These best highlight styles are making us embrace black hair again in 2022

Dark, black locks can make a ravishing statement of their own, as proven by K-pop idols like TaeYeon, who sometimes goes from bright bleached blonde to silky black mane, or local influencers like @speishi, who at times swaps a soft brown mane for black.

But if a jet-black mane doesn’t make quite enough of a style statement for you, there’s still a way you can switch up your ‘do without dyeing all of your tresses: yes, highlights.

Highlights have the power to subtly elevate or even completely transform a black mane, whether it’s with slim ribbons of lighter tones or chunky streaks of bright colour.

Besides being a surefire way to spruce up your style, black hair with highlights also let you cut down the damage on your natural locks, as well as wear just about any colour your desire.

Since black is the new (or returning) black, read on, because we’ve rounded up the best black hair with highlights styles for you!

Black hair with babylights

The super slim, lighter ribbons of hair are not here to take the spotlight in this black hair with grey babylights ‘do.

Instead, the white-grey streaks give your black mane an easy, effortless texture and create an illusion of movement and lightness that don’t often come hand-in-hand with black strands.

We particularly love a black and light grey pairing as it lends to a relaxed, laid-back style. Plus, ash grey colours tend to be flattering against Asian skin, especially so for cool-toned complexions.

Should you want to create texture for your mane in an even more natural way, consider chestnut brown babylights like these ones.

These deep brown finely-woven highlights are so natural that others might not even realise that you’ve intentionally coloured your tresses. Still, they work just as well to illuminate the mane and give it an airer texture.

Black hair with face-framing highlights

Blackpink’s Jennie Kim brought bold face-framing highlights, otherwise known as “the money piece”, back into style when she wore them, bleached and blonde, against her jet-black mane in the K-pop group’s “How You Like That” music video.

It’s no wonder that when it comes to black hair and chunky face-framing highlights, the first colour that comes to mind is a bright blonde.

Not too far from Jennie’s bleached blonde highlights are ice-cool grey ones like these. The placement of these face-framing highlights against your black hair should also depend on your face shape.

Heart-shaped faces, for instance, would look best with highlights that start from both sides of the parting, but get thicker and bolder beginning from under the cheekbones. This helps to balance out heart-shaped faces’ wider foreheads.

On the other hand, those with round faces should avoid perfectly symmetrical face-framing highlights, as they broaden and emphasise the roundness of the face. Instead, you can highlight only your curtain bangs, or even consider adding some scattered highlights to the lower sections of your mane, which can help to “lengthen” your face.

Black hair with chunky highlights

Chunky and funky, these bold ribbons of icy grey really help spruce up the style on a natural black mane. Unlike babylights that draw attention to your black hair, these thick highlights take the spotlight alongside your usual hair colour: it makes a striking statement that spills into the category of Y2K style.

The key to chic chunky highlights is having the streaks of colour vary in thickness; otherwise, you might end up with a mane that appears a tad too stripey.

If you’re ready to make a bold colour statement, then why not try pink highlights, which pair easily with black hair as well? The vivid pink streaks recall Avril Lavigne’s early iconic bright pink streaks that she wore with her blonde mane.

Black hair with peekaboo highlights

Hidden beneath a top layer of hair, peekaboo highlights are perfect for those looking to tease with a cheeky hint of colour.

Typically, peekaboo highlights can only be seen from the front – behind the ears and down to the ends of the mane, or when you tie up your hair. That also means you’ll surprise with a vibrant flash of colour with every movement of your mane.

There are two types of peekaboo highlights that you can wear, the first is streaky, chunky highlights that look especially beautiful when you pull your hair into a high ponytail, and the second is an entire layer of highlights, which are more obvious underneath a top layer of hair.

And, whether you’re hoping to keep it sophisticated with creamy “milk tea” hues or jazz it up with a lavish lavender-grey, you’ll be able to do so with peekaboo highlights – after all, they’re meant to bring an unexpected colour accent to your black hair.

If you can’t decide on a colour, have it all with rainbow peekaboo highlights, which also up the ante on an extraordinary style. Get ready to flaunt teasing pops of red, green, blue, and yellow beneath jet-black hair!

Black hair with fringe highlights

While you’re looking for the best highlight style for your black mane, don’t forget to explore the many ways that you can wear colour on your fringe too, to further spice up your style.

A black hair and blunt bangs combination can really weigh down on your fringe; instead, dye your fringe a light blonde like this one to lighten your overall look and illuminate your features.

Since a light blonde colour would also blend in better with lighter skin tones, wearing a bleached fringe is also a great way for round (or short) face shapes to pull off a bangs style without shortening their face.

You can also wear streakier fringe highlights like these ones, which are an extension of peekaboo highlights: an inner layer of white-blonde at the bangs, and an outer layer of natural black.

The two layers together give a soft, highlighted style that lets you show off your fringe texture whilst giving it an airier, lighter look.

For the ultimate TikTok “e-girl” style, go for bold, chunky, asymmetrical highlights on your bangs. The lopsided splash of colour on your fringe will whirl your style from ordinary to unexpectedly edgy, and in the best way possible.