21 Chic Black Hair With Highlights Looks

Highlights aren’t just reserved for those of you with lighter hair! Plenty of hair trends are targeted at people with blonde or light-colored hair and typically involve some bleaching. But, let’s face it, bleaching can be damaging for your locks, especially if you have darker hair. If you have dark brunette or black hair, you may want to think about going for some highlights! Highlights are a great way to update your look without damaging your full head of hair.

Highlights in dark hair sometimes get a bad rap for being tacky, but there are plenty of ways to add some lighter color to your brunette strands while keeping things classy!

Chocolate Colored Highlights

If you’re looking for a subtle look, chocolate-colored highlights are a great way to ease into putting highlights in your dark hair. This option works best for those of you with dark brown or black hair, as the chocolate color itself is fairly dark. Chocolate colored highlights will give your dark locks a breath of fresh air.

Curly Hair with a Dark Ombré

If you have curly hair, you’re in luck! A dark ombré look with springy curls is something out of a dream. This is also a subtle way to add something special to your dark hair. This dark ombré style for curly hair is light at the roots as it subtly turns darker at the bottom of the hair.

Highlights Around Your Face

A quality hairdo will frame your face, but if you have darker hair, your layers may get lost. Add a few face-framing highlights to draw attention to your chin and cheekbones! This is another great option if you’re easing your way into highlights and want to test drive just a few strands.

Auburn Ombré for Dark Hair

An auburn ombré for dark hair is another great option for all of you brunettes out there. This one differs slightly from our option curly hair ombré style, as here the hair is dark at the roots and before going auburn at the bottom.

Light Brown and Blonde Wisps

The light brown and blonde wispy variation of dark hair with highlights uses light brown highlights as well as straight-up blonde ones. The effect is a wispy look that will give your hair more body with a touch of casual chic.

Dark Mahogany Highlights

You’ll love the depth you’ll get from your hair if you go for dark mahogany highlights! This rich color option for highlights is perfect for those of you who want to add a little bit of intensity to your dark brunette or black hair. You’ll love the way it shines in the light!

Dark Color Blending

A good way to add some color to your dark hair is through dark color blending. There are so many different facets of brunette color out there! We love a mixture of black and brown as it has more depth than your standard brown and more richness than your standard black.

Wine Colored Tint

A touch of wine for your hair. We say yes! If you want to experiment with a bit of color but aren’t interested in going over the top, a wine-colored tint could be right up your alley. We love this fun take on colored hair, and we think it looks fabulous with luxurious and loose curls.

90’s Style Highlights

Some of you may cringe at the words “90’s style,” but for those of you who aren’t afraid of getting a little bit retro, these 90’s style highlights are the way to go! You can also play around with different 90’s style hairdos such as mini buns and crimping!

Toasted Highlights

Warm-up your look with toasted highlights! This is another great way to subtly incorporate highlights into your dark hairstyle. These highlights are a great choice for those of you with wavy hair, or for people who love the beach wave look.

Reddish Highlights

If you want to add some color to your dark brunette or black hair but aren’t feeling the wine-colored look, you may want to opt for reddish-brown highlights! You may also consider going for a slight ombré look here by leaving your roots to be their natural color.

Burgundy Colored Highlights

Burgundy colored highlights are another option for adding some color to your dark locks! Burgundy is a mixture of red and purple and when used as highlights can help you add some depth and richness to your look. Good lighting or sunshine will really bring out this color and will provide your hair with shine!

Blackish-brown Highlights

If you want to add highlights that won’t change your color too drastically, try blackish-brown highlights. This color treatment will give your hair more body, dimension, and, shine. This is another color option that will give your hair a boost of gloss when you’re outside or under bright lights.

Caramel Colored Highlights

Caramel colored highlights will turn your dark brunette or black hair into a warm and toffee-colored hue. This is a subtle way to update your look without the harshness that can come with blonde highlights. Remember, when you have dark hair, warmth is everything, if that’s the look you’re going for!

Ombré, but Reversed

This reversed ombré is a unique take on the classic ombré style. Instead of going from dark to light, you’ll find the lightest shades at the roots. Finish off the look with a dark color on the bottom that is so deep it looks black.

Subtle Highlights

This look is similar to highlights that frame your face. The big difference here is that there are other subtle highlights throughout the hair and not just in the front sections. Subtle highlights are the best option if, you guessed it, you want to add a bit of lightness while keeping it subtle.

Dark to Blonde Ombré

Some of you with dark brown or black hair may be aching to turn blonde. Completely bleaching your hair can be really damaging, and we suggest that you ease into it. A dark to blonde ombré is a great place to start! It also looks a lot more natural than bleached hair with dark roots.

Long Ombré Bob

This long ombré bob, otherwise known as the lob, will work wonders if you want a hairstyle that will frame your face. You’ll be able to keep a little bit of length thanks to the long bob, and intentionally placed light blonde coloring at the bottom will give you an ombré finish.

Balayage for Dark Hair

Balayage is a hairstyle that has burst on the scene in recent years. It’s achieved through painting on hair color with a brush for a more naturally highlighted look. This hairstyle isn’t reserved for blondes anymore! If you have brown or black hair, opt for a balayage for dark hair.

Dark Brown to Black Ombré

There are so many ombré options out there! This one incorporates a reverse ombré effect, which means that your roots will be lighter than the bottom of your hair. This ombré may be the most subtle one of all and is a great way to add something unique to your strands.

Blonde Highlights for Black Hair

Let’s finish on a classic. Gone are the days of frosted highlights in black hair, which, let’s be honest, can look tacky if it isn’t done well. Opt for shades of ashy blonde and cedar for a natural and soft finish. This look looks great with wavy or beach touseled hair.

Conclusion

Highlights aren’t just for blondes anymore. If you want to give your locks some life without severely damaging them in the process, there are many highlighting options out there for those of you with dark brunette or black hair!