Summer is the perfect time to refresh your look, and for women over 50, adding depth with highlights can be a game-changing strategy. As we embrace the summer of 2025, strategic highlighting offers a beautiful way to enhance natural beauty while managing changing hair textures and tones.
Why highlights are perfect for summer renewal
The warm June sunshine creates the perfect backdrop for refreshed hair color. “Summer highlighting is about mimicking what nature does naturally,” explains celebrity colorist Olivia Bennett. “For women over 50, multi-dimensional color adds movement and vitality that complements seasonal wardrobes and activities.”
Highlights aren’t just about covering gray—they’re about creating depth that makes hair appear thicker and more vibrant. This becomes especially important as we age and hair naturally thins or loses pigment.
Choosing the right highlight technique for your hair
Several techniques work beautifully for mature hair, each offering distinct advantages:
- Balayage: Hand-painted highlights that create a sun-kissed, natural effect
- Face-framing highlights: Brighter pieces around the face that illuminate features
- Babylights: Ultra-fine highlights that mimic the natural dimension of youthful hair
- Lowlights: Deeper tones that create contrast and visual thickness
The summer color palette that flatters mature skin
“Women over 50 should consider warmer tones for summer highlights,” advises master colorist James Rodriguez. “Honey, butterscotch, and soft copper tones reflect light beautifully and complement the natural changes in mature skin.”
Cool platinum or ash tones can sometimes appear harsh against aging skin, while golden hues create a natural glow that’s especially flattering in summer light.
Highlighting strategies for different haircuts
Your current cut determines the most effective highlighting approach:
For pixie cuts, subtle highlights throughout the crown create dimension without overwhelming short styles. If you have a bob, consider what hairstylists call “spotlight highlighting”—strategic placement that enhances the cut’s movement and can make thin ends look substantially thicker.
Longer styles benefit from the classic dimension of layered highlights, especially when they enhance your haircut’s natural movement.
Maintaining summer highlights without damage
“The summer sun can be both friend and foe to highlighted hair,” notes salon owner Patricia Vega. “It naturally enhances highlights, but can also cause damage if you’re not careful.”
Protect your investment with color-safe shampoos and weekly hydrating masks. For extra volume, try twisting damp hair while it dries to enhance the dimension created by your highlights.
Low-maintenance highlight options
Summer should be relaxing, not filled with salon appointments. Consider highlight placement that grows out gracefully, such as shadow roots that blend with your natural color.
“Many of my clients over 50 prefer a highlighting schedule that aligns with their regular trim schedule,” explains colorist Maria Sanchez. “We create a color plan that looks beautiful as it grows, requiring touch-ups only every 8-12 weeks.”
The psychological boost of summer highlights
Beyond the physical benefits, summer highlights offer a psychological refresh. Like updating your wardrobe or trying a new lipstick, this change signals self-care and embracing personal evolution.
Hair that moves with depth and dimension creates a youthful energy that radiates confidence—the most attractive quality at any age.
Will summer highlights work for everyone?
Adding depth through highlighting is versatile enough to complement every woman over 50, regardless of hair texture or color. The key lies in customization—working with a skilled colorist who understands how to enhance your specific features while respecting the changing nature of mature hair.
This summer, consider highlighting not as a way to look younger, but as a technique to look more vibrant, dimensional, and confidently yourself.