Brown hair comes in such a variety of shades that there’s something out there for everyone. You’ll get the most flattering and the most low-maintenance results if you stay close to your natural hair color—but with a little extra oomph. It’s about elevating, not getting a dramatic makeover.
Here’s a selection of stunning hair color ideas for brunettes to consider the next time you want to level up your look.
1. Golden Brown Balayage
Glowing golden brown balayage adds depth and dimension to your hair, giving you a beachy vibe year-round. Achieving this look involves blending warm, golden hues with your natural brown base.
2. Soft Almond Brunette
Soft almond brunette has a delicate and sophisticated charm created by a harmonious blend of cool and warm tones. It complements understated, elegant styles—it might be perfect for you if you’re into a classic, polished look.
3. Toasted Caramel Brunette
Toasted caramel brunette is both cozy warmth and sultry luxury. This luscious hue is a perfect fall hair color. To maintain it, use color-safe products and minimize heat styling to prevent fading.
4. Medium Brown With Blonde Balayage
Medium brown with blonde balayage is a trend that’s here to stay: it strikes the perfect balance between brunette and blonde without blending them into bronde. Maintenance tip: use purple shampoo to counteract brassiness.
5. Chocolate Brown With Cappuccino Highlights
Deep chocolate brown base and well-blended cappuccino highlights create a rich, luxurious look. Keep your color vibrant with color-enhancing shampoos and regular glossing treatments.
6. Light Chestnut Brown
If you enjoy a fresh and natural style, light chestnut brown color is perfect for you—it has a gentle glow that’s both effortless and charming. Styling tip: Go for face-framing layers to highlight your features.
7. Brown Hair With Deep Copper Streaks
The fiery glamour of brown hair with deep copper streaks is for the adventurous at heart. But keep in mind that the vibrancy of red hues is fragile, so you’ll have to get well-acquainted with color-protecting products to preserve them.
8. Brunette Honey Balayage
Honey brown balayage brings warmth and radiance to your hair. If you want to feel like it’s summertime throughout the year, honey kissed hues will keep you warm. Nourish your locks with hydrating treatments to maintain their luster.
9. Milk Tea Brown
Milk tea brown combines creamy and neutral tones, creating an almost dreamlike, comforting vibe. It will suit you if you love pastels, earthy tones and everything soft and delicate.
10. Cognac Brown Balayage
Are you looking for a versatile hair color that can look both polished and casual? Cognac brown balayage is sophisticated, but also gentle. It adds depth and character to the hair without being overwhelming.
11. Sun-Kissed Brunette Balayage
Describing this sun-kissed brunette balayage in one word is easy, and the word is—beach. It awakens the senses, evoking the warm breeze and the scent of the ocean. Use a texturizing spray to enhance the beachy effect.
12. Dimensional Dark Chocolate Brown
Dimensional hair colors are trending: it’s all about adding depth and texture to the hair. Dark chocolate brown with layers of subtle highlights has a modern look that complements a laid-back and relaxed style.
13. Dark Chestnut Brown
The simplicity of this look is all about healthy and shiny hair: get regular trims, use gentle cleansers and go easy on heat styling for best results. Hydrate your hair with nourishing treatments and keep the gloss alive with hair serums.
14. Hazelnut Brown Balayage
Hazelnut brown balayage is perfect if you’re into retro boho style. It radiates an earthy charm with understated edge. To complete the vibe, go for relaxed styling, such as try loose braids or soft waves.
15. Cookie Batter Brown
Cookie batter brown is soft, charming and simple, but it has a quiet edge. This soft look is natural, but chic: the perfect model-off-duty color.
16. Ashy Brown Highlights
Ashy brown highlights have a modern vibe, so make sure your colorist is up-to-date with trends. Ask for ashy or beige highlights with a cool undertone. At home, preserve the cool tone with purple shampoo and avoid excessive heat styling.
17. Milk Chocolate With Maple Babylights
Light brown hair gets a bad rep and often you’ll hear the word “mousey” thrown around. In the hands of the right colorist, however, it becomes a multidimensional masterpiece of rich hues. This milk chocolate with maple babylights is proof enough.
18. Reddish Brown Color Melt
Even a hint of red in your hair will give you an alluring and passionate aura—this reddish brown color melt exudes a bold, fiery vibe despite being muted. To keep the red tones from fading, use color-enhancing products.
19. Deepest Brown With Glossy Caramel Highlights
Why does this deepest brown with glossy caramel highlights look so rich? Yes, it’s thick and long, but the real secret is in the shine. Choose a glossy finish to showcase the opulence of your color and make it more luxurious.
20. Dark Chili Chocolate
Dark chili chocolate combines a spicy warmth with the richness of dark chocolate, resulting in a hair color bursting with energy (and it will also make you crave something sweet and spicy).
21. Dark Chocolate With Caramel
Caramel always brings the warmth. Dark chocolate with caramel is cozy and inviting—perfect for soft warm skin tones. If you have curls, ask your colorist to use a few accent highlights to call attention to your curl pattern.
22. Expensive Brunette
Elevate your look while keeping it simple. Expensive brunette should look natural—your hair, but better kind of thing. It’s a modern color that looks classic and elegant. Ask for subtle highlights to add depth.
23. Mahogany Brown Balayage
Warmth and depth come together to create a rich, delicious hue that will make your hair the centerpiece of your whole personal style. Use hair masks to keep the caramel tones rich and glossy.
24. Rosegold Brunette
Rosegold brunette is brunette reimagined: a fashion-forward and unique take on classic brown shades.
25. Espresso Brown With Caramel Highlights
Espresso brown with caramel highlights is a mix of natural and polished: it embodies the versatility of brown hair. Ask your colorist to make the strands near the face the lightest to create a spotlight for your features.
26. Brown Sugar Brunette
Brown sugar brunette captures has the warmth and sweetness you’d expect but because it’s such a simple shade, the blonde accents are what really makes the color pop.
27. Multi-Dimensional Dirty Brown
Multi-dimensional dirty brown adds depth and character to your hair. Lived-in color is what everyone is after: lighter colors that look a little grown out and a little seasoned appear much more effortless than they really are.
28. Vanilla Money Pieces
Vanilla money pieces create a focal point of glow, providing a bright and vibrant pop of color near the face. And if you’re wondering, yes, they’re still on-trend.
29. Creamy Cappuccino With Golden Accents
These delicate golden streaks are magical—simple and transformative. They make the whole look brighter and more flattering and the key is in their placement.
30. Chili Chocolate Brown
Chili chocolate brown isn’t a low-maintenance color, but it’s worth the effort. When talking to your stylist, request a rich dark brown with auburn tones to achieve this energetic and fiery shade.
31. Golden Cinnamon Brown
Golden cinnamon brown effortlessly blends rich, warm tones for a stunning, low-maintenance look. To keep the golden hues vibrant, use color-protecting hair products.
32. Light And Dark Color Blocking
Bold and contrasting color choices are popular, such as gemini hair, but you can achieve an eye-catching look without going all-out. Color blocking with a section of hair is a low-maintenance way to get a dynamic and fashion-forward style. For the most dramatic results, ask your colorist for a bold contrast between light and dark hues.
33. Pastel Brown
Delicate and ethereal colors like pastel brown are a great match for soft aesthetics. Ask for beige or rosy babylights for a super dreamy look.
34. Bronze Balayage Curls
This glorious bronze balayage makes the curls pop, creating a rich and regal halo that frames the face.
35. Cool Brown With Face-Framing Pieces
Contemporary cool brown with face-framing pieces is a modern low-maintenance choice—just ask for face-framing highlights. Keep the cool brown tones fresh with purple shampoo and UV protection.
36. Cappuccino And Mocha Balayage
Cappuccino and mocha balayage is the epitome of sun-kissed beauty with a brunette twist: it blend the richness of coffee tones to create a layered and sophisticated hair color.
37. Hot Purple Money Pieces
There’s nothing subtle about hot purple money pieces: they’re all about self-expression and drawing attention to yourself. Let yourself be creative.
38. Warm Walnut Balayage
Warm walnut balayage is perfect for those who want an effortlessly chic style. It’s versatile and suitable for any occasion, and has a natural charm.
39. Spicy Golden Brown
You want something that says you’re naughty and nice at the same time? Spicy golden brown has warmth and a spark, and will perfectly showcase your duality. Haircare tip: Use color-safe shampoos and conditioners to keep the golden hues vibrant.
40. Beige Brunette Balayage
The sophisticated neutrals of a beige brunette balayage combine classic elegance with contemporary taste—a polished look that’s both trendy and timeless.
41. Warm Cocoa Brown
When you choose simple hair colors like this warm cocoa brown, they can look plain unless you keep your hair in top condition. Take things up a notch and maintain the richness of your brunette with color-protecting products and regular gloss treatments.
42. Walnut Ash Brown
Has the the subtle radiance in this walnut ash brown balayage inspired you to make an appointment with your colorist? To achieve such a sophisticated and elegant look, ask for a blended neutral balayage two tones lighter than your base.
43. Golden Brown Babylights
Golden brown babylights bring brightness and radiance to the hair, adding a fresh and sunny vibe to any style.
44. Glossy Cacao Brown
For this sleek and polished glossy cacao brown, upkeep at the salon is essential. Regular trims and gloss treatments are necessary to maintain a fresh and healthy appearance.
45. Chocolate Chip Cookie
How sweet is this chocolate chip cookie brown? This soft hue requires gentle color blending and seamless dimension—that’s what keeps it natural-looking and subtle.
46. Cowboy Copper Brunette
Cowboy copper brunette is the trendiest shade of the season—vivid, cozy and gorgeous. Keep it from fading by switching to sulfate-free shampoo and use color-protecting products to maintain the vibrant copper.
47. Toasted Cinnamon Brown
If you want a sun-kissed radiance without going light, medium brown highlights will do the job. Choose a tone that works for you: this toasted cinnamon brown is perfect for someone with a warm complexion.
48. Tawny Brunette
Tawny brunette is a natural-looking hue that gives off an effortless, relaxed vibe. Ask your stylist for subtle highlights to add a touch of dimension.
49. Warm Cinnamon Accents
Enhance your subtle medium brown with warm cinnamon accents: a little bit of warmth, a little bit of spice and a lot of depth and character.
50. Milk Chocolate With Vanilla Highlights
Milk chocolate with vanilla highlights—delectable and sweet like its name. Keep your hair shiny and well-blended with regular glossing treatments.
51. Subtle Blended Money Piece
A subtle blended money piece becomes a spotlight for your face: it highlights and illuminates your features. It’s perfect for those who want a low-maintenance flattering look.
52. Ash Brown With Blonde Highlights
Ash brown with blonde highlights is a multidimensional, lived-in look with an effortless vibe. Maintain the cool and balanced look with purple shampoo and gentle cleansing.
53. Cinnamon Brown Highlights
Enrich your natural dark brunette with cinnamon brown highlights for the fall (or whenever you feel like it.) This warm, deep color is vibrant and rich and looks gorgeous on both warm and cool skin tones.
54. Mushroom Brown With Highlights
This lovely mushroom brown with natural highlights is complex and intricate—and it will definitely become the first thing about you people notice.
55. Auburn Brown Ombre
Regular deep-conditioning treatments keep brunette colors shiny, which is a must for this fiery auburn brown ombre.