What’s the ‘French highlight’? How to get this cool colour trend

Jul 28

4 min read

Hairdressers break down how easy it is to get this effortless look.

Jennifer Aniston (Alamy/PA) — Jennifer Aniston is a celebrity who models effortless French highlights (Alamy/PA)

Synonymous with elegance, the French have mastered the art of natural beauty, so it’s no surprise that a low-maintenance take on colouring, the French highlights, is this summer’s most covetable hair trend.

Unlike bold, eye-catching hair colour, French highlights are designed to be barely detectable, instead enhancing the hair’s natural tone while adding texture.

“Think subtle dimensional colour, delicate light reflection and beautifully blended tones that grow out effortlessly,” Adam Reed, celebrity hairstylist and Remi Cachet expert, explains.

Though effortless hairstyles are nothing new, Siobhan Haug, co-founder of Haug London Haus and former British Colour Technician of the Year, believes French highlights are stealing the show because of the weather.

She explains: “We’ve seen a rise in clients looking for dimensional tonality in their hair. The summer is the time to do that, because we have the maximum light on our hair, so you really want to see that tonal reflection rather than a solid block of colour.”

What are French highlights?

Someone with French highlights — French highlights are the latest hair trend on Instagram (Alamy/PA)

Reed describes French highlights as a “super natural” version of your own hair colour. “It’s a much more personal approach to colouring as it’s all about enhancing the client’s natural colour rather than a total change,” he says.

Similarly, Haug says French highlights are a “natural, tonal and nuanced colour” that she approaches using both foliage and under-lighting techniques.

She explains: “Foliage is when baby highlights or woven teasy highlights on very fine strands of hair are lifted closer to the root. After foliage, I go back through underneath the lighter shades, add natural dimension, and that’s called under-lighting. It’s the combination of both that creates the French highlights’ multi-dimensional effect.”

The key distinction between French highlights and other forms of colouring, such as balayage, is that the colour is applied further up the hair. “For a long time, the trend has been a lived-in or grown-out colour, which is applied further down the hair,” Haug explains. “French highlights and foliage techniques take your blonding higher up, which creates a brighter, more voluminous effect.”

What hair types suit French highlights?

The good news is that French highlights are a “universal colour style”, according to Haug. “It works across all hair textures, but what needs to be altered is the width of the texture put into the hair,” she says.

For example, clients with thick or curly hair often require bolder slices to prevent the colour from getting lost in the denser texture, while very straight hair benefits from intricately placed babylights for a softer blend.

Haug has also applied French highlights to every hair colour, from red to grey, adding: “No hair should just be one colour. French highlights are all about putting that natural nuance back into hair, whatever the colour.”

What should you ask your hairdresser to do at the salon?

Reed encourages clients to talk less about the technique but more about the results. For French highlights, he says this would be “soft, seamless brightness, natural dimension and colour that grows out beautifully”. He also strongly advises clients to bring inspiration pictures that “show the feeling rather than just the colour itself”.

Reed notes that celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston, Léa Seydoux, Sienna Miller, Cat Deeley and Sarah Jessica Parker would be excellent French highlight references.

How can you maintain French highlights at home?

For Haug, the number-one rule for maintaining French highlights at home is to keep brassy tones at bay. She explains: “Blondes should use a purple shampoo no more than once a week, and it should always be the second shampoo. That’s because you should cleanse the hair first, then follow with a purple shampoo to get the full neutralising power.

“If you’re a brunette, a redhead, or any other colour, then I would think about using a colour mask as part of your routine every second week. You leave the mask in for 10 minutes, or however long the instructions on the product you’re using state, and it puts the richness back into the hair.”

Haug also suggests investing in a UV protector spray. “UV rays are the biggest threat to a detailed and delicate colour like French highlights as they make it fade. A UV protector is a bit like sun cream for your hair,” she explains.

Those with porous and damaged hair should also consider purchasing a porosity equaliser. “Hair that’s porous is a bit like a sponge and releases the colour quicker. A porosity equaliser will fill in the little holes in the sponge and stop the colour escaping,” Haug adds.

Reeds adds that those with French highlights should avoid overheating their hair as it “tends to reduce the colour”. Otherwise, he recommends a “simplistic” routine involving a shampoo and conditioner designed for coloured hair, along with a regular hair mask treatment.

How long do French highlights last?

French highlights are relatively low-maintenance compared to more intense colour work, such as bleach blonde. Reed recommends booking a French highlights appointment two to three times a year and visiting the salon roughly every three months for toner top-ups to maintain results.

Products to help maintain French highlights…