Caramel highlights add warmth and dimension to dark brown hair, creating a natural-looking, sun-kissed effect. Here’s everything you need to know about getting and maintaining this gorgeous hair color:
Before You Highlight Your Dark Brown Hair
- Consider your skin tone: Caramel highlights look best on warm skin tones. If you have a cool skin tone, you may want to opt for a different highlight color, such as ash blonde or beige.
- Get a professional consultation: A professional hair stylist can help you determine the best shade of caramel for your hair and skin tone, and can also recommend the most flattering placement for the highlights.
- Do a strand test: This will help you see how the color will look on your hair and how long the processing time will take.
Applying Caramel Highlights
- Traditional highlighting: This method involves using a hair bleach to lighten individual strands of hair. Once the bleach has been processed, a toner is applied to add the caramel color.
- Balayage: This technique involves hand-painting the highlights onto the hair, creating a more natural-looking, blended effect.
- Foilayage: This is a hybrid technique that combines balayage with traditional highlighting, giving you the best of both worlds.
Maintaining Caramel Highlights
- Use color-safe shampoo and conditioner: This will help to prevent the color from fading and keep your hair looking its best.
- Avoid heat styling: Heat can damage your hair and cause the color to fade. If you must use heat styling tools, be sure to use a heat protectant spray.
- Get regular trims: Split ends can make your highlights look messy and unkempt. Get regular trims to keep your hair looking healthy and the highlights looking fresh.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Going too light: Caramel highlights should be subtle and natural-looking. If you go too light, your hair will look brassy and unnatural.
- Over-highlighting: Too many highlights can make your hair look thin and damaged. Stick to a few well-placed highlights to create a natural-looking effect.
- Using the wrong color toner: The toner you use will determine the final color of your highlights. Be sure to choose a toner that is the right shade for your skin tone and hair color.
Caramel Highlight Trends
- Babylights: These are very fine, subtle highlights that create a natural-looking, sun-kissed effect.
- Ombré: This technique involves gradually transitioning from dark roots to lighter ends, creating a chic, blended look.
- Sombre: This is a more subtle version of ombré that uses a smaller range of colors to create a more natural-looking effect.
Benefits of Caramel Highlights
- Adds warmth and dimension: Caramel highlights can add warmth and dimension to dark brown hair, creating a more flattering and interesting look.
- Versatile: Caramel highlights can be styled in a variety of ways, from sleek and sophisticated to beachy and casual.
- Low maintenance: Caramel highlights are relatively low maintenance, as they only need to be touched up every 6-8 weeks.
Conclusion
Caramel highlights are a great way to add warmth, dimension, and style to dark brown hair. With proper care and maintenance, you can enjoy your caramel highlights for months to come.