Dark Roots, Blond Tips

• The most popular use of minking is to dye hair closest to the scalp a dark brown or black and dye the tips in a shade of blond. Colorists may gradually lighten the hair, as it falls from root to tip, for a cascading color effect. For long hair, the look can create a dark frame around the face, enhancing the shape while creating a focus on the eyes.
  
  

Other Colors

• Blond tips are not the only color technique for minking. Other colors can be used as well. Consider blue, hot pink, cherry red or purple tips for a spunkier look. Colors that resemble caramel, sepia and honey may also be used in lieu of blond.
  
  

Blond, Non-blonde

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  Another minking technique is strictly for long hair. Long hair is required for this technique because it hides a shock of color underneath a primarily blond look unless the hair is pulled forward over the shoulder. The look is created by dying the top half or three-quarters of the hair a light, sun-kissed blond and dying the lower half or quarter a darker color. The darker color may be any darker shade, such as black, hot pink or a darker shade of blond.
  
  

Minking Highlights

• A less dramatic minking technique is to create highlights a few shades lighter than the main dark shade. The effect can be created by quartering off the top two sections of hair and adding highlights only to the second quarter. The highlights will peek through the top section of hair to add dimension without severity.