Pintura Highlights: What To Know About The Curly Hair Coloring Technique

There are so many fabulous ways to enhance curly hair. You could opt for a cut that shows off your tight coils and use products to keep your swirling strands healthy. You can also add the kind of color that will make your curls look their best and truly stand out. For instance, you may want to consider asking for pintura highlights at your next hair appointment. (The artistically-inspired name literally means "paint" in Spanish.) Nicolle Lemonds, a colorist at Devachan Salon, told Refinery29, "Pintura is a technique that colorists and stylists use to apply hues and tones directly to your curls to 'paint' them without the use of the traditional bleach-and-foil method. ... The Pintura method allows colorists to pinpoint exactly which strands of curls look better with different shades of color."

Indeed, that's one of the reasons why pintura highlights look so incredible. Not only are they chic and fashionable, but they're also meant to flatter your particular hair in a specific way. MATRIX Artistic Director Michelle O'Connor explained, "The method is tailored to each client's hair in order for the best illumination."

That means you might end up with highlights that are both light and bright. You might also want to try a little color that's deeper than you expected. That's not to mention the various other ways that you can make the most out of this trend for your curly tresses.

If you're interested in easing into pintura highlights, then you may want to consider getting ones that are on the subtle side. By opting for a color that's not too far off from the base tone of your hair — perhaps just a couple of shades away — and adding the lighter hue in just a few spots, you can end up with a style that has a softening effect but won't be an overwhelming change. If you fall in love with the look, then you can always go a little bolder the next time around.

Pintura highlights are a fabulous way to add a bold twist to your hair. To do this, simply ask your stylist to transform a fair share of strands into a lighter shade. Along with brightening your hair color, it can also add definition to your style by enhancing the shape of your cut. On top of that, if your curls are relatively tight, then the highlights may also create a multi-toned swirl. If you opt for layers of highlights, then they can even create the illusion of more volume which is another attractive benefit.

Ombré styles aren't only for those with straight hair. It's a look that's just as stunning when applied to curls. Just like any other gradient hair, the highlights will start as one shade near the top of your head and gradually become lighter further down. You can also choose to have a few highlights higher up before more appear near the end of the length. Although this could suit all styles of curly hair, it will likely work best if you have curls that are both long and loose.

Just like the special time of day that boasts photo-worthy tones, golden-hour highlights will make your curls shine just as vibrantly as the sun. Although you'll want to stick with natural tones to achieve this look, you can have various highlights put in that can include anything from sweet honey colors to light brassy brown. As long as you don't stray away from hues that are rich and warm, the result will be a regal color that will truly make your hair a crowning glory that suits a style-savvy queen.

Hints of blond and brown aren't the only options for pintura highlights. Instead, you might want to give a rosier shade a try. For another way to give your hair extra warmth, you can choose a deeper maroon shade if you have dark brown or black hair. On the other hand, if you have hair that's light brown or blond, then you can opt for a lighter shade that's more of a blush or rose gold tone. If you're interested in going a little bolder and brighter, then you can also ask for cherry-colored highlights.

Turn the heat up with the help of fiery red highlights. Whether your hair is naturally copper-colored or you like to adopt the trendy tone from time to time, you can take your style up a notch by weaving in tinges of lighter complementary shades. Although it would certainly look lovely to have the pintura highlights traveling down the full length of your hair, you might also want to simply pop them at the end of your curls in order to accentuate each individual spiral.

You can also keep things cool with your pintura highlights. An option that is beyond gorgeous on darker hair colors, adding an icy blue tone will still enhance your curls but will do so in a slightly edgy way. Depending on the exact hue of your hair, you might want to go for anything from a subtle steely blue to an eye-catching ocean blue. If you're feeling extra sassy, then this is another shade that would look incredible when covering full curls, simply the tips, or as an ombré effect.