Golden brown is a versatile hair color that pairs well with a variety of highlight shades. Highlights add dimension and accentuate different tones in golden brown hair. When choosing highlights for golden brown hair, it’s important to consider your base shade and skin tone. Lighter highlights like blonde and caramel can brighten up the hair, while darker shades of brown, red, and auburn can add depth. Babylights or subtle highlights woven throughout the hair are also a great option for a natural look.
Matching Your Base Shade
The best highlights for golden brown hair will complement the existing base shade. Here are some tips for choosing highlights based on your specific shade of golden brown:
– Light golden brown hair: Go for bright blonde, platinum, light caramel or strawberry blonde highlights. These lighter shades will contrast nicely against the lighter base.
– Medium golden brown hair: Opt for shades like honey blonde, dark blonde or light brown highlights. Not too light or dark against the medium brown base.
– Dark golden brown hair: Try subtle highlights in caramel, auburn, chestnut brown or red tones. Something with warm undertones looks best against a darker golden brown.
– Ashy golden brown hair: Cool-toned highlights in ash blonde, silver or latte work well with the ash tones. Avoid anything too warm.
Skin Tone Considerations
The right highlights can complement your skin tone and really make your features pop. Use these tips for picking highlights based on skin tone:
– Fair skin: Blonde shades like platinum, beige blonde or strawberry blonde look beautiful with fair complexions. Reddish tones like copper can also work.
– Light skin: Caramel, honey blonde and light brown highlights flatter light skin nicely. You can also try subtle blue-based red tones.
– Medium skin: Go for neutral blonde, dark blonde, brown/caramel ombre highlights. Warm auburn and chestnut shades also look great with medium skin.
– Olive skin: Try rich browns with red, chestnut or auburn tones. They’ll accentuate the warm undertones in olive skin. Deep blondes and bronde also works well.
– Dark skin: Opt for darker brown with red highlights, like mahogany, burgundy or vibrant copper tones. These richer shades complement darker skin beautifully.
Lowlights or Babylights
In addition to traditional highlights, lowlights or babylights are a more subtle option that can look very natural with golden brown hair.
– Lowlights: Adds darker pieces of color woven through the hair. This can create more dimension. For golden brown hair, lowlights in chestnut brown, dark blonde or ash brown work well.
– Babylights: Very fine, tiny highlights in a lighter shade than the base. It’s meant to mimic natural hair color and add texture. Caramel, dark blonde or light brown babylights look great with golden brown.
Highlight Ideas for Golden Brown Hair
| Highlight Shade | Tone | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum Blonde | Very cool | Light golden brown |
| Beige Blonde | Neutral cool | Fair skin |
| Honey Blonde | Warm | Light golden brown, light skin |
| Caramel | Warm | All golden brown shades, light & medium skin |
| Strawberry Blonde | Warm with red tones | Fair skin, light golden brown |
| Ash Blonde | Cool | Ashy golden brown |
| Auburn | Warm brown with red | Dark golden brown, dark skin |
| Chestnut Brown | Neutral warm brown | Dark golden brown, olive & dark skin |
| Copper | Warm red brown | Fair, olive & dark skin |
This table summarizes some highlight shade ideas for golden brown hair, along with the tone and which hair colors and skin tones they best complement. Lighter shades like platinum, blonde and caramel work well for light golden brown hair and fair skin. Darker auburn, chestnut and copper tones look beautiful with darker golden brown hair paired with olive or dark complexions.
Placement and Technique
Where you place the highlights and the technique used also impacts how they look:
– Face framing: Highlights around the face soften features. Blonde, caramel or brown tones work well.
– Scattered: Sporadic highlights throughout the hair for a natural effect. Scattering babylights or lowlights looks especially natural.
– Underlayers: Highlights or lowlights underneath to peek through when hair is up. Goes nicely with face framing highlights.
– Balayage: The hair is painted on for a gradient, sun-kissed look. Great technique for natural golden brown highlights.
– Full head: Highlights are woven throughout all of the hair for an overall lit-from-within effect. Looks best with babylights or fine highlights.
– Root tap: Darker roots transitioning into highlighted ends creates an edgy contrast. Works with lighter platinum, blonde or caramel highlights.
Maintenance
To keep highlights looking fresh, be sure to:
– Use color-safe shampoo and sulfate-free products to preserve color.
– Wash hair less often, just 2-3 times a week, with lukewarm water.
– Rinse with a blast of cool water to seal the cuticle and lock in color.
– Use leave-in conditioners and masks to boost shine and hydration.
– Trim regularly to remove split ends and support healthy hair.
– Schedule touch-ups every 4-6 weeks to refresh growth at the roots.
Consult a Colorist
Consulting with a professional hair colorist is highly recommended when getting highlights for the first time or trying a drastic new color. A skilled colorist will evaluate your hair condition, skin tone and lifestyle to come up with the optimal highlight technique and shades. Maintenance is also key – be sure to book follow-up appointments as suggested by your colorist so your highlights continue looking fabulous.
Conclusion
Golden brown hair is complemented beautifully by a wide variety of highlight shades and placement techniques. Lighter highlights in blonde, platinum and light brown tones tend to flatter light golden brown locks and fair complexions. Darker golden brown hair looks striking with bolder auburn, chestnut and red highlights, which also complement olive and dark skin tones. Subtle babylights and lowlights create natural dimension, while face-framing and scattered highlights brighten up your features. Work with a professional colorist to determine the perfect highlights for your unique hair and skin tone. With proper maintenance and touch-ups, you can rock gorgeous golden brown highlighted hair.
