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Peek-a-boos are the most prevalent form of two-toned hair and styles with an added pop of color. The “pop” can be as loud as your stylist’s imagination wants, or can also add depth without having typical, cookie-cutter highlights. The placement of color depends on your overall goal, as well as your haircut. Essentially the color should look like it is “peeking”, or “hiding”, throughout your hair, and should create a lot of movement and dimension.
Two colors framing your face can be an alternative to devoting a full half of your head to one color, and the other half to a different color. Aside from being suited for the commitment-phobes, sometimes less is just more. For a hair fashionista, playing with color placement, there is a difference between following trends, and setting the trends!
Bringing pictures of your ideas is always a great way to get you and your stylist on the same page. Stylists tend to blend the lighter color into the darker one by progressively getting lighter down at the ends, but maybe you really wanted the distinction in colors. Finding a stylist that will give you exactly what you want, without pressuring you into their own ideas, is key to leaving the salon happy and with the color you walked in wanting. Definitely do your research when hunting down a stylist!
Two toned hair can also literally be two different tones of one color, such as red. Simple color patterns can be used to add depth by using two slightly deviant tones. For instance, using a high level red to contrast a medium, red-violet is an example of not needing to use technical color placement when you need a little more than just one, solid color.
The lucky owners of long thick hair can add their tresses even more movement with the help of layering and fiery-red hair color. This ombre-balayage is the right choice for a brunette, who isn`t afraid of breaking the rules.
Black and red is a combo to kill, which is why it’s such a popular choice for edgier ladies who want two hair colors. The placement of the dyes is original and fresh since black is only on the bangs and around the head’s crown.
Soft kisses of caramel instantly brighten up cool toned brunettes. Two tone hair color ideas are a fun way to change up your ‘do when going through seasonal changes, life changes — whatever it is, don’t be afraid to try out new techniques!
We’ve all had that Barbie with this exact hair color combo, right? C’mon, how much more pretty and badass does it get?! Pair your platinum blonde with purple for an icy, revitalizing pop of color in your hair.
Add some life to your grungey hairdo by getting an ombré with a raspberry hue. Different from tomato reds that are commonly seen with black, a raspberry shade is a more feminine choice but has an equally striking effect.
If you want two tone hair but you’re not sure which color to add in, pick the hue of your favorite jewel or birthstone! Sapphire makes an excellent union with black hair.
Call it modern Cruella Deville, call it yin and yang, day and night, whatever you call this hairstyle, it’s no doubt a masterpiece. Why split your two colors top and bottom when you can split them side to side? Iconic.
Dyeing only tips is the best option for ladies who are beginners to hair color. It’s still experimenting with a new look, but is also comforting to those who are weary of ruining their hair — if you get tired of it, simply cut off the ends; no damage done.
Whoever said short hair is boring was seriously mistaken. Take a two tone bob up a notch with a neon split tone! Depending on the cut, play around with color placement. Pro tip — juxtaposing colors work well on undercuts.
How vivacious is a fuchsia and blue blended marriage? Pro tip — choose tones based on your skin undertones; blues and purples complement cool undertones, oranges and reds complement warm undertones.
For those timid of a huge contrast, simply crank up the brightness of your natural hair color. Selecting bold or neon variations to contrast your roots and dyeing hair in an ombre style creates a gorgeous double tone effect.
Two tone hair can be subtle, too! A lighter version to your base hue, like these pastel purple highlights, adds lots of dimension to hair. This 3-D effect is a hack for those with hair that tends to look flat, whether it’s because of texture or color.
Mermaids are all the rage, and the aquamarine lob is an avant-garde take on the trend. To achieve this hairdo, a base color of turquoise is applied, with top sections and face framing pieces bleached and dyed a bright silver shade. The contrast of colors is also enhanced by different cuts for the top and bottom hair – V-cut layers against blunt and finely chopped ones.
Hand painted hair gives a natural looking effect to color that is out of the ordinary. Best left to the professionals, balayage highlights in daring hues like this charged hot pink red would have you turning heads.
Unicorn style, a cousin of mermaid style, is for all the pastel princesses out there wanting to dip their toes in two toned hair. This craze is not going anywhere anytime soon since it’s so playful and youthful.
Cherry noir combinations are equally seductive as they are bewitching. If your wardrobe leans on edgier style but is less rock n’ roll than it is dark and glam-grunge, this is a great double tone for you!
Green and grey screams trendsetter. Stand out from the crowd by pairing flat, ashy greys with vivid, highlighter greens! Truly embracing your alter ego, become part hipster, minimalist and part fun, wild chick.
Brown and blonde is a two tone hair color match made in heaven. Add a bright spot to your ‘do by bleaching the front section/bangs of the hair. Small changes like these make a big difference for your overall look.
A fad that’s sweeping salons is colored face-framing sections. Done as peak-a-boos or even blocks of color, it looks best on hair that’s parted to the side for a dramatic flair.
Emerald green is another jewel tone that makes for a gorgeous hair color. If you have an undercut, leave it natural and add the hue of your choice to the longer hair. This gives you two tones, but requires less upkeep.
Complementary colors (opposites on the color wheel) will give the biggest contrast on 2 tone hair. Yellow and purple make a great coupling; it’s also extra current when you do one section of hair (as opposed to the more classic highlights route).
If you are deep in the ‘scene hair’ trend, get electric with your color choices! Bright, neon colors are killer on two-toned hair. The placement almost doesn’t even matter when working with these colors because they are just so appealing to the color-loving eye. One thing to remember, however, is that these colors tend to be more difficult to remove once you are ready to move on to something different.
Two-tone hair for blondes usually means they have balayaged highlights throughout the head to achieve an organic color. Typically, this method is used to add depth and dimension to get a natural, surfer girl blonde. Another plus is that it is a freehand technique, cutting down a lot of the time you would usually have to spend watching your stylist wrap your hair in foils. Blonde balayage for brunettes is not as quick and would take much more time for bleaching.
Get funky with your color! Don’t feel pressured to stick to traditional blondes, reds, and browns. Trying unconventional colors can be as addicting as tattoos, so you have been fairly warned! The upkeep requires more work, but the results are more than worth it.
Sprinkle a little extra something on your luminous tones by adding an undercut tattoo. A more literal form of “two tones” is having two tones of color, as well as two tones of cuts. Short hair with designs cut into it might be out of the question due to occupational reasons, but having that veil of longer hair to hide your inner spunk is a fast fix.
