Blonde Highlights FAQs Answered & 17 Dreamy Ideas To Try
10 years ago, there wasn’t much difference from one person's blonde highlights to another's – there was pretty much one cookie cutter method, able to create those streak-like stripes so evocative of the '00s.
Fast forward to today and there are so many shades of blonde hair. Equally, there's countless different ways to apply the colour using sophisticated techniques, from balayage to ombre, and each gives a totally different finish. Highlights are still a highly requested salon service, but on the whole they have become softer, more subtle and sometimes even invisible.
April Pattara, a senior colourist at Salon64 told us, "99% of my clients now ask me for some form of balayage. Rewind to 2010 and this would have been a very different story. London trendsetters are searching for low-maintenance hair which is why this kind of 'highlighting' has become such a huge trend. My millennial clients need to look good constantly. Everywhere you turn is a potential insta-worthy shot and no one wants to get caught by surprise with big roots."
One of the biggest blonde highlights trends you'll see for 2023 is Luxe Blonde, which offers up delicate threads of highlights that are so seamless, you can't quite put your finger on why it looks so good. The trend doesn't refer to one colour specifically, but to a technique that creates a beautifully illuminated blonde by introducing subtle dimension that looks luxurious, but low-key. “It shouldn't look like you have highlights, it should look like a seamless glow,” says top London colourist, Gemma Smidmore who told us, “pretty, tiny, extra fine babylights (and lots of them) is the way forward.” She explained: “you want zero, or as little bleach as possible to keep that shine, health and extra luxe blonde.”
In general, since 2020, there's been an increased demand for low maintenance hair colour that can hold its own when it's not possible to book in to see the professionals, exactly like this clever gradient blonde blend created by hair colourist and balayage expert Diana Vivi, which eliminates harsh lines and allows total freedom in terms of letting it grow out.
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