roberts styles out her golden highlights in a sleek but simple style.
ShutterstockIs there a single hairstyle that Tyra Banks can’t rock? She takes her warm highlights to the next level by styling them into springy curls.
