There’s no better way to change up your look than to add in some subtle color, especially now that summer is here. That’s right—we’re talking highlights in every incarnation, from tonal blonde on brown to ombré and everything in between. If you’re in search of hair highlight ideas for your next look, look no further than these 15 gorgeous images; they’re basically all the inspiration you could ever need.
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This photo of model Lily Aldridge makes us brunettes want to run to the nearest salon. Well-blended light blonde highlights make basic brown a thing of the past.


If you're into pastels, have cotton candy pink highlights stacked on top of a light blonde base for a soft, ethereal result.

A concentration of highlights at the front of the head really brightens up the face and makes your complexion glow.

Glossy caramel highlights can really spice up darker hair colors without making too dramatic of a change.

If you want to go the red route—or if you're already there!—lighten up rich auburn hair with bright red pieces.

To experiment with fun, creative colors without sacrificing your natural hair color, just ask for streaks and highlights on the bottom half of the hair.

Light blonde pieces at the front of the head on darker hair can make light blue and green eyes really shine.

We love the look of bright blonde pieces woven throughout a reddish-brown color for a truly unique, dimensional hue.

These highlights are the epitome of natural-looking: Her hair looks like it has been kissed by the sun in the subtlest way possible.

Red highlights on top of brown-black hair is a fun, unexpected alternative to the usual blonde highlights.

Keeping lighter highlights at the bottom of the hair is not only a fun idea, especially for summer, but it makes the growing out process a breeze.

If you have naturally medium to light blonde hair and want to dabble with even lighter blonde, start with the ends of your hair for a seamless transition.

Thanks to natural, tone-on-tone blending, this look requires zero touch-ups at the salon.

This light blonde-on-blonde look is perfect for summer.