Last Tuesday the sun caught a client’s hair. It’s annoying because she walked in saying she wanted “just some highlights”. I had to refrain from pulling out my phone to show her what tiger’s eye does. There’s a strange thing that happens with darker hair when people try to go lighter than they intend. We are all working under the assumption that dimension means blonde. Tiger’s eye is one of the few color concepts that actually achieves what most brunettes are hoping for when they say they want “something different but not too different.”
The tiger’s eye effect is a level 4 to 6 chocolatey base with hand painted ribbons of caramel, honey, and amber that fall around your face through the mid lengths to where the light hits when you move. The magic is in the toner, and I can’t stress this enough. You want a gold or copper-based toner, not neutral and not cool. The instant someone applies an ashy toner to this, you lose all the gemstone features and are left with highlights that will make you sad to see your reflection. I always include a root melt with soft balayage, so your grow out doesn’t tell everyone it’s time to get a touch-up, which is especially good if we sneak in coverage over some grays.
You’re good to go if you use a proper [color-safe shampoo](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=color+safe+shampoo&tag=lateshairs-20) and avoid products with purple pigments. Those shampoos cancel out warm tones, and we just spent three hours working on your color.
Review the photos and screenshot the one that gives you a little “ohhh” feeling in your stomach. That’s the photo to show your stylist.
#1: Long Warm Tiger-Eye Waves with Feathered Face-Framing
These looks and these styles are making me want to cancel all of my upcoming appointments and just stare at them for the rest of forever. nnThis is a long mid-back cut with feathered fringe around the face, loose S-waves, and the thickness that makes people jealous in the grocery store. Her tiger-eye balayage is beautiful, and I love how there is a soft root melt to go along with it. I appreciate the thinner painted slices tucked under the top layer so you get this little glow when the hair moves. Her ends are point cut so that it doesn’t look blunt. nnIf your hair is this thick, you’ll definitely want someone who is comfortable with thinning, and periodic glossing will keep the brass from creeping in.
#2: Tousled Copper Tiger-Eye Wavy Lob with Dimensional Face-Framing Ribbons
S-shaped waves, where it looks like they used a 1 inch and some patience to style, are part of this style. If your hair is wavy in the 2A-2B range and is of decent thickness, this is that cut. People will think you just woke up looking fantastic and let them think it. The hand-painted tiger-eye ribbons with the root smudge give you depth and crown lift without any effort. The copper tones are beautiful, but are the first to go brassy, so you’ll need to glaze them.
#3: Mid-Length Tiger-Eye Layered Shag with Cheekbone-Brightening Ribbons
I got really excited for this one because the babylight ribbons are placed really specifically. Most people won’t notice but they’ll definitely feel the difference. Ribbons at the cheekbones will give some facial enhancement that makes the hair look alive and refreshing. The haircut is a collarbone-length layered shag with long face-framing pieces. Razor texturizing at the end will let fine to medium straight hair look thicker, so that’s a good option for these hair types. This will definitely require some styling. I’m not even going to lie, it is definitely a good use of your time to style this. To avoid the hair shape going flat, use a texturizing spray. To maintain glossiness on the babylights, you’ll need to do glossing. The style and look being maintained for five minutes definitely makes it worth it.
#4: Long Wavy Tiger’s-Eye Ribbon Balayage with Low-Light Depth
My suggestion to you is to definitely take a screenshot of this if your hair is a mid-waist length, has natural S-waves, and a fair amount of volume. The free-hand balayage is a lightener for level 4 to 5 bases up to levels 9 and 10. It may seem dramatic, but the low-lights woven through ground it and stop that washed out look that happens when long hair gets too light without enough shadow. There’s a little trick at the crown where some darker pieces are left in to give more lift, and that’s really the detail that separates a colorist who is paying attention from one who’s just painting. It’s finished with a bond-building glaze and styled with a 1¼ inch wand. More maintenance than some of the other looks because you’ve got toning and porosity to manage and if your hair is very fine, this much length with this much lightening can go limp on you.
#5: Textured Chestnut Tiger-Eye Shoulder-Grazing Lob with Ribbon Highlights
I’d like to reach out to the clients that say they’re “not ready to go short.” This is more than short, this is a shoulder grazing cut. And with your medium-thick, naturally 2A/2B hair that has waves & some razor textured ends, it will look much fuller than you think & will move more than you think. The painted ribbon highlights are going to give you that tiger eye shimmer that we all love without having to do a full head of foils. It will be super easy to style with a curling wand & will just need glossing to keep the warmth honest. If your hair is finer, you may want some root padding added to keep it from collapsing at the crown.
#6: Pearl-Toned Tiger-Eye Layers with Point-Cut Feathered Ends
I find this mid back length and soft waves really interesting. They create an lengthing illusion which I think is so cool. The midwarm lowlight ribbons with pearlescent are really nice and create depth. I like the subtlety in depth ribbons, I don’t see that very often. Just as a heads up, the palette is going be a bit of a friendship with your purple shampoo, some gloss upkeep, and if your ends are already fine just be careful because point cutting can tip them into wisp territory pretty easily. Also the micro highlights are going to require some caution with your ends if they are already on the fine side because point cutting can tip them into wisp territory really easily.
#7: Long Wavy Tiger-Eye Ribbon Highlights with Soft Layering
The combination of colors and style works perfectly in getting an amazing result. The surface slices are placed on the fall-line, which means the line where your hair naturally falls so all ribbons highlight the hair at the best spots, giving the illusion of hair extensions, creating a beautiful result. The style showcases long, blended layers that reach the mid-back, and the color features a rich deep espresso base with hand-painted ribbons of copper, and caramel along with a subtle shadow root. This will be appropriate for those with naturally wavy hair of medium to thick density. The color will require maintenance appointments as the chunkier copper tones will need glazing and toning often. If your colorist tends to lighten at the mid-shaft, make sure they use a bond-builder because that is where the hair will reach the level of porosity it likes to hang around the most.
#8: Shoulder-Grazing Tiger Eye Wavy Lob with Underpainted Ribbons
I appreciate what is happening underneath here. The warm ribbons are underpainted, meaning they are placed to the interior sections so they flash when you move instead of being obvious and sitting on the surface. It’s subtle and smart. Shoulder grazing with loose 2A/2B waves and medium thick density, short interior layers and razor textured ends for movement, root depth around a 3 to 4 with mid lengths lifted to about a 7 or 8. I’d finish with demi-gloss and bond builder to unify it all. Forgiving regrowth, easy beachy styling, but needs toning to avoid brass and can feel heavy on very fine hair unless you thin it out or add some face framing layers to break things up.
#9: Long Brunette Tiger-Eye with Warm Caramel Peekaboo Highlights
Your caramel peekaboo slice by the ear is so cute and captures the whole vibe of this look! It’s a lovely detail that adds a lot of personality to this long style, like mid-back length, that all-over highlights never quite achieve. It makes the hair look mid-back length! Add some natural loose waves to it which you can create with medium to thick density hair. You’ll want a generous 3-inch darker root stretch, and for face brightening warmth without having to fully bleach your hair, go for it! It’ll style so beautifully with a 1¼- inch wand for S waves. The lighter slice will need a gloss touch up every so often to avoid brass and I would avoid this placement if your hair is very fine or tightly curled bc it can look stripy rather than a peekaboo effect.
#10 Angled Chocolate Tiger-Eye Lob with Bold Face-Framing Streaks
More people should be confident in getting a bold face framing streak. It would make the world a better place! That streak is doing more work than a full head of foils with this angled lob that has precision internal gradations. I also notice that the hair is straight, smooth, and medium-to-thick. The micro-balayage and foil placement look like they give about 4 to 6 levels of lift plus a subtle root melt. There is a razor slice internal underlayer that helps the ends bend under during the blow dry (which is a really nice touch), so you have a good amount of length to work with. The contouring is really nice, and the tiger-eye streaks provide a striking contrast that really make this look bold. The strong internal layering also adds a lot of movement. Just remember that those high-contrast pieces will require a skilled hand in placement, so be sure to space out some color glossing appointments to maintain the fresh look and avoid that grown-out look.
#11 Long Layered Tiger-Eye Balayage with Curtain Face-Framing
This style has some soft and gentle chin length layers that contour the face, along with some subtle short layers. The tiger-eye balayage has a root shadow and demi gloss plus some caramel and amber micro-lights. Along with 40 percent, point-cut texturizing your long layers will speak movement. Your complexion is beautifully illuminated with this style, which is probably one of the reasons why this style is so photogenic, especially with freckles. This style has great growing potential so you won’t be panicking at the 6 week mark. It will need to be styled and toned a lot to achieve those waves.
#12 Voluminous Curly Tiger-Eye Layers with Face-Framing Ribbon Highlights
I only wish I could see it better from my chair, because the tiger eye on 3B/3C curls is absolutely stunning. The painted ribbons are thin and face framing, and only 1 to 2 levels lighter so that they pop while the curls move, but don’t overpower the natural pattern. The cut features long dry point layers, and slide cutting to take out weight while retaining the curl clusters, which is non-negotiable if you want curls to actually behave post color. All that volume and density creates a dimension that straight hair simply cannot. The trade off is that highlighted curls get porous quickly, so bond repair glosses and curl specific products are not optional, they are the maintenance plan.
#13: Luminous Tiger-Eye Soft Blunt Lob with Underlayer Ribbons
One of my favorite techniques is called the underlayer ribbon technique because it gives nice warmth to the movement of the hair and it doesn’t plaster highlights all over the top. For that wavy and S-shaped wave hair, I would recommend a shoulder length blunt lob with internal layers that are soft. This creates a great overall shape. If you have fine hair, you may need some light razor texturing to avoid looking weighted and flat. You will also need a root smudge and clear gloss glaze to integrate all the tones!
#14 Sleek Shoulder-Grazing Blunt Lob with Thin Tiger-Eye Babylights
This option is refined and for people who see the wavy textured cuts above and say, “that’s not me.” It is a shoulder-length blunt lob on straight fine to medium hair with thin vertical tiger-eye babylights and a soft root-smeared smudge. Single length blunt with some internal soft point cuts and light sliced babylights. It gives a gentle framing warmth with low regrowth contrast and without the need to do a lot of lifting. Keeping it nice and shiny will need some heat or some smooth and shiny product plus maintenance will be needed (glosses and toners) to keep it from getting brassy. The babylight pattern will be more obvious in very fine hair. This might actually be nice.
#15 Mid-Length Feathered Tiger-Eye Layers with Off-Center Face-Framing
The off-center sweeping fringe adds a uniqueness to the style which is not possible with most mid lengths cuts, it’s almost like the hair itself knows where it’s going, and you’re just along for the ride. The fine to medium texture with medium density is Below should length with long, feathered layers, straight to slight waves. Melting Tiger eye is hand painted for a narrow, sunkissed streaks effect with a subtle lift to brighten the eye area without too much lift from the roots. These fine painted ribbons will require a gloss to reduce brassiness, and the ends of the hair being very coarse may not look as expected. It is best to consult with your stylist about the texture and how it will react with the layers before proceeding.
#16 Asymmetric Tiger-Eye Ringlet Crop with Side Part and Face-Framing Highlights
I get upset when I think about how people with coiled hair don’t see enough styles that show off what their hair can do. I mean, look at this style! The coily 3B/3C hair with lots of volume and dark roots melting into golden ringlets is amazing! The color contrast nicely, offer great definition, and with some light maintenance, they can touch up daily. This hair style features a chin-to-shoulder cut with a side part. The rounded cutting creates a stunning oval to heart shape and adds a nice balanced wide graduation. The 3B/3C texture does the volume work for you. However, you should know that lightening pre-bond treatments, specific moisture control, and a curl savvy colorist that understands porosity will be necessary for the lightening of the coils. I also suggest babylights for the foils, as well as a dry cut to finish the shape.
#17 Shoulder-Length Tiger-Eye Lob with Diagonal Face-Framing and Soft Root Melt
The face-framing diagonal sweep is nice, and I think it helps show off the blend a lot, and the soft root melt helps with blending behind the scenes. For an S-wave, I would suggest a shoulder-length 2A to 2B Med-high density with long internal layers (internal layers to the shoulders) to remove bulk while keeping the ends weighed down for movement. The Balayage with fine eye-line babylights that hit the freckles (so flattering). If your hair is finer, you’ll need a texturizing product to keep it from going limp, and you might consider a cool glaze to minimize brass between appointments.
#18 Voluminous Tiger-Eye Curtain Layers with Soft Root Smudge
I sometimes look at photos and think “I can picture the appointment where time stood still for everyone at the salon” and this is one of them. Long, mid-back rounded curtain face framing on naturally wavy high density medium-fine strands. The tiger eye balayage has a gentle root smudge with micro low lights tucked under the top layers and thin temple slice. These slices light up when you tuck your hair behind your ears. The body is crazy and the dimension gives you that forgiving regrowth which means you’re not a slave to your calendar. A rounded blow out or hot tool will be needed to really showcase the layers though, along with occasional glossing to keep the warmth under control.
#19 Medium Feathered Shag with Tiger-Eye Face-Framing Panels
This style is extremely versatile which is so exciting. The blunt bangs are such a bold choice, just like the side tiger eye colour panels and feathered shag bangs. With this length, the hair can be worn straight, wavy, or even curly and look amazing. Feathered shag bangs and medium density hair with some beveling soft movement creates nice and the placement of the panels adds lift. Those contrasting colours in the panels grow out and do special care (and skill!) when doing foils and taking a root smudge to avoid that drag on the regrowth. So keep in mind that you want someone who is in demand and is booked out a little longer!
#20 Rounded Stacked Tiger-Eye Bob with Soft Interior Layers
I have to say that I absolutely adore this stacked bob and can honestly say it is getting better. The elegant nape paired with the smooth rounded layers lifts the bob. Most bobs add weight to the style. Just look at the additional volume in the crown section created by the crescent-shaped layers sitting above the occipital bone. It’s details like these that make a cut more expensive. The tiger-eye is a result of hand-painted highlights and delicate low lights created on natural waves that are medium to thick and a little loose. If you’d like to achieve this shape at home, you will have to use a small-barrel curling iron or a round brush for the blowout, and pair the look with warm glosses to maintain a good color. The result should be a cut that looks twice as expensive as it actually is.
#21 Warm Tiger-Eye Long Layers with Soft Root Melt
An ultra low-contrast tiger-eye is the technique I recommend the most because the root-melt with babylights and a gloss glaze creates such beautiful dimension and movement, not giving off the impression of “I just got my hair done.” It also looks great on long, high density hair with soft point-cut ends and face framing pieces that start around the cheeks, especially when there’s a naturally wavy texture. This look also requires less root maintenance than most looks in this roundup, which I know is something that matters to you more than you like to admit. It may weigh down very fine hair with all that length, and the lightening process will need a bond-builder for the healthiest lift, but other than that this is pretty close to a set-it-and forget-it color.
#22 Chic Textured Tiger-Eye Chin-Length Wavy Lob with Razor-Soft Ends
This chin-length haircut features a graduated back, razor texture ends, and some hand-painted tiger-eye balayage. The brighter slices that are peeking out at the ends are designed to frame the jawline. I think this is super flattering on oval and heart face shapes. The personality of the cut comes from the ends swinging in, which is encouraged by the diagonal slicing and subtle reverse graduation. If your hair is medium density and comes with a natural wave, this cut will be the most low maintenance for you in the mornings. The daily effort won’t be a lot. Some light heat styling will need to be done to create the desired waves. A gloss toner will be needed to prevent the warm ends from getting brassy.
#23 Soft Tiger-Eye Long Shag with Feathered Curtain Fringe
I love shag haircuts, and I love wispy curtain fringes that frame freckled faces like what we have going on here. We are looking at long, face-covering layers that have some point cutting and soft razor texturizing on fine to medium density hair. With some subtle temple babylights and a root smudge, we add depth without weight, and the crown gets lifted which makes the whole cut feel like it has some internal scaffolding. The fringe will need a bit of work with a blow dry to behave, and if your hair is super coarse and heavy, this shag shape will fight you more than it should.
#24 Textured Tiger-Eye Pixie with Diagonal Micro-Fringe
I am here for a collaboration with a pixie and tiger-eye color. That’s a combo I want to see more of! I can see it now: a close-cropped pixie with a diagonal micro-fringe and soft nape tapers on hair that is straight to slightly wavy and of medium density. There are some point cuts and feathered razoring on the crown with micro-balayage babylights with warm ambers off-center peekaboo that gives the look the tiger eye creds. Eye lifting contrast is achieved, and basically no styling is needed day-to-day, which is the pixie promise and this one definitely delivers. The light streak is going to need pretty consistent upkeep on the color, the micro-fringe is going to change the whole silhouette when it grows out, and if your hair is low porosity you may need to be prepped for some processing time to get the lightness, so go in knowing that.
#25 Soft Tiger-Eye Long Waves with Shadow Root and Temple Money Pieces
Temple money pieces might sound gimmicky, but once you see the finished look, you understand the demand. Long waves past the collarbone, 2b wavy with soft feathered layers. Babylights with soft root smudge, Temple money pieces, light razors, and undersurface hidden lights that are cute when you put your hair up. Warm tones that brighten the eyes with low regrowth contrast. This color is going to need texture to show. If your hair is straight a lot, it won’t look as bright and layered except it should.
#26 Long Feathered Tiger-Eye Balayage with Hand-Painted Face-Framing
What a wonderful note to end on it is pretty classic tiger-eye done simply but to perfection with no gimmicks just incredible hand-painted balayage with soft face love slices on long layers with natural relaxed waves and super high density. The root-smudge gives low-contrast grow-out and there are warm underlayer peek-a-boo’s that add depth to your hair which is more felt than seen in pics. The face-brightening slices will need glossing to keep from brassing but if your hair is very thick, you could need some point-cut thinning to manage the bulk. But this is the kind of color that leads people to think you were born with it which may be the highest compliment we can get from a colorist’s chair.
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