When it comes to highlights, one size does not fit all. The perfect shade of highlights can completely transform your look, but choosing the right one can be tricky. At Venelle Salon & Spa, our expert colorists understand that highlights should be tailored to your unique skin tone and hair type for a flawless and natural finish.

In this blog, we’ll help you understand how to choose the best highlight shade for your skin tone and hair type so that you can achieve a radiant, customized look that enhances your natural beauty.

Step 1: Understand Your Skin Tone

Your skin tone plays a major role in determining the right highlight shade. Knowing your skin’s undertone—whether it's cool, warm, or neutral—will guide you toward highlights that complement your complexion.

Cool Skin Tones:

If you have a cool skin tone, your complexion will likely have pink, blue, or purple undertones. People with cool skin tones tend to look best with cool-toned highlights.

• Ideal Highlight Shades:

  • Ash blonde

  • Platinum blonde

  • Icy blonde

  • Silver or gray highlights
    These cool shades will enhance the natural tones in your skin, creating a harmonious, fresh look.

Warm Skin Tones:

If you have a warm skin tone, your complexion will have yellow, peach, or golden undertones. Warm-toned highlights will complement your complexion and add radiance.

• Ideal Highlight Shades:

  • Golden blonde

  • Caramel

  • Honey blonde

  • Copper
    These warmer tones will bring out the warmth in your skin and give you a glowing, sun-kissed effect.

Neutral Skin Tones:

If your skin tone has a mix of both cool and warm undertones, you're considered neutral. People with neutral undertones can pull off a wide range of highlight shades, making it easier to experiment with both warm and cool tones.

• Ideal Highlight Shades:

  • Beige blonde

  • Strawberry blonde

  • Neutral blonde
    These shades are versatile and will create a natural, well-balanced look.

Step 2: Consider Your Hair Type and Texture

Your hair type and texture can also impact how your highlights will look. Whether your hair is fine, thick, straight, or curly, certain techniques and shades will flatter your hair better.

Fine Hair:

If you have fine hair, highlights can add depth and volume. However, you’ll want to be careful not to go too light, as it could wash you out. Soft, subtle highlights will work best to create dimension without overpowering your fine strands.

• Ideal Highlight Shades for Fine Hair:

  • Soft blonde

  • Honey blonde

  • Caramel
    These shades will add dimension to fine hair while keeping it looking natural and full of life.

Thick Hair:

Thick hair provides more surface area for color, meaning your highlights can be bolder and more dramatic. You can go lighter with your highlights to create contrast or stick to softer tones for a more natural look.

• Ideal Highlight Shades for Thick Hair:

  • Bright platinum

  • Golden blonde

  • Balayage highlights
    Balayage is a great technique for thick hair, creating natural-looking highlights that blend seamlessly with your base color.

Curly Hair:

Curly hair can create beautiful movement and texture, so highlights on curly hair tend to look even more dimensional and voluminous. Whether you want a more natural look or something bold, the key is to keep the highlights spaced out to avoid a “stripey” appearance.

• Ideal Highlight Shades for Curly Hair:

  • Caramel

  • Warm blonde

  • Light brown with honey tones
    Curly hair loves texture, so highlight shades that have a bit of warmth and depth will enhance your curls and create a stunning contrast.

Straight Hair:

Straight hair is perfect for bold, statement-making highlights that can be strategically placed for maximum impact. Depending on your desired look, you can opt for soft, subtle highlights or go for a dramatic look with high contrast.

• Ideal Highlight Shades for Straight Hair:

  • Ash blonde

  • Platinum blonde

  • Brighter highlights
    Straight hair offers a smooth canvas, so you can experiment with more striking and bold highlights that make a statement.

Step 3: Decide on the Highlighting Technique

There are several different highlighting techniques, and the one you choose will influence how your highlights look. At Venelle Salon & Spa, we specialize in a variety of highlighting techniques to create a customized finish.

• Balayage: Perfect for a soft, natural, and sun-kissed effect. This technique uses hand-painted color to create soft transitions between your base color and your highlights. It’s ideal for all hair types and works especially well for those with fine or thick hair.

• Foil Highlights: This technique involves wrapping sections of hair in foil to create defined, bold highlights. It’s great for people looking for more contrast and a more structured highlight.

• Baby Lights: For a subtle, delicate look, baby lights are fine, soft highlights that blend beautifully into your natural color. This technique works well for those with fine hair or who want a more understated highlight.

Step 4: Consult with a Professional

Choosing the right highlight shade and technique is an art, and the best way to ensure you get the perfect results is to work with an experienced colorist. At Venelle Salon & Spa, our expert colorists take the time to understand your personal style, skin tone, and hair type to help you select the highlight shade that will complement your features and make your hair shine.

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Ready to Get Your Perfect Highlights?

If you’re ready to enhance your natural beauty with the perfect highlights, book an appointment at Venelle Salon & Spa today! Our color experts are here to guide you through the process and give you the stunning, customized highlight look you’ve always wanted.