Delicious, slightly neutral, and feminine shades, are an excellent choice for highlights, colored tips, or other styles. Dark hair with caramel highlights is the new trend.
The biggest advantage of caramel strands is that it fits almost all basic colors, especially dark ones. The caramel color palette includes a multitude of shades, from beige and creamy to tangerine. As subtones, you can choose from subtle and tender, to vivid and distinct.
There are two reasons why you absolutely need to try caramel highlights on your dark hair right now! First of all, they will look great on any type of hair out there and every skin tone, which means you can’t go wrong with them.
Second of all, they are a simple, fast, and non-damaging way to update your look in case you need a bit of a refresh. The caramel brightens darker hair very well and adds chicness to the whole look. Not convinced yet?
In the following lines, we have compiled some popular hairstyles ideas for dark hair with caramel highlights. What will you choose?
1. Dark Brown Hair with Caramel Balayage Highlights
The first stop on our list is this amazing caramel balayage on a dark brown base which can be obtained if you go for caramel highlights, of course. Your hair will get that very natural appearance as if you’ve simply spent the day in the sun.
2. Subtle Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
One of the most important things you need to know about this hairstyling choice is that there are many different shades of caramel highlights out there. This means that all you need to do is find one that best suits your brown hair color.
3. Layered Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
A layered haircut is always a fantastic idea because it shows off the different colors and shades of your hair (like warm caramel above) and also brings a volume boost too! In opposition, a level or straight cut might act as a curtain and shield the colors.
4. Dark Hair with Chunky Caramel Highlights
Another thing you need to be aware of is that you can get highlights in different sizes and places. You can get thin ones that are barely visible and which are commonly called baby lights or chunky ones like the ones above. There are also very large strand highlights and everything else in between.
5. Espresso Brown Hair with Highlights
Are you getting a little bit tired of your espresso brown hair? Then flavor it just as you would with coffee by adding a few caramel highlights and watch it turn into a scrumptious shade of chocolate! This will work wonders – especially for women with a lighter complexion.
6. Golden Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
To ladies that want to look summer-ready but are not ready to give up their dark hair just yet, we suggest going for a set of golden caramel highlights. These will shine like molten gold in the sunlight, making you a true summer goddess.
7. Wavy Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
Any dark chestnut or satin tone will benefit from a gradual transition to caramel. The faded strands are concentrated at the tips and fade to about half of the hair. As the color rises, it approaches the natural base, obtaining a gradual fading effect.
If the highlights start in the middle region of the hair strands and not from the roots, you can easily turn this dye job into an ombre if you want. Also, consider using a hair curler to style the locks in a sweet, girly way.
8. Nutmeg Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
These nutmeg and caramel highlights are everything you could wish for in a winter hairstyle and color. The shades are highly reminiscent of the spices we use in the cold season and they can turn any color from a dull brown into a lovely hot chocolate.
9. Professional Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
The best way to get this type of highlight is to go to a stylist. You can try it at home as well, but caramel is a tricky shade to get as it is somewhere between blonde and brown. Therefore, leave it to someone who knows how to do it.
10. Short Bob Dark Hair
If you have this type of short, stacked bob which is also very layered, then use soft caramel highlights to add a luminous quality to your complexion. The strands should be placed close to the face for a face-framing effect.
11. Messy Cropped Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
Messy haircuts and hairstyles are always some of the best ways to showcase highlights. The hair is left to its own device to move freely whenever you move your head which is also when the highlights will be revealed in all their glory.
12. Butterscotch Brown Hair
Another shade of caramel highlights which you should definitely try out is butterscotch. It’s a darker shade than what you would normally think of when considering caramel, but it works fantastic on chocolate brown hair.
13. Flattering Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
The key to a perfect set of caramel highlights on dark hair is to find the perfect shade for it. Take into account the color of the eyes, the skin tone, as well as the type of makeup you typically wear. For example, this medium wavy brown lob haircut looks just stunning with these light caramel almost red highlights.
14. Shaggy Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
This shaggy haircut is yet another great example of a lob or long bob. Just as the one above, it was emphasized by the fantastic golden caramel highlights and lowlights that you can see strewn all the way across it. Place some chunkier ones on top to better catch the light.
15. Front Highlights for Dark Hair
Here’s a tip – caramel highlights can be placed anywhere! There’s no rule saying they have to be spread out evenly across the head – that’s just the classical way of doing it! So you can also get creative with them and place them where they most fit your personality and style.
16. Gorgeous Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
Always start with a darker base and keep it all along with the roots. This way, the hair color and the overall look of the hair will seem a lot more natural even when paired with significantly lighter ends.
17. Glossy Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
This is a dark brunette hair color that was refreshed and made all the glossier simply by adding a handful of matte caramel highlights. The effect is striking as it breathes new life into what otherwise would have been a usual and simple brown hair color.
18. Caramel Balayage on Short Hair
Despite what most women believe, balayage is not reserved for long hair alone – you can also go for it if the hair is medium to short. This is a jaw-length bob in a dark brown with caramel highlights that looks like a very natural balayage.
19. Subtle Highlights on Dark Hair
These are the thinnest highlights you can opt for, the so-called baby lights. Depending on the number you decide to get, the effect on your original hair color will be different. For example, the higher the number, the more your hair will look like a cross between an ombre and a balayage.
20. Copper Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
This combination of dark hair, caramel, and copper highlights result in a fantastic reddish hue that will look especially stunning on green-eyed ladies. Consider adding waves or curls to make the colors stand out even more.
21. Long Black Hair with Caramel Highlights
If you have long hair, save some money on your trip to the stylist by going for some highlights instead of dyeing it all. We all know how expensive that can be, and this may be the perfect solution if you are also a bit undecided as to what color you should get and how you would look with it.
22. Well-Blended Caramel Highlights
This highlight job is absolutely fantastic! Just look at those caramel highlights that were extremely well-blended into the dark hair color base. We also love that there are several shades of caramel in there, instead of the usual single one.
23. Melted Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
Speaking of well-blended highlights, here’s a set of melted burnt caramel color ones that almost fades away into this dark hair. It can be the perfect look for ladies who don’t want a very noticeable change, but rather a more sleek and subtle one. Depending on the light, these might even be considered auburn highlights.
24. The Penelope Cruz
Not even celebrities can resist a good caramel highlights look if they have dark hair. This is the case with the gorgeous Penelope Cruz as well who used the caramel undertones to highlight her amazing toffee-colored eyes and gorgeous facial features and skin tone.
25. The Jessica Alba
Although she looks amazing as a blonde, we can definitely say that Jessica Alba totally nailed this darker hair color look. She used caramel highlights that matched her skin tone and hair to bring out the beauty of her eyes.
Blonde is a much more versatile hair color than you might expect, so be sure to check out all the great ways to wear dirty blonde hair!
26. The Lily Aldridge
Have you ever dreamed of having a supermodel’s hair? Then it’s very likely that you already following Lily Aldridge as this Victoria’s Secret Angel has one of the best manes in the industry. And she sure knows how to style it to her advantage!
27. Picture Perfect Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
Beach waves are never out of season, despite their name that only suggests summer. But did you know you can even get them with a hair straightener? Check out YouTube for some awesome tutorials that will save you loads of time on your style routine and bring out those caramel highlights!
28. Half Up Half Down Updo
Another very simple style you can try is this half up, half down hairstyle one. All you need is a hair curler – for the tips of the hair – and a soft brush that will help you achieve that small beehive on top of the head for some added elegance.
29. The Miranda Kerr
It’s time to see another supermodel and the second Victoria’s Secret Angel on our list of dark hair with caramel highlights. And this combination above works even better if dark brown is your natural hair color!
30. Dark Hair with Sienna and Caramel Highlights
Another version of this caramel on dark hair look you can try is to add another type of highlights into the mix. This, for example, has both caramel and Sienna highlights on a dark brunette base that result in a reddish hue.
31. Extensions on Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
If you’re worried about your thin or fine hair or if you simply want to add some extra length, you can always turn to hair extensions. They will give your mane the extra body it needs, making you look like a movie star!
32. Curly Dark Hair with Caramel Tones
These are very long and loose espresso brown curls that have been treated to a mixture of toffee and caramel highlights. The result is a little 2010s and a lot fantastic! Choose the shades that best match your complexion and keep those curls bouncy and beautiful.
33. Simple Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
If you happen to have green eyes, then really bring them out by getting some caramel highlights. The golden undertones of this color will match the gold flecks of your eyes and bring them out in ways you never thought were possible.
34. 2000s Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
This color combination has been around for a long time – and it’s no wonder seeing how gorgeous it is. This, for example, is how it used to look back in the 2000s. The caramel highlights were a lot chunkier and less well-blended into the base color.
35. Everyday Dark Brown Hair with Highlights
The truth is that this color combo is so strikingly beautiful that it even saves the trouble of having to figure out new ways of styling your hair every day. From now on, the real star of the show will be the color of your hair and not the way you wear it!
36. Pixie Cut with Caramel Highlights
If you have a pixie cut with long bangs and are getting caramel highlights, then focus on bringing out the fringe – the longest portion of your hair. Moreover, it just so happens that it hangs nearest the face so the highlights can perfectly frame the face.
37. The Jenna Dewan
There is little doubt that dark hair is Jenna Dewan’s color. It suits her perfectly because she has a beautiful tanned complexion and gorgeous hazel eyes which come alive under her curtain of brunette hair.
38. Curly Bob with Caramel Highlights
Here’s a hairstyle that you could easily wear over the holidays, at home, out in the town, at the office, basically anywhere! Caramel highlights (especially ones that are as close to blonde as the ones above) can also look good against almost any piece of jewelry, be it gold, platinum, or diamond.
39. Perfect Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
We absolutely love it when you can match your makeup to your locks and dark hair along with its lighter shades of caramel highlights allows you to do just that. Choose makeup in shades of terracotta and bronze with nude lipstick and black eyeliner to beautifully complete the look.
40. Party Ideas for Dark Hair
The whole beauty of dark hair is that you can pair it up with anything in terms of clothing. We promise they won’t crash! So we strongly recommend a gold sequin dress for special events – one that will make you look like the queen of the party.
41. Pretty Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
The best thing about this color combination is that it transitions wonderfully from one season to another. This means you can wear it primarily in autumn and winter but also during spring and summer with very few changes needed.
42. Dark Hair with Baby Lights
These types of highlights are called baby lights and they are meant to highlight the skin tone and the color of the eyes. That’s why they are usually placed around the face to help frame it and bring out its features.
43. Deep Side Part Dark Hair
Who doesn’t love a good side part? It can give anyone that air of having just woken up, quickly applying some makeup, run the fingers through the hair, and rush out the door with this wonderful bedhead look.
44. Elegant Dark Hair with Caramel Highlights
In contrast to the messy bed head with a deep side part above is this elegant take on dark hair with caramel highlights. You can easily wear it for any special occasion – from an important meeting at the office to a stylish event that requires a dress code.
45. The Selena Gomez
One of our favorite Instagrammers, Selena Gomez, experimented quite a bit with her luscious locks. These experiments also included a platinum blonde at one point, but we still love her best with fantastic dark and wavy hair.
46. Choppy Bob with Caramel Highlights
Did you know that stylists use a razor to get these perfectly choppy ends that make for a perfect haircut? It’s one of the best ways to perfect the style. Please don’t try this at home, though!
47. Mocha Dark Hair with Highlights
Mocha brown hair is a gorgeous color that is best suited for wintertime. However, by adding some caramel highlights, it can easily become a color that you can wear in the fall, spring, and even in the summertime.
48. The Jessica Biel
This color combo is perfect for the beautiful Jessica Biel and her lovely blue eyes. The golden undertones of the caramel highlights catch those lovely blues and bring them out making her shine wherever she goes.
49. The Minka Kelly
Another actress who knew perfectly well how to make the most of the brown and caramel mix is Minka Kelly. She stepped up her style game with a long blowout and beach waves look.
50. Dark Hair with Cinnamon and Caramel Highlights
To obtain a reddish hue on top of dark hair, you can always mix caramel highlights with some cinnamon ones. The combination is just as delicious as it sounds, and we hope you’ll love it!
Conclusion
The caramel shade is a mixture of light brown, blond, and copper. Warm, soft but at the same time firm, the color of the caramel brightens the hair, the skin and allows you to show your femininity.
The palette of caramelized gourmet shades melts many women with the softness they emanate.
As we’ve seen from these gorgeous ideas, dark hair with caramel highlights is a universally flattering look that will look good no matter the season, skin tone, or eye color.
It can also help kick things up a notch when you don’t want to change your hair entirely but merely want to refresh it a bit. So let us know in the comment section below which one of these ideas was your favorite and perhaps even why!
TIP: Stylists recommend women with a dark base go through the fading step before dyeing their hair. Ladies who are still hesitant to take this step and want to color their entire hair can try caramel balayage – a super trendy technique that promises to infuse light into your hair and give you a natural finish that will be in harmony with the natural base.
Renae has a Bachelor of Arts from the United Kingdom and is now working in the fashion industry. She helps countless models and designers achieve their best looks before hitting the runway. In her spare time, Renae gives our readers insights into the world of hair styling, make up, and fashion, and runs her personal blog.