The Best Celebrity Summer Highlights to Steal

These looks can transform your style

By Elise Minton Tabin · May 29, 2015

Summer hair is all about flecks and ribbons of lighter color that looks like it was achieved by spending a day at the beach. In reality, it often comes from hours spent in your colorist’s chair at the salon. Take cues from these celebs who sport beautiful, natural-looking highlights.

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Lived-In Color: Sofia Vergara

Vergara’s color is beautiful, sophisticated and natural. “When clients come in wanting to achieve this look, I suggest deepening the roots so the hair doesn’t look so ‘done.’ I call it ‘kissing the root’ and toning it down,” says celebrity colorist Johnny Ramirez. “Don’t ask for an ombré look. What you want here are highlights that are strategically placed so that they blend in with your hair color, but still have some depth.”

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Sombré: Chrissy Teigen

Mimicking the color often seen on the hair of children, a natural sombré, Chrissy’s color is perfect for summer. “You want the highlights to be hand-painted all over, but they shouldn’t be too close to the root or they could look stripey,” says Mia Loughnane, senior colorist at Antonio Prieto Salon in New York. “Sombré is a softer version of the ombré trend and the contrast between the light and dark is much more diffused.”

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Shimmery Gold: Jennifer Lopez

Lopez’s color is often requested, especially once summer rolls around. “Her dark, buttery tone is accented with shimmers of lightness and can be achieved with a full head of dimensional highlights. The dark-to-light color graduates flawlessly and complements her skin and eye color,” says Loughnane.

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Face-Framing Brightness: Sarah Hyland

Loughnane says a lot of women are asking for color that stands out, like Hyland’s. “She’s a natural brunette, but the caramel hue brightens and lightens her face. Hand-painted highlights allow for depth and dimension exactly where you want it while keeping the maintenance factor low.”

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California Sun–Bleached: Jessica Alba

No matter how light or dark she wears her hair, Alba can pull off every tone. For this look, Ramirez transformed her from brunette to a pretty, sun-kissed blond. “I always make women’s hair color look natural, as if they were born with it. I focused on lighter strands at the bottom and weaved the color throughout so that the gradation was soft.”