When it comes to choosing the perfect highlights for your hair, one of the most important factors to consider is your skin tone. Whether you’re looking for subtle blonde highlights, rich brunette tones, or bold, vibrant colors, the right shade of highlights can enhance your natural beauty and give your hair a fresh, vibrant look. At Venelle Salon and Spa in Park Slope, Brooklyn, our experienced colorists know how to match the perfect highlights to your skin tone to create a harmonious, flattering look. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to choose the best highlights based on your skin tone, ensuring you leave the salon with a gorgeous new look that complements your complexion.

Why Skin Tone Matters When Choosing Highlight Shades

Choosing the right highlight shade isn’t just about picking your favorite color—it’s about finding the shade that works best with your skin tone. Your skin tone can be classified into one of three categories: cool, warm, or neutral. Understanding whether you have a cool, warm, or neutral undertone can help you choose highlights that complement your natural complexion and bring out your best features.

How to Determine Your Skin Tone

Before diving into highlight shades, it’s important to figure out your skin tone. Here are a few ways to determine if you have a cool, warm, or neutral skin tone:

• Cool Tones: Your skin has pink, red, or blue undertones. If you tend to burn in the sun rather than tan, you likely have a cool skin tone.

• Warm Tones: Your skin has yellow, peach, or golden undertones. If you tan easily and have a more golden or olive hue to your complexion, you have a warm skin tone.

• Neutral Tones: If your skin has a balance of both pink and yellow undertones, you may have a neutral skin tone. People with neutral tones can typically pull off both cool and warm highlights.

Blonde Highlights for Cool Skin Tones

Blonde highlights can be a great option for people with cool skin tones, but it’s important to choose the right shade of blonde to avoid a harsh contrast. For those with cool undertones, platinum blonde, ash blonde, or icy blonde highlights can create a beautiful, seamless look.

• Platinum Blonde: This light, cool-toned blonde is perfect for cool skin tones. It brightens up the face and creates a modern, chic appearance.

• Ash Blonde: A soft, cool-toned blonde that works beautifully on those with pink or blue undertones. Ash blonde highlights can give your hair a sophisticated, edgy look without clashing with your skin.

• Icy Blonde: For those who want to go really light, icy blonde highlights are the way to go. This shade has a silvery undertone that pairs well with cool complexions.

Blonde Highlights for Warm Skin Tones

If you have a warm skin tone, golden blonde, honey blonde, and caramel highlights are perfect options. These shades complement the golden or peachy undertones in your skin and create a sun-kissed, natural look.

• Golden Blonde: A warm, rich blonde that enhances the golden undertones of your skin. Golden blonde highlights can add a natural warmth to your hair, making it look full of life and shine.

• Honey Blonde: A darker blonde with rich, amber tones, honey blonde highlights give your hair depth and dimension while complementing your warm complexion.

• Caramel Blonde: For a deeper, more dimensional blonde, caramel highlights are a great choice. This shade has warm, brownish undertones that blend beautifully with warm skin tones.

Blonde Highlights for Neutral Skin Tones

Lucky for those with neutral skin tones, you can pull off a variety of blonde shades. Whether you prefer cool, warm, or neutral tones, neutral undertones allow you to experiment with both sides of the spectrum.

• Champagne Blonde: A perfect balance of cool and warm tones, champagne blonde highlights can enhance neutral skin tones without overpowering them.

• Strawberry Blonde: This soft, warm, and slightly reddish blonde works great on neutral undertones, adding warmth and brightness to your look.

• Buttery Blonde: A warm, slightly yellow blonde that still maintains a neutral vibe, buttery blonde works beautifully with both cool and warm undertones in the skin.

Brunette Highlights for Cool Skin Tones

For those with cool undertones, brunette highlights can be rich and dramatic. Cool brunettes work best with shades that have cool undertones, like ashy browns and deep, rich chocolate colors. These tones will complement your complexion without creating an imbalance.

• Ash Brown: This cool-toned brown is perfect for people with cool undertones. Ash brown highlights can add depth to your hair while enhancing your complexion.

• Cool Chestnut: A darker, reddish-brown shade with cool undertones, cool chestnut highlights can add richness to your hair while complementing your cool skin tone.

• Dark Espresso Brown: If you’re looking for a deep, bold brunette look, dark espresso brown highlights can make your hair shine while flattering cool undertones.

Brunette Highlights for Warm Skin Tones

Brunette highlights for warm skin tones should have rich, golden, or reddish undertones. Think caramel, chestnut, and golden brown. These shades will create a harmonious look with the warm tones in your skin, adding richness and vibrancy to your hair.

• Golden Brown: A warm brown with golden undertones, golden brown highlights work beautifully with warm skin tones, giving you a sun-kissed, natural look.

• Caramel Brown: Caramel highlights bring a soft, rich hue to warm skin tones, creating a natural, glowing effect that enhances your complexion.

• Chestnut Brown: This rich, reddish-brown tone adds depth and warmth to your hair while complementing the warmth in your skin tone.

Bold Highlights for Cool, Warm, and Neutral Skin Tones

For those who want to step outside the box, bold highlights are a great way to make a statement. Whether you have a cool, warm, or neutral skin tone, you can choose bold colors that complement your undertones.

• For Cool Skin Tones: Bold colors like platinum, silver, or pastel hues (lavender, baby blue) work beautifully with cool undertones.

• For Warm Skin Tones: Warm, fiery hues like copper, vibrant red, and golden highlights can enhance your complexion and add a bold, edgy touch to your hair.

• For Neutral Skin Tones: If you have neutral undertones, you can rock both cool and warm bold highlights. Try anything from electric blue and teal to deep plum and burgundy for a fun, expressive look.

Tips for Choosing the Right Highlights for Your Skin Tone

• Consult with a Professional: The best way to choose the perfect highlight shade for your skin tone is to consult with a professional colorist. At Venelle Salon and Spa, our experts can recommend the ideal shade that complements your complexion and personal style.

• Consider Maintenance: Some highlight shades, especially lighter blonde or bold colors, require more maintenance than others. Be sure to choose a shade that fits your lifestyle and how often you’re willing to touch up your color.

• Think About Your Hair Texture: The texture of your hair can also influence how highlights will look. Fine hair tends to show highlights more vividly, while thicker hair may require more subtle highlighting techniques.

Conclusion: Choose the Perfect Highlight Shade for Your Skin Tone at Venelle Salon and Spa

At Venelle Salon and Spa in Park Slope, Brooklyn, we believe that the perfect highlights can completely transform your look. Whether you’re looking for blonde, brunette, or bold highlights, our expert colorists will work with you to choose the best shade for your skin tone. We offer a range of highlighting techniques, including balayage, ombré, and traditional foiling, to help you achieve the color of your dreams.

Ready to find your perfect highlight shade? Book an appointment with our expert colorists today and let us help you achieve a gorgeous, customized look that enhances your natural beauty!