20 Classy Burgundy Highlights 2027 for Elegant Hair

Burgundy highlights add a rich, multidimensional warmth to dark bases, a shift from the flat, single-tone color that dominated recent seasons. The trend leans into lived-in color, with soft face-framing layers and glossy natural texture doing the heavy lifting.

This collection of 20 ideas spans subtle, low-upkeep blends to bolder, face-framing contrast, across bobs, shags, and long layers. It suits fine hair that needs dimension without weight, thick hair that can carry a deeper hue, and anyone tired of a visible grow-out line. Classy Burgundy Highlights work best when the tone matches your base and your maintenance tolerance.

01. Shoulder Length Layers With Subtle Burgundy Highlights

The genius of this collarbone-length cut is how the fine, wavy texture lets the burgundy read as a whisper rather than a shout. The subtle highlights are blended through the dark base so they catch light only when the hair moves, which is exactly the point. This suits fine to medium hair that can carry soft layers without going flat, and the side part softens round and oval faces. Ask your colorist for: shoulder length layers, subtle burgundy highlights, side part. A large barrel curling iron gives you that loose wave in about fifteen minutes, and a trim every six to eight weeks keeps the shape honest.

02. Blunt Chin Length Bob In Deep Burgundy

This is a precision cut with a single color story: deep burgundy, uniform from root to tip. The subtle lighter strands are woven in as fine ribbons so the solid base doesn’t read as flat, but the overall effect remains deliberate and sharp. It’s a salon job, no two ways about it, because a blunt bob at chin length needs a steady hand and the color needs a colorist who can place those lighter pieces sparingly. Ask your colorist for: chin length blunt bob, uniform deep burgundy color. The middle part and straight styling do the rest, and you’ll want a flat iron to keep the sleek line.

03. Collarbone Layers With Bright Burgundy Highlights

How do you make burgundy feel current rather than costume? You ask for it bright, but you keep the base medium brown and let the highlights do the talking. This collarbone-length cut has curtain bangs that frame the face, and the bright burgundy pieces are placed through the layers so they catch the eye without overwhelming the brown. For medium density wavy hair, this is a strong match, and the curtain bangs flatter round and heart faces. Ask your colorist for: collarbone layers, medium brown base, bright burgundy highlights, curtain bangs. The payoff is a modern, glossy finish that works for everything from a Tuesday at the office to a Saturday dinner.

04. Shoulder Length Layers With Side Swept Bangs

Side-swept bangs are a commitment, but this shoulder-length cut makes the daily styling worth it. The subtle burgundy highlights over the dark brown base add depth without demanding attention, and the side part keeps the bangs sweeping where you want them. This suits medium density wavy hair that can hold loose waves without falling flat, and it softens square and angular faces nicely. Ask your colorist for: shoulder length layers, side swept bangs, subtle burgundy highlights. A texturizing spray helps the waves hold their shape, and you’ll be back for a trim every six to eight weeks to keep the bangs from wandering into your eyes.

05. Chin Length Bob With Deep Burgundy Color and Side-Swept Bangs

Set this chin-length bob against a longer, layered cut and the trade-off becomes clear: the deep burgundy color is rich and uniform, but on thick, wavy hair it can look flat if there is no dimension to break it up. The side-swept bangs help by adding a diagonal line, and the soft waves give the texture somewhere to go. If your hair is very thick, ask for a few internal layers so the color does not sit as one heavy block. Ask your colorist for: chin length bob, deep burgundy color, soft waves. The real drawback is the upkeep: a solid color this deep shows regrowth quickly, so be ready for a root touch-up every four to six weeks.

06. Collarbone Layers With Lighter Burgundy Highlights

The design here is a study in restraint: a dark burgundy base acts as the anchor, while subtle lighter burgundy highlights add dimension without shouting for attention. A solid dark burgundy color can read as a single note, but these woven-in lighter pieces catch the light differently with every head turn, making the collarbone length and soft curtain bangs feel intentional rather than accidental.

Ask your colorist for: collarbone layers, dark burgundy base, subtle lighter burgundy highlights, curtain bangs. The gentle wave, achieved with a large barrel iron or air-dried with mousse, keeps the look polished for fall evenings or a winter dinner. Medium density wavy hair at this length benefits from the contrast. It reads as rich, not flat.

07. Shag Cut With Burgundy Red Highlights

A shag cut already does most of the work with its layered, textured shape, so the color needs to match its energy. Here, a dark base gets interrupted by distinct burgundy and red highlights that land where the layers hit, creating a contrast that moves with the hair. The middle part keeps the back view from looking chaotic, and the wavy texture softens the red tones into something wearable. Ask your colorist for: shoulder length shag cut, distinct burgundy and red highlights. This is a salon color. The multiple tones require a skilled hand to place them correctly within the shag’s structure. Medium density wavy hair at shoulder length can carry the look without feeling heavy.

08. Shoulder Length Curls With Burgundy Highlights

Does burgundy work on curly hair, or does the texture swallow the color? It works, provided the highlights are placed with the curl pattern in mind. Here, a dark base gets burgundy highlights woven through thick, shoulder-length curls, and the curtain bangs frame the face without fighting the shape. The color lands on the ridges of each curl, so the dimension is visible even when the hair is dry and styled naturally.

Ask your colorist for: shoulder length curly cut, curtain bangs, burgundy highlights. A curl-defining cream and a diffuser are your main tools; trim the curls every 8 to 12 weeks to keep the shape intact. Thick curly hair at this length can handle the contrast without looking busy, and the curtain bangs soften the overall silhouette.

09. Mid-Back Straight Hair With Burgundy Highlights

Straight, thick hair at mid-back length is a canvas that shows every highlight placement, so the application has to be precise. Here, a dark brown base carries burgundy highlights that run through the layers, visible in the side view as the hair falls in a smooth blowout. The curtain bangs break up the length and keep the look from feeling severe.

Ask your colorist for: mid-back straight hair, dark brown base, burgundy highlights, curtain bangs. A flat iron maintains the smoothness, and blow-drying the bangs forward with a round brush gives them shape. This is a polished, sophisticated choice for work or a dinner out, and the burgundy tones add warmth to the dark brown base without a full commitment to red.

10. Mid-Back Wavy Hair With Deep Burgundy

A dark brown base with deep burgundy highlights creates a richer, more layered look than a single solid shade, especially on thick wavy hair at mid-back length. The deep burgundy tones sit close to the base and shift in appearance depending on the angle and movement of each wave. The middle part keeps the front view balanced, and the wavy blowout adds movement without requiring much styling effort. Ask your colorist for: mid-back wavy hair, dark brown base, deep burgundy highlights. Enhance the waves with a curling wand or by scrunching with mousse, and plan a trim every 6 to 8 weeks to keep the ends healthy. The deep tone works well for autumn and winter.

11. Mid-Back Thick Hair With Deep Burgundy Highlights, Layers

How do you ask for color that shows up on thick hair without turning into a stripe show? Specify a dark brown base with deep burgundy highlights, placed to move with your waves. The middle part and consistent waves give the color room to catch light from the side, which is where the richness shows.

This works best on thick, wavy hair at mid-back length, where the texture keeps the highlights from looking flat. Ask your colorist for: mid-back thick hair, dark brown base, deep burgundy highlights. Keep the layering soft so the color lands on the surface of each wave. A smoothing serum keeps the shine up and the frizz down, and a trim every six to eight weeks keeps the ends from eating the dimension.

12. Mid-Back Waves With Subtle Burgundy Tones

Compared to the deep burgundy version, this one is the quiet neighbor: dark brown base with subtle burgundy highlights that show up as a warm glow, not a statement. On loose, natural waves at mid-back length, the color peeks through only when the hair moves, which is exactly the point for anyone who wants color without the upkeep of constant touch-ups.

The honest drawback is that in dim lighting, these subtle burgundy tones can nearly disappear, so if you want visible payoff, this is not the one. It suits thick, wavy hair where the texture adds its own dimension. Ask your colorist for: mid-back wavy hair, dark brown base, subtle burgundy highlights. Air dry with a curl cream, then refresh with a texturizing spray to keep the waves from falling flat.

13. Mid-Back Wavy Hair With Burgundy Highlights, Close-Up Take

This is a color built on a side view, where the burgundy highlights on a dark brown base do their best work. The technique is a balayage-style placement, hand-painted so the lighter pieces sit where the waves naturally break, creating dimension that a front-facing part would hide. On thick, wavy hair at mid-back length, the loose waves catch the color at different angles, which makes the whole head look richer. Ask your colorist for: mid-back wavy hair, dark brown base, burgundy highlights. This is a salon job, not a box at home; the hand-painting takes time and a steady eye. A volumizing mousse at the roots and a scrunch will keep the texture defined without crunch.

14. Long Wavy Hair With Rich Burgundy Highlights

The design here is a long, thick, wavy base with rich burgundy highlights that get brighter as they move down the length, and the face-framing layers pull the color forward so it flatters the face without needing a full front section. This genuinely suits thick, wavy hair at long length, where the weight of the hair keeps the waves from springing up and losing the color’s depth. Thinner or finer textures might not carry the richness as well, since the highlights can get lost in the density.

Ask your colorist for: long wavy hair, dark brown base, rich burgundy highlights, face-framing layers. A shine serum on the ends keeps the gloss going, since the color reads best when the light hits it. A trim every eight to ten weeks maintains the length and the shape of the layers, so the highlights keep their intended placement.

15. Mid-Back Deep Burgundy With Lighter Highlights and Curtain Bangs

A deep burgundy base with lighter burgundy highlights is a two-tone system that needs a smooth blowout to show off the contrast, and the curtain bangs add softness around the face without overpowering the color. The voluminous, face-framing layers make the lighter pieces visible around the cheekbones while the deep base keeps the roots grounded. This is a salon job, not a weekend DIY; the layering and the color placement need to work together, and getting them wrong is a hard fix. Ask your colorist for: mid-back hair, deep burgundy base, lighter burgundy highlights, face-framing layers. This look works for evenings or events where the gloss and the movement stand out.

16. Mid-Back Wavy Hair With Face-Framing Highlights

Face-framing burgundy highlights on a dark base do the work of a good contour, minus the makeup. The mid-back length and thick, wavy texture give the color plenty of canvas, while the curtain bangs pull the eye forward and soften the whole effect. This setup suits most face shapes because the bangs can be swept either way, and the layers around the face add movement without losing length. Ask your colorist for: dark base, face-framing burgundy highlights, curtain bangs. Style it with a large barrel iron to encourage soft waves that blend the bangs into the rest, and keep the bangs trimmed every four to six weeks so they don’t turn into an accidental fringe.

17. Mid-Back Deep Burgundy Base With Subtle Highlights

A middle part suits oval and heart faces, and the loose waves keep the overall feel soft. Ask your colorist for: deep burgundy base, subtle highlights. To maintain the depth, use a smoothing cream when styling to keep the waves defined but not crunchy, and book a trim every six to eight weeks to keep the ends healthy and the color looking rich. The subtle highlights add dimension to the burgundy tone.

18. Mid-Back Dark Base With Vibrant Highlights

How do you make burgundy highlights actually pop on a dark base? You skip the subtle route and go vibrant. The technique involves weaving brighter burgundy pieces through the mid-back length, starting a few inches from the roots to keep the dark base dominant, then letting the waves carry the contrast. This works best on thick, wavy hair because the texture separates the tones and shows off the dimension. Ask your colorist for: dark base, vibrant burgundy highlights. This is a salon job, not a box-dye situation, since lifting a dark base to a true vibrant burgundy needs a careful hand and a couple of hours in the chair. The middle part helps elongate the face, so it suits longer face shapes particularly well.

19. Cropped Front View With Vibrant Burgundy Contrast

The contrast here is the whole point: a dark base against vibrant burgundy highlights, and the cropped front view makes it impossible to miss. This is not a subtle, blended look; it is a deliberate statement, with the wavy, thick texture giving the color depth and movement. Compared to softer burgundy tones, this version is bolder and more modern, better for anyone who wants the color to be the headline. Ask your colorist for: dark base with vibrant burgundy highlights. The one drawback is upkeep, since vibrant burgundy fades faster than deeper tones, so expect to refresh the gloss or tint every four to six weeks to keep the contrast sharp. A glossing serum helps between visits.

20. Mid-Back Natural Waves With Subtle Burgundy Tones and Air Dried

Air drying doesn’t usually scream “high maintenance,” and that’s exactly the appeal here. The dark brown base carries subtle burgundy tones that surface in the natural waves, so the color feels lived-in rather than freshly painted. This mid-back length with medium density waves suits most face shapes, and the middle part keeps it simple. Ask your colorist for: dark brown base, subtle burgundy tones. The low-maintenance angle works because the tones are so soft they don’t demand precise root touch-ups, but you’ll still want a leave-in conditioner to keep the waves defined and frizz-free. Trim every eight to ten weeks to keep the ends from looking straggly, and you’re set for a season of easy, natural color.

21. Final Thoughts

For subtle dimension, ask your colorist for balayage or babylights in merlot or wine shades. For a bolder statement, request chunkier, face-framing highlights in a cherry or deep plum hue. The right choice depends on how much contrast you want and how often you’re willing to maintain it.

• Use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner for color-treated hair.
• Tone every 6 to 8 weeks to keep burgundy rich.
• Limit heat styling and always use a heat protectant.
• Deep condition weekly to keep the glossy finish.

Burgundy highlights offer a rich, versatile upgrade for darker hair.