So, how exactly is Hadid's hair able to vary in shade without a visit to her colorist? It's all in the placement of her highlights (and the lighting she's standing under). "Most people highlight all over their head and Gigi’s are strategically placed on her center part and face frame," explains Matrix Celebrity Stylist, George Papanikolas, who's worked with the model in the past. "This creates an illusion when her hair is flipped or parted to the side allowing her to have versatility with her color."
The technique is similar to the standard balayage highlighting method that's been popular the past few years in salons across the country. "She has her natural light brown base on the bottom and strategically gets honey colored highlights where the sun would naturally hit her hair, which is around face and on the center part," says Papanikolas.
Aside from adding versatility to Hadid's look, these highlights are also extremely low-maintenance—perfect if you're a globetrotting supermodel, or if you're like us and can't deal with the routine touch-up appointments with our colorists.
With a color like Hadid's, you can get away with only seeing your colorist two-three times a year, but Papanikolas recommends regularly washing your strands with a neutralizing, protective shampoo and conditioner duo like Matrix's Total Results Brass Off Shampoo ($13; ulta.com) and Conditioner ($13; ulta.com) to keep your color from getting brassy.
And although Hadid hovers between blonde and brown hair, her highlights work on any hair color. "You can use this same placement and technique on any shade of hair, but I always suggest staying within four shades of the natural color," says Papanikolas. "On dark brown hair, go for a soft contrast with more of a caramel shade. On redheads, a golden copper tone pairs nicely."
This article previously appeared on InStyle.
