After balayage’s long reign over hair salons, highlights have been relatively quiet. A babylight here and some gray blending there; adding dimension meant doing so in the most natural and seamless way possible. But for 2026, we’re doing a 180—this is the year of unexpected highlights. Leading the way are Vogue cover star Rosalía, Olympian Alysa Liu, and street style darlings.
Unexpected highlights come in many forms. First up, halo hair, worn expertly by Rosalía and best described by hairstylist Vale Landro as a circular placement around the top of the head to give the appearance of sainthood. “It’s a bold design, yet subtle and expressive at the same time,” Landro tells Vogue. “It’s an intentional look.”
Another design is the “shine line,” which Amalie MacGowan, director of video at Teen Vogue and editorial director of Mixed Feelings, first experimented with in 2024 after being inspired by Caroline Polachek’s own halo hair. MacGowan kept the look for a year, recently going back to it with bolder colors. “I wanted the bleach lines to be harsher, and the highlights to be more abstract,” she says.
Then there’s the bold stripes of bleach. Olympian Alysa Liu had worn horizontally highlighted stripes in her hair for a couple of years before going full-on bleach, a stark contrast to her dark base.
When it comes to highlights for this year, the louder the better.
The Process
Unexpected highlights are an extensive process that requires upkeep. How much time you’ll spend in the chair depends on a) how much lighter you’re going with your color and b) what type of highlights you want.
For that singular halo effect, Landro says it takes less time than traditional vertical highlights. “Placement is the most important part,” she says about the circular bleached highlight. Once the shape is created, Landro applies the bleach through sections so that the color is visible and contiguous as it moves.
For a multi-striped look like Liu’s, it takes a lot more to get it right. The figure skater actually began bleaching her own hair with a paintbrush—and only brought in a professional right before the 2026 Winter Olympics. Hairstylist Kelsey Miller, who was in charge of freshening up Liu’s bleached rings, says the experience takes a few hours—plus an assortment of Olaplex products and toner. All of the experts advise bringing a photo reference for your stylist for the best results.