Tired of playing it safe with your hair? Then you’ll love daring high-contrast hair color combinations that will give you instant cool-girl hair.
With many options to choose from, you can achieve anything from subtle blends to bold contrasts. You can customize the techniques and looks to match your personal style; there’s a perfect combo out there just waiting for you to find it.
Check out these inspiring looks and let your creativity run wild!
1. High Contrast Face Framing
If you’re just starting to experiment with high-contrast hair color and lightening the strands near your face seems like a too-bold move, here’s how to take it slow. By carefully blending the base and the highlights, the effect will be more natural while still creating a high-contrast look.
2. Platinum Money Pieces
To create a dramatic, hard-to-miss look, go for chunky platinum money pieces. This (literally) in-your-face look is daring, but it will also beautifully brighten your features.
3. Copper Streaks
Copper and strawberry blonde add up to a harmonious, but still high-contrast color combination. These vibrant hues suit those with warm skin tones exceptionally well.
4. Black And White
Ashy white blonde bangs and scattered highlights in jet black hair—a striking, modern look. If you dye just the bangs from the roots and blend the highlights, maintaining the look as it grows out will be easier.
5. Platinum Streaks
Movie villains always seem to have the most stylish looks. These bold platinum streaks with high contrast are super cool and dramatic—totally fit for an evil queen.
6. High Contrast Color Blocking
There’s nothing subtle about this dye job—the thick high-contrast stripes are all about creating an edgy look.
7. High Contrast Stripe
A blonde horizontal stripe across dark hair is a look you don’t see every day. This unusual choice of placement shows you that there are no limits to creativity if you’re willing to try things out.
8. High Contrast Gemini Hair
Gemini hair is a favorite trend of everyone who can’t pick a single hair color. You can mix any colors you like, and black and white is a no-brainer when it comes to high-contrast.
9. Heavy Highlights On Dark Hair
Heavy highlights on dark hair in a natural shade will give you a more low-key look than some other color combos, so this style is great when you want something that’s striking but not edgy.
10. High Contrast Roots
Can we all agree that this dye job is as cool as it gets? Ultra-vivid roots on black hair might be a short-lived, high-maintenance look, but it’s so worth it while it lasts.
11. Contrasting Undercolor
At the same time understated and bold, contrasting undercolor is a gorgeous way to mix two colors. Depending on how you style it, this look can be more or less edgy.
12. High Contrast Front Pieces
Can a high-contrast look be natural? Sure, and it’s achieved by blending. Here, bright money pieces don’t clash with the base thanks to fine highlights near them.
13. High Contrast Balayage
This look has a next-level brightening effect. If you like the classic blended balayage look but want to take it up a notch, go extra chunky and bright with your money pieces.
14. Minimalist High Contrast Hair
Sometimes, less is more, and this look proves it. Seamless highlights combined with contrasting strands near the face brighten the eyes and frame the features.
15. Black And White Split Tone
This glorious look combines the colors and the cut to create a whole story. Bouncy layers and long bangs complement the black and white split tone perfectly.
16. Chunky Blonde Streaks
Maintaining high-contrast hair color usually means regular touch-up appointments to keep the colors vibrant and the contrast sharp. But if you want to stretch out the time between visits, blended streaks won’t leave you with a noticeable “skunk stripe” as they grow out.
17. Gray Undercolor
Undercolor on long hair is a stunning way to incorporate multiple colors. Wearing your hair half-up will be a reveal every time—a truly special look.
18. High Contrast Fringe
There’s a reason why coloring just your fringe area in a contrasting shade is so popular: it’s the simplest way to introduce a pop of color to your hair.
19. High Contrast Split Color
Contrasting hair color is all about placement. Take this style, for instance—it transforms completely based on how the hair is parted.
20. Chunky Highlights
Contrasting hair color can be a low-maintenance look. You may need touch-up appointments every few weeks or months, depending on how fast your hair grows and the look you’re going for. Chunky blonde highlights like these can last you a while, as long as you keep brassiness at bay.