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Chunky Highlights for Brown Hair

Marian K
Chunky highlights for brown hair are a good option if you want to brighten your current hairstyle, or add depth to your hair. Here are some ideas to change the look of your hair and make heads turn when you pass by.
Chunky highlights, which are around 1 to 2 inches thicker, are a great way to brighten dull hair as well as add some shine to them. Also, if you are planning to dye your hair, it is a good idea to test the color by highlighting some parts, before taking the plunge and repenting later.
Here is how you can check how a certain shade would against your skin tone, without causing a severe damage to your hair. If chunky highlights for brown hair is what you are looking for, then you need to know which color highlights and hair coloring ideas are best suited for brown hair.

Subtle Highlights

The highlight color you want to choose should be based on the shade of your hair. Highlighting dark hair which is brown in color with chunky highlights in lighter shades of brown would look great and add a lot of depth, while blonde highlights in brown hair may be a bit jarring.
For natural looking highlights:
  • Color your hair with highlights that are only a shade or two lighter than your natural color.
  • If you have light chestnut colored hair, chunky highlights in honey blonde will look great.

  • Strawberry blonde chunky highlights look beautiful on medium brown hair.

  • Another vital factor while deciding on a chunky highlight is your face shape. They look good on round faces when put away from the hairline. For oval faces, it is important to place them only at the ends of the hair, as highlights at the roots tend to emphasize longness of the face. For square faces it is simple, place highlights evenly all over the head.
  • Highlight colors depend on whether your hair are cool-toned or warm-toned. It means, if your hair are cool-toned, you have ash and beige undertones and if they are warm-toned, then golden or reddish are the undertones. Your highlights should match the undertones of your hair. For example, light brown hair with chunky highlights in blonde can look superb.

Loud Highlights

For a catchy look, get chunky highlights in a shade much lighter than your natural color. The disparity between the two shades is sure to make the highlights stand out. For these kinds of streaking or highlighting, you may streak your long layered hair all over, but preferably only in selected areas of your bangs and around your face for shorter hair.
You can add four ash or platinum blonde chunky highlights on the crown of your head or color your bangs blonde. If an expressive punk or memo style is what you are trying to achieve, you can get one chunky highlight in pink, blue, purple or even add multiple colors.
To highlight brown hair, you will need to bleach the desired portions. The time period you will leave the bleach in for, will depend on how light you want your highlights to be. Many people end up with orangish or brassy highlights, when they try doing it themselves. That is why it's ideal to get chunky highlights done by a stylist.
If you decide to give it a go at home here are some tips to highlight your own hair:
  • Do some research, ask your friends and ensure you are using the right product. Technique is important too and you need the box with the cap and hook for short hair with a paint brush for long hair. Follow all the directions given on the product.
  • Some hair products suggest washing your hair a day or two ahead of coloring, so as to ensure that your natural oils are present at the time of the process, which will protect your scalp and hair to a certain extent.
  • It is of utmost importance to get the right color for your hair. For warm highlights, select gold or caramel tones.
Chunky highlights for brown hair can add luster to your hair, however remember that any coloring process damages your hair, which is why proper hair care is essential.
Give special attention to your hair, with frequent conditioning or with the use of a deep conditioning mask to help it recover.