One of my clients told me she wished to be “five years younger” but of course, that is not possible because I can’t take years off of people’s lives. However, I assumed when asking my client how she would like to look younger, she would be thinking of face framing highlights. Even though they seem subtle, most people actually appreciate and notice face framing highlights when someone gets them. People often say things like, “you look less tired”, or “you look like you just got back from vacation”. Highlights are placed strategically so that they can draw attention to specific parts of the face. They hit light and soften the shadows around your face to brighten those areas. Even better, these highlights do not require frequent maintenance like the rest of your hair. Overall, face framing highlights are a great option.
Last fall, I worked on a woman’s first change in years. She had been nervous that she would look “done” but when she saw the result of the transformation, she began to cry. While it felt like a big change to her, it was actually just the right amount of change. Highlights are subtle and give a really nice effect; they are really good for things around them like frame your face better. Here you can find 25 different examples of the range of face framing highlights.
#1: Clean Lob with Light Around the Face
An example of a simple and effective haircut is usually in the lob range of hair styles, which tend to be length flattering for all demographics. The highlights are designed to draw the eye to the hair at the temples and the part. If your hair is straight and medium in density, this look will most certainly give you that “I woke up like this” look. Achieving that finish is smooth but not flat look will probably require a nice blowout, and you’ll need to straighten the ends with a flat iron. You’ll need to get regular trims every 6 to 8 weeks to prevent the ends from looking ragged. Cuts like these will show neglect more than a layered cut.
#2: Layered Lob with Depth at the Root
The contrast in color between the darker roots and the lighter strands around the face creates a lot of dimension and depth. Even the hair is not that thick, it gives the illusion of fuller hair. The style is completed with some loose waves. If you have a more angular face, the placement of the waves sort of softens those features in a really lovely way. The color will need to be touched up every 8 weeks or so to keep the root to highlight transitions looking fresh.
#3: Copper Lob with Forward Brightness
I love using coppers on clients, as it can look awesome when done right! Here, we keep things classy with a sleek and straight finish, along with some face-framing highlights a few shades lighter than the base. This way, the color captures the light without looking too streaky. Since the cut is more about the color, we keep layering to a minimum. I’ll be honest though; copper fades faster than almost any other color. Be prepared to book salon appointments often and to use a color depositing shampoo to maintain the look.
#4: Textured Lob with Bright Pieces at the Hairline
The cut has a soft texture that creates an expensive look without the high-maintenance concerns. The texture is doing most of the work; those slightly tousled waves give the highlights something to work with, so light will bounce off at different angles as the hair moves. If there’s any natural wave in your hair, you’re already ahead. This is a good one for fine to medium density hair as the layers and highlights combined create an illusion of more hair than you actually have.
#5: Beachy Waves with Warm Highlight Placement
If your hair is thick with texture, a new haircut should do the trick. The warm highlights look natural, like the sun lightened your hair. That’s why it looks effortless! These highlights look best with loose waves that complement the style. The tough part comes if your hair is fine and straight. Achieving this style every morning can be tricky! You’ll need sea salt spray, a diffuser, and more time than anyone really has on a Tuesday morning.
#6: Long Layers with Caramel Pieces at the Face
The selection of the caramel is also good because it is dark enough at the bottom to blend in but light enough at the top to have a contrast. This is the type of color work where someone says, “I don’t want it to look like I have highlights” and you give them this. The straight styling shows it off beautifully, every piece is on purpose. It is a very refined look that can be for a desk or for dinner and to be honest, that is what a lot of my clients are asking for when they sit down.
#7: Fiery Layers with Bold Color Framing
Thank you for being bold. The bright orange color around the face is very complementary to the dark base. The natural wave in the hair avoids the distracting look that brightly colored hair can have. It looks more like a fashion statement than a salon experiment. If this is calling you but you are a bit apprehensive about it, the placement is what makes it easy to wear. Keeping the brightness around the face provides all of the impact without needing to color your entire head.
#8: Long Dark Layers with Bright Framing Color
The base color’s dark shade adds depth and highlights the face-framing strands beautifully. And the cascading effect is even more stunning as the thick strands alternate between light and dark. There is great movement and flow, more than is appreciated. A solid color tends to be flat, this has movement. I would say this is most suited for someone with volumetric potential because the essence is the play of light and dark through substantial layers.
#9: Electric Blue Framing on a Dark Base
I appreciate that this demonstrates face-framing highlights can be something different than caramel or honey. The almost black base with electric blue is bold and contrasts well. It’s not too busy, mostly due to it being sleek and simple. If you don’t want to commit to a full head of fashion colors, this is an easy option. Plus, the placement of the color means it will attract people first. The smooth finish and fine texture give a modern look instead of a messy one. Just be aware that blue will fade and shift towards green, so a color depositing conditioner is essential.
#10: Textured Bob with Highlight Dimension
Here come the appointment-booking vibes! Highlights are placed for maximum impact to frame the face and create movement even at shorter lengths. It’s versatile in the ways that actually count. You can air-dry it and it looks like a choice you made on purpose. If you have medium to thick hair and have been thinking about going shorter, this is a good argument for it.
#11: Auburn Waves with Platinum Face-Framing
Using warm auburn and cool platinum as face frame colors sounds great. It takes enough confidence to lean into that contrast to pull it off. Most people do not like these types of choices as they look ‘wrong’ on the color wheel. This is why I encourage clients to trust the process on these types of services, especially if the end result is hard to picture. The warmth in the auburn and the coolness in the platinum will not wash anyone out, so they will help each other. Platinum will help auburn look multi-dimensional and beautiful. I know this color palette is not going to be low-maintenance, but I do think it will be worth it at the end.
#12: Long Sleek Layers with Bright Framing
The trimmed showcases long face-framing highlight layers and structured volume which offer more intricacy and cohesion to the look. The highlights sit above the layers as long as the styling is straight. A polished appearance is important so if you prefer to avoid the daily 40 minute commitment to styling, this hairdo is a great option. The silky straight hair type which some may have will mean the style is super low maintenance to the next appointment, highlights blend and grow out nicely.
#13: Long Waves with Softly Placed Highlights
The point is in the details and highlights have been done nicely to create as few obvious lines as possible when growing out, making this a more low maintenance choice than some of the bolder placements in the collection. With the natural wave, the highlights will catch enough to look styled, even if you do minimal effort. This will create a nice effect and is a good option for you if you tend to wash your hair, throw in a leave in conditioner and leave it at that.
#14: Flowing Layers with Rich Caramel Throughout
While some may say that the caramel highlights trend is dated, the placement is new and innovative. Caramel highlights are warm and suit a large number of skin tones, which explains the popularity of this color family. Long layers and soft movement allow the color to shine without the cut taking away from it. If your hair is medium to thick, this style creates volume without having to use any products and that’s even better!
#15: Chocolate Base with Blonde Brightness at the Face
The combination of warm chocolate and the bright blonde face framing pieces is surprising and striking, and it’s even better in person than in photos. They achieve their goal of pulling focus to the face. The subtle wave in the hair helps the transition from the waves do not blend too harshly. High maintenance styles are gorgeous and if you enjoy being in the salon, this is absolutely stunning to upkeep. Those blonde pieces will look brassy in a couple weeks and will need to be toned.
#16: Dark Waves with Platinum Contrast
This contrasts really well. The platinum pieces against that deep dark base are dramatic but still subtle enough to not dominate the face. The curls really give some volume and help the two colors blend into each other more than straight hair would. If you’re thinking about this, be realistic about regrowth. Platinum with a dark base shows new growth faster than nearly any other color combo, so you’re looking at touch ups every 5 to 6 weeks to keep it looking fresh.
#17: Silver Ombre with Soft Layered Framing
Silver is a color that does take a certain amount of confidence from the wearer, and this example shows how to do it with a bit of a softer touch. The dark roots keep the whole look grounded and feel more intentional than like, a grow out situation. The face framing layers are working double time here! They add movement and give the silver tones a place to really show off. If you have a wavy texture this will look pretty close to this with minimal effort! The color does require purple shampoo to keep it from yellowing, which is the one non-negotiable.
#18 Soft Layers with Gentle Brightness at the Face
People may not notice the subtlety of this type of highlighting work. Customers usually think you look great and can’t quite figure out why. The placement is soft and the tones are close to the natural base creating a flattering lit-from-within effect on finer textures. The layers are soft enough to provide movement without making thin hair look even thinner. It’s a balance that is difficult to achieve. It’s a pretty understated look that doesn’t require much explanation or a ton of product.
#19 Textured Waves with Warm Caramel Framing
The caramel is activating its purpose and warming up the complexion while highlighting the center of the face. The waves give a laid-back, Californian vibe, and the mid-length keeps it easy to manage. If brassiness is your jam, this shade may require some maintenance. A toner between your appointments will keep it looking more intentional than your color shifting. That said this is a look that does a lot with not a lot and that is always my preference.
#20 Voluminous Curls with Highlighted Framing
Have you seen those perfect curls that look even better with Face Framing Highlights?! They make curls look stunning by highlighting different pieces of hair. Face framing highlights look good in each curl and show different tones. To achieve this look, be sure to ask for softer highlights so that they enhance your hair texture. Natural curls look great with highlights, so I would recommend NOT brushing your hair. Use a diffuser and great curl cream to let those natural curls shine!
#21 Wavy Bob with Soft Highlight Placement
This bob is perfectly done. The hairstyle is carefree, the highlights are ideal and brighten without being too obvious, and the end result is a person who looks good without appearing to have put too much effort in. This is a particularly nice length and shape for heart-shaped faces, where some width and softness around the jaw. The natural waves means most of your styling time is deciding how much texture you want that day instead of having to create it from scratch.
#22 Chin-Length Bob with Face-Framing Brightness
I think chin-length bobs can be flattering, and the highlights make the cut feel more contemporary, which is a fine line to walk with shorter lengths. The light tousle at the top helps avoid a helmet effect, and the face framing pieces add just enough lightness so that the overall look feels intentional rather than dated. For fine hair, this length can work to your advantage as shorter lengths hold more volume, and it takes less than three minutes to run a curling wand through a few pieces.
#23 Effortless Lob with Soft Framing Highlights
When someone says, “I just want to look nice,” I want to show them this cut because it is so low-commitment. It’s long enough to be easy on the shoulders, the colour is blended highlight so you won’t have any grow out trauma, and the waves are the right amount of natural styled. It’s the sweet spot. This cut works great for fine to medium thick hair. It’s low maintenance and you can do as much or as little as you want with it which strikes the perfect balance. With a little styling effort you’ll love it on day one and even at week eight you’ll still love it.
#24 Layered Bob with Bright, Lively Framing
The highlights brighten the whole cut and the layering creates enough movement that even fine hair looks like it has something going on. I find the slight asymmetry here really interesting. It makes the eye move instead of settle and gives more of a dynamic feel than a symmetrical bob would. This style, most suitable for oval faces, allows more freedom for shape play as there are no concerns about balance. The color will obviously need maintenance, but the style is pretty low upkeep in between trims.
#25 Textured Pixie with Subtle Highlighted Pieces
Pixie cuts and face framing highlights should really be more popular and this is one great reason why! The highlights provide dimensions to those shorter layers. The shorter layers can sometimes look like they are one solid length, and this can help break that up. The face framing layers provide a softness that pure short doesn’t always have, and is great for fine hair. It gives a lot of lift and movement without fighting a bang. With pixie cuts, there are some downsides. It is almost a requirement that you are willing to go get trims every 4-5 weeks. If you are willing to do those appointments, this is the style that makes getting ready in the morning super quick.
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