7 Celebs Who Prove That Black Hair Deserves a Layer of Highlights

Hair, Face, Eyebrow, Lip, Hairstyle, Nose, Chin, Cheek, Skin, Beauty, — (Image credit: Getty Images)

If you have black hair—or, like, dark, dark, dark, dark-brown hair that's basically black—it can feel like the only color change you can make is a drastically lightened transformation. But, surprise! You're wrong. (It's okay; we're not judging).

Because you can actually reinvent a deep hue with a just few strategically placed highlights in shades of amber, auburn, and, yes, even some candy-apply red. And lucky for you, we've got the most-excellent ideas as demonstrated by your favorite celebs, ahead.

Cara Santana

The Look: Auburn, face-framing highlights that feel almost aubergine.

Chrissy Tiegen

The Look: Caramel and gold-tipped ends, plus an insanely perfect bun that's unrelated, but still magical.

Lake Bell

The Look: Literally the very definition of warm, melted honey. But in highlight form.

Naomi Campbell

The Look: Diffused, amber-streaked curls.

Nicole Scherzinger

The Look: Soft, golden lowlights.

Shay Mitchell

The Look: A mix of cool, ash-toned highlights and warm, amber lowlights.

Vanessa Hudgens

The Look: A fiery tint with candy-apple red highlights, and can we have this, please?

Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life). She brings nearly a decade of writing and editing expertise, and her work has appeared in Allure, Health, Fitness, Marie Claire, StyleCaster, and Parents. She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Thanks.