Ribbon Highlights: Hot Hair Color Trend

What are ribbon highlights? Ribbon highlights are a hair lightening technique where highlights are added throughout the hair, extending from the roots to the ends in ribbon-like sections. The result is a stunning contrast between a darker base color and lighter strands, creating a beautiful, multi-dimensional look. They are becoming quite trendy, especially when done with the help of a curling iron to create real, ribbon-like hair pieces. Want to learn more? Then read on!

The Beauty of Ribbon Highlights

Ribbon highlights, also known as hair ribboning, are a sophisticated method of highlighting, similar to balayage.  They involve placing ribbons of color throughout the hair, creating a multi-dimensional and vibrant appearance. Imagine contrasting yet delicate strands of color intertwining like ribbons, adding depth and dimension to your hair.

Traditionally, highlights involve painting thin strands of hair with a lighter color to mimic the natural effects of the sun. Ribbon highlights take this concept a step further by incorporating broader sections of color, creating a bolder and more striking effect, especially when paired with a curling iron to make true ribbons out of your hair!

How Do I Do Ribbon Highlights?

So, how do you do the gorgeous ribbon highlights? It's all about technique and precision. Unlike traditional highlighting methods, which often involve meticulously painting individual strands, ribbon highlights employ a more sweeping approach – they are more like balayage than traditional foil highlights.

The process typically begins with sectioning the hair and placing foil or balayage film underneath selected sections. Next, a skilled colorist carefully paints the color on the designated areas, ensuring that the colors blend seamlessly and create a visible, subtle, or bold (depending on your preferences) contrast.

You might also try it yourself. How to do ribbon highlights at home? First, you need an at-home balayage highlighting kit. Then, you’ll want to section your hair and start painting the color where you want to see the ribbon highlights. Doing this yourself is fun and liberating, but it might be a bit tricky, so be extra careful if it’s your first time highlighting or doing balayage on your hair.

Why Ribbon Highlights?

Why should you go for ribbon highlights? There are a couple of reasons!

• They work with different colors: Whether you have dark, brown, or blonde hair, ribbon highlights will look gorgeous on you, adding depth to your hairstyle and boosting your confidence.

• They are low maintenance: Ribbon highlights do not require as much maintenance as, for example, a full color. The regrowth does not disrupt your overall look as drastically since the highlights are scattered throughout your hair, not just near the roots.

• They look GORGEOUS: Ribbon highlights are beautiful and lively without looking overdone or artificial, which makes them an absolutely stunning choice.

Ribbon Highlights Maintenance: Tips and Tricks

Ribbon highlights might be low maintenance, but they still require some care to look beautiful. You need to adjust your routine if you want the colors to stay vibrant for long, so here are some tips and tricks that will help you with that!

Use Color-Protecting Products

Your priority when maintaining ribbon highlights is to help prevent fading and discoloration for as long as possible. This is why you should opt only for color-protecting shampoos and conditioners, and other hair care products. They will help protect your color from fading too quickly to let you enjoy your gorgeous ribbon highlights longer.

Help Protect Your Hair from Heat

Heat can both make your color fade faster and damage your hair. So, use leave-in or styling products that have thermal protection to keep your hair looking and feeling healthy.

This is especially important if you use a curling iron, as it already exhausts your hair, making heat protection a priority. Strengthen and repair damaged hair with Bonding Time™ Bond Building Treatment.

Don’t Wash Your Hair Too Frequently

Overwashing can cause color to fade faster and even possibly dry out your hair. So, while clean hair and a clean scalp is important, you shouldn’t shampoo your hair every day. 

Use Hair Color Masks

Color-depositing masks have a range of benefits. They keep the tone of your color looking fresh while also conditioning the hair at the same time. Color Therapy Hair Masks add intense hydration while depositing color at the same time. Swap this out for your regular conditioner every few shampoos.

The Takeaway

What are ribbon highlights? A trend in which you highlight your hair by painting lighter strands in a ribbon-like pattern. They look absolutely stunning, don’t require much maintenance, and can be done both by a professional hair colorist and at home with a pro balayage kit. You should absolutely try them and see why they have become the latest trend.

Did you like this article? You can also read: Blending Gray Hair with Highlights and Lowlights