Soft Face Framing

Kaia Gerber is proof that you can brighten your look up with just the smallest (seriously, the teeny tiniest!) amount of face-framing blonde.

Chestnut to Golden Blonde

Hailey Bieber is a showstopper with this hair color. Her tousled bob starts with a deep chestnut brown color at the roots, flowing out to a golden blonde from the mid-lengths all the way to the ends.

To maintain your highlights, try shampooing every other day. Hard water contains minerals that could change the hue over time.

Blonde With Dark Roots

With piece-y fringe, Rihanna showcases the versatility of the blend. Here, she is rocking heavy blonde highlights on top of her natural dark roots for tons of depth in an otherwise short coif.

Blended Babylights

Hairstylist Jacob Schwartz is a master at blending highlights and lowlights for a “did you get something done?” look. He’s also great for a transformation, for what it’s worth, but this look on Chloe Fineman highlights the former skillset.

Dimensional Highlights

Beyoncé’s brown curls are accented with blonde highlights that add dimension to the tightly coiled texture. Throw a spunky half-up ‘do into the mix and this look feels unfussy yet polished.

But leave a hue like this to the professionals. “I truly wouldn’t recommend attempting this or any look involving highlights at home,” says Richards. “Something like this can go very wrong because brunette hair tends to pull very orange/yellow tones.”

Caramel Highlights

Sofía Vergara’s waterfall hair is highlighted throughout with a warm caramel blonde. Her hair looks thick, healthy, and lustrous. “If you have enough of your natural brunette mixed in with the right shade of blonde, it’s extremely flattering on anyone,” notes Richards.

Brown to Golden Ombré

Supermodel Doutzen Kroes looks absolutely sensational in this bronde shade. Her bouncy ponytail shifts from a brown to golden bronde ombré that beautifully catches the light.

Dark Brown Roots With Golden Blonde Ombré

This ombré look on Leona Lewis goes from dark brown to golden blonde. We love that the ash blonde highlights are mirrored in her shimmery eye shadow.

Auburn With Highlights and Lowlights

Kate Beckinsale’s lovely shade of auburn comes courtesy of a blend of highlights and lowlights. Reach for Sachajuan Shine Serum to replicate that shine.

Bronzed Highlights

Jamie Chung’s bronzed bronde highlights frame her face and flow to the ends of her hair. We love the dramatic contrast in this look.

Undulating Brown-Blonde

When she’s not platinum blonde, Khloé Kardashian wears an undulating brown-blonde shade with long, loose waves.

Dark Roots With Ash Blonde Highlights

With dark brown roots and ash blonde highlights, Ciara’s balayage is perfection. Her defined curls have a sun-kissed, beachy vibe that truly brightens up her face.

Cool-Toned Highlights

Nikki Reed’s cool-toned bronde balayage highlights are subtle and gorgeous all at once. We love how they match the exact color of her eyes.

Auburn Highlights

Taraji P. Henson’s warm auburn highlights and natural waves feel low maintenance in the best way possible. The asymmetrical style has avant-garde energy that’s perfect for the red carpet or a nighttime event.

Sun-Kissed Ombré

Alessandra Ambrosio’s sun-kissed ombré hair look great when worn stick-straight, as seen in this red-carpet appearance.

Highlighted Ringlets

Move over, Shirley Temple. Jaz Sinclair’s playful curls demonstrate how blonde highlights can add dimension and shape to natural hair texture.

Ash Blonde With Brown Base

Jennifer Lopez’s cascading waves are so vibrant with ample ash blonde highlights.

Golden Bronde

Drew Barrymore’s relaxed, wavy texture and golden bronde highlights make her the original trendsetter for a boho, beachy vibe. Try a sea salt spray to land her effortless waves.

Bronde Sombre

Giselle Bündchen’s bronde sombré ‘do is the gold standard for casual (yet chic) looks that translate from daytime to evening. Its warm gold tones work to complement her bronzed complexion.

Subtle Blonde-Meets-Brown

Chrissy Teigen looks dreamy with her oh-so subtle blonde and brown highlights. Her lengthy mane and waves really bring out the color(s) to full effect.

Dip-Dyed Bronde

Vanessa Hudgens brightens her raven hair by dip-dying it dark bronde. Both colors complement her skin tone and her deep brown eyes.

Toffee Highlights

Jourdan Dunn is one of our favorite hair chameleons. The supermodel has experimented with several hair colors, but this toffee color with its collarbone-grazing length has our hearts.

Caramel Bronde Highlights

We love this wavy look on Shay Mitchell, expertly showcasing her caramel-bronde highlights, which you can spot ever-so-subtly painted throughout the bottom half of her hair.

Boho Bronde

Halle Berry’s honey blonde highlights and shag offer a casual—but still chic—variation on the standard boho blonde.

Chestnut With Blonde Ombré

Chestnut hair with honey blonde ombré highlights flatters Jessica Alba’s olive-toned complexion. The flipped-out ends are very ’90s—or ’60s—(depending on who’s asking) and add a nice touch.

Golden Blonde Gradient

Rapper Latto’s natural curls feature a golden blonde ombré that adds a warm, glowing effect. It also works to create dimension and define her curls, too.

Dirty to Golden Blonde

Rosie Huntington Whiteley’s blonde is flawless in this cascading style that transitions from dirty blonde roots to golden mids and ends.

Bronzey Blonde With Raven Base

Serena Williams’ long, spiraled hair is giving us goddess vibes. The transition from her deep raven hue to a bronzey blonde complements her glowing skin.

Chunky Highlights and Lowlights

Miley Cyrus’ crimped style shows the radical contrast of her blonde highlights. The bright blonde is juxtaposed against chunky lowlights of dark brown for the epitome of a retro rocker ‘do.

Caramel Blonde

Caramel highlights add brightness to Niecy Nash’s dark base color for a radiant finish. Meanwhile, her loose curls and glossy red lips turn up the glam factor.

Earthy Blonde Highlights

Looking for color that looks natural? Take a page out of Elizabeth Olsen’s book. Her light brown hair with subtle blonde highlights is the perfect balance of earthy tones, especially when paired with her green eyes.

Streaky Blonde

Jennifer Hudson’s sleek and straight hairstyle with strategically placed champagne highlights is a subtle take on the chunky highlights trend—and we’re here for it.

Deep Brown With Tan Highlights

Mandy Moore’s dark brown base with tan highlights creates a highly coveted blend. If you’re looking for the same weightless waves, add a spritz of Ouai Wave Spray.

Sandy Highlights

Laverne Cox’s loose updo flows into sandy blonde highlights, adding warmth to her beautiful brunette hair. The dark roots keep with the overall effortless vibe.

Buttery Blonde

We love Emilia Clarke as both a down-to-earth brunette (her natural hair hue) and a platinum-haired queen. Here, she adds some warm blonde highlights throughout her short and shaggy hair.

Auburn Honey Highlights

Lizzo’s brunette waves are highlighted from the mid-lengths down with a glowing auburn honey color. It looks gorgeous, and that’s a truth that doesn’t hurt.

Face-Framing Bronze

Becky G’s balayage adds a bronzed glow to her brunette hair. Meanwhile, the face-framing highlights also work to brighten her complexion.

Tawny Brown

Zendaya’s coffee-colored base is already flush with natural tawny undertones. It’s the perfect canvas for those subtle auburn touches to the mid-length and ends, which harmonize beautifully.

Dark Base With Creamy Highlights

Ashley Tisdale’s cool-toned ombré melts from hickory to almond. It kind of resembles the color transition that happens when you add a splash of milk to black coffee.

Blonde Babylights

We love the subtlety of America Ferrera’s delicate blonde babylights framing her face. They help illuminate her complexion without being too obvious.

Butterscotch Blonde

Jennifer Garner is a vision with butterscotch blonde highlights and long face-framing layers. We love how her volume creates relaxed yet sculpted waves.

Deep Brunette With Honey Brown Highlights

Rashida Jones is often sporting a deep brunette or chestnut hue, so these luminous honey brown highlights are a delightful surprise.

Brunette-to-Honey-to-Ash Blonde

Behati Prinsloo’s ombré transitions from her brunette roots to honey bronde and ends in a light ash blonde. The look feels at once eclectic and also totally cohesive.

Glistening Bronde

Tyra Banks’s long, brushed-out bronde mane is a mood. Her caramel ringlets pair perfectly with her skin’s warm undertones.

Brown-to-Caramel Transition

There’s a lot going on with Meagan Good’s hair, and all of it (unsurprisingly) good. You can see the brown-to-caramel color play out in different styles and textures, from her dreads to her loose braid to her undercut.

Caramel Balayage

With her hair chameleon tendencies, it should be of no surprise that Zendaya made our list twice. If anyone can pull off a bowl cut with caramel balayage, it’s her. This tousled, layered look feels chic and a bit edgy, and we absolutely love it.

Shimmery Golden-Blonde Highlights

Actress Brie Larson’s shimmery, golden-blonde highlights are look easy, breezy, and effortless. Her hair is the perfect complement to the fresh-face makeup look.

Bright Buttery Highlights with Dark Roots

One thing about Rita Ora—her hair is always a moment. To keep your buttery highlights from looking dry and frizzy, consider using a tiny amount of hair oil like the Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Frizz Reduction & Heat Protectant Hair Oil.

Cool Honey Blonde Curls

If you’re looking to add some dimension to your curls, take inspo from singer Tyla and add in some balayage color. The hand-painted hues will look more sun-kissed and natural than traditional highlights.

Caramel Box Braids

If you have dark hair and you’re afraid of the money, time, and potential hair damage you might face by adding in highlights, getting caramel-colored box braids like Tinashe is the perfect option.

Cashmere Blond Ombré

Yes, Gigi Hadid is a natural blonde, but here, she’s opted for a cashmere blonde ombré shade with darker roots. We also love how the color isn’t one-dimensional—there are blonde highlights throughout that give it a more natural look.

Warm Bronde Balayage

Suki Waterhouse always has great hair, but this current iteration of warm bronde balayage has our hearts (and minds—we’re taking this exact photo directly to our hairstylist ASAP).

Honey Caramel Highlights

The easiest way to warm up a complexion? Going from dark brown to a warm, honey caramel shade like actress Jaylen Barron.

Blonde (At First Glance)

Before Brie Larson braved the pixie cut, she had long locks with expertly blended blonde highlights. However, if you look closely you’ll see that her base tone is significantly darker.