21 Beautiful Hair Color Ideas For Brunettes

Transform your boring brunette mane with some fun and vibrant colors!

Reviewed by Madison Dufour, Barber & Cosmetologist
Written by Arshiya Syeda, BA (Literature & Psychology), PG Diploma
Edited by Shatabdi Bhattacharya, BSc
Fact-checked by Anu Pallavi, BA  • 

Brown hair makes for a great painting canvas. It is such a versatile shade that you can experiment with any hair color that works brilliantly together! If you do not believe it, stick around to see some beautiful hair color ideas for brunettes. Many brown hair shades range from chocolate and chestnut to mahogany and coffee. You can play around with these shades with a balayage, ombre, highlights, lowlights, or a complete hair color change. And if you do not have brown hair, but would like to enter the brunette pool of brilliance, we have something for you. Scroll down for a DIY tutorial on how to color your hair brown at home! Keep reading to check out some beautiful color trends for your brown hair. Trust us; you won’t be sorry for going brown. Swipe up now!

How To Color Your Hair Brown At Home

What You Need

  • Old towel
  • Rubber/plastic gloves
  • Hair brush
  • Sectioning clips
  • Brown hair dye (in the shade of your choice)
  • 30 volume developer (if your hair is black)
  • Hair tinting brush
  • Bowl
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner

What To Do

  1. Start off by draping a towel around your shoulders to avoid staining your clothes with the hair dye.
  2. Mix and prepare the brown hair dye in a bowl according to the instructions given on the box. If you have long hair, get two boxes of dye to be on the safer side. You will also have to add the 30 volume developer to your hair dye if you have dark black hair.
  3. Part your hair from the center of your forehead to the nape of your neck and from ear to ear to divide into 4 equal sections.
  4. Leaving one of the sections at the back of your head loose, clip up the remaining 3 sections of hair.
  5. Starting from the nape of your neck, pick up a thin section of hair and coat it with dye on both sides using a hair tinting brush. You can use your fingers to work the dye into the section of hair.
  6. Unclip the sections of hair one by one and apply dye to all your hair in the same manner.
  7. Leave the brown hair dye on for the duration of time indicated on the box.
  8. Wash off the dye with plain water until the water runs clear before shampooing and conditioning it.

protip_icon Quick Tip
Use coconut oil on your hairline to ensure the hair dye does not stain your face.

Well, now that you’ve managed to go brunette, let’s move on to the fun part and look at the best ways that you can style it!

21 Beautiful Brunette Hair Colors

1. Glossy Chocolate Balayage

Glossy chocolate balayage hair color for brunettes
Image: Instagram

If hair looks were considered a piece of art, then this one would be a masterpiece. This rich and glossy chocolate brown balayage done on a dark mahogany brown base looks luxurious to say the least. But it’s the styling done in voluminous waves that takes this hair look to a whole new level.

2. Golden Blonde Highlights On Chestnut Brown Hair

Golden blonde highlights hair color idea on chestnut brown hair
Image: Instagram @christinalove_hair

Add some texture and movement to your monochrome brunette mane by giving it some highlights in a soft golden blonde shade. These delicate highlights line her dark chestnut brown tresses perfectly and add a pop of brightness without venturing too far into light hair territory. Just style this look in some big waves before you flood your Instagram with artistically taken shots in your new do.

3. Deep Auburn Brown

Deep auburn brown hair color idea for brunettes
Image: Instagram @wellahair

Auburn is one of those shades that teeters the line between red and brown. So perhaps the best way to describe it would be a rich brown hue with scarlet red undertones. This gorgeous brunette look is perfect for adding tons of depth and the illusion of volume to your hair.

4. Light Brown Ombre

Light brown ombre hair color idea for brunettes
Image: Instagram @christymillerhair

Want to soften up the style of your dark brown hair? Then an ombre in a light shade of brown is a just what you need. This ombre look that starts off a rich chocolate brown shade at the roots and fades into a soft golden brown shade towards the ends is perfect for infusing your look with a youthful vibe.

5. Rose Gold And Brown Balayage

Rose gold and brown balayage hair color for brunettes
Image: Instagram @stacycaitlinhair

Metal toned hair colors are a great way to add some light and brightness to your monotone hair look. These rose gold balayage highlights done on soft brown hair add tons of stunning dimension and movement to her hair and make her look effortlessly chic, especially when styled in beachy waves.

6. Brown And Copper Ombre

Brown and copper ombre hair color for brunettes
Image: Instagram @oh.hey.anne

A good way to accentuate the natural dark brown tone of your hair is to go for an ombre style in a light hue. A warm copper shade works brilliantly in this case as it creates a dazzling contrast with the deep brown shade at the roots. Curl the lower ombre section of your hair to look like a million bucks.

protip_icon Trivia
Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Halle Berry are popular brown-haired celebrities.

7. Dripping Chocolate Brunette

Dripping chocolate hair color for brunettes
Image: Shutterstock

I think we can all agree that when it comes to style, Priyanka Chopra can do no wrong. This brunette bombshell is the definition of #hairgoals because of her multitonal brown hair look. Luxurious shades of chestnut, mahogany, caramel, espresso, and chocolate brown blend together flawlessly to make her look classy as hell.

8. Distressed Brunette Bob

Distressed dark brown bob with messy golden brown and blonde highlights
Image: Shutterstock

Chrissy Teigen may be the undisputed queen of Twitter and at trolling Trump, but there’s another area that she absolutely kills it in. Yep, I’m talking about her gorgeous hair. This distressed dark brown bob done up in messy golden brown, honey, and blonde highlights has been given a grungy vibe with the help of scrunched up waves.

9. Warm Brunette Babylights

Warm-toned babylights for brunettes
Image: Instagram @mizzchoi

A big fear that women have when they cut off their long hair into a short bob is it’ll lose all its volume. A good way to counteract that situation is by going in for some babylights. Some warm toned brown babylights can work wonders in making your short bob look fuller and more voluminous.

10. Walnut Brown With Blonde Edges

Walnut brown hair color with blonde edges for brunettes
Image: Instagram @aveda

Modernity meets elegance in this brunette hair color that you absolutely need to try out. The deep walnut brown of this layered cut has been contrasted with a cool toned blonde hue right at the edges. The wispy bangs up front add to the wow-factor of this look.

11. Dimensional Dark Chocolate

Dimensional dark chocolate hair color idea for brunettes
Image: Instagram @mrs.carolinegreer

When it comes to brunette hair color, chocolate brown leads the list. This gorgeous shade works like a charm if you want to go for a hair look that has depth and dimension. To do so, go for the darkest brown shade as your base and highlight it with a rich chocolate shade right at the front in very subtle strokes.

12. Cinnamon Sombre

Cinnamon sombre hair color idea for brunettes
Image: Instagram @bmonroesalondowntown

Sugar and spice may be everything nice but this one spice, in particular, is the inspiration for one of the most fabulous hair colors. Cinnamon brown is the perfect warm toned color for anyone looking to change up their hair look for fall or winter. Go for a sombre look with this shade under a coffee brown base to up the beauty of this style.

13. Tawny Brown

Tawny brown hair color for brunettes
Image: Instagram @amandarose_artistry

When it comes to brunette hair colors, tawny brown doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserves. This medium brown shade with peachy undertones is lovely for an all-over color job and is sure to give you that perfect natural hair look. Just keep things simple by styling it straight and you’re good to go!

14. Sandy Brown Ombre

Sandy brown ombre hair color idea for brunettes
Image: Instagram @hairbyellierose

You know an ombre is a work of art when it is blended out so seamlessly that you can’t figure out where the natural color ends and the dye begins. This sandy brown ombre done on a chestnut brown base does exactly that to create a marvelous hair look.

15. Dark To Light Transition Brunette

Dark to light transition hair color idea for brunettes
Image: Instagram @byersandbirrell

Struggling to decide if you want to go for a light hair color job? Then this transitional color look can help you make up your mind. This brunette style starts off with a dark coffee shade at the roots and slowly fades into a soft biscuit-y brown hue. This transitional brunette style looks especially great on long, waist-length hair.

16. Spicy Chocolate Brown

Spicy chocolate brown hair color for brunettes
Image: Instagram @brittneyrhodeshair

Now here’s a brunette look that is inspired by the famous spicy hot chocolate that everyone loves around Christmas time. This ginger toned balayage done on dark chocolate brown hair looks oh-so-luxurious and like it was hand painted by an artist (which, frankly, it was because hairdressers are artists in their own right).

17. Bronze Toned Brunette Bob

Bronze toned brunette bob hair color idea
Image: Shutterstock

Emma Watson may have stolen the world’s heart with her acting chops and beauty but what I loved the most about her were her ever-so-classy hair looks. This mahogany bob with bronze undertones is the perfect example of the same. The sleek styling with a pinned up side part makes her look like a glamorous Hollywood starlet from the 20s.

18. Blonde Tinted Brunette Curls

Blonde tinted brunette curls hair color ideas
Image: Instagram @armstrongmccallofficial

Women with coiled curly hair often find it hard to go for highlights thinking they won’t show up well on their hair. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. These light blonde highlights done on brunette hair add a glimmering tint to the mane and accentuate the curls in all their glory.

19. Brunette With Auburn Undertones

Brunette hair color ideas with auburn undertones
Image: Instagram @selenagomez

I’m sure you did a double take when you saw that stunning shot of Selena Gomez. And why wouldn’t you? Her glorious chestnut mane was taken to new heights by just adding some auburn undertones to it. No wonder this shot held the record for the ‘Most Liked Picture’ on Instagram for a good while.

20. Lightest Brown

Lightest Brown hair color ideas for brunettes
Image: Shutterstock

Can’t make up your mind about going blonde or brunette? Then let this simple all over color job sported by Jennifer Lopez put you out of your dilemma. This spun gold brown shade is so light that it can almost pass off as blonde. But the multidimensional quality of it firmly establishes it as a brunette hair look.

21. Dark Brown

Woman with dark brown hair
Image: Shutterstock

A stunning choice for a versatile and classic look is the dark brown hair color. It is a timeless hue that adds depth and richness to your locks. Dark brown shades come in various undertones like warm, cool, or neutral. This makes it suitable for different skin tones and preferences. This color also offers a a subtle but bold appearance which accentuates your features without being too overpowering. Its low-maintenance nature makes it ideal for those looking for an elegant yet easy-to-manage hair color. We recommend consulting with a professional colorist to choose the perfect shade of dark brown that enhances your overall look and brings out the best in your hair.

Infographic: 4 Vibrant Hair Colors For Brunettes

Dark chocolate brown hair is absolutely crave-worthy. Those gifted with naturally brunette hair can go for a makeover with highlights, lowlights, or balayage for a multidimensional effect. Take a look at the infographic for the top four brunette hairstyles to sport to the next party.

4 Vibrant Hair Colors For Brunettes (infographic)

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Get the high-quality PDF version of this infographic.

Download Infographic in PDF version

Natural brunettes have a lot going for them, as brown hair not only looks beautiful and rich but also makes a great canvas for painting with other hair colors. It’s such a versatile color that you can wear it with any hairstyle and look great! Hair color ideas for brunettes include chocolate, chestnut, mahogany, and coffee. Even burgundy and plum colors would work for a subtle look. With these shades and more, you can go for your preferred technique, such as balayage, ombre, highlights, or a complete hair color change. Whether you want to transform your light hair to brown or style up your naturally dark messes for some oomph, this post has got you covered with the best brunette hair color ideas on the internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What colors should brunettes avoid?

Brunettes should avoid going any lighter than two shades of your natural color. To pick the best hair color, you can use chocolate as a reference, with the coolest shade being dark chocolate and the warmest being milk chocolate. Any color in between can suit brunettes.

How do natural brunettes get highlights?

Natural brunettes can opt for highlights in blonde or other lighter colors to create dimension and interest.

What colors suit brunettes with green eyes?

Deep chestnut brown, cinnamon brown, and medium brown suit brunettes with green eyes.

Key Takeaways

  • Brown hair allows one to experiment with a wide range of hair colors, from subtle highlights to bold transformations.
  • Depending on your skin tone and style, you can pick brunette shades such as chocolate, chestnut, mahogany, and coffee.
  • You can style brown hair using various hair coloring techniques such as balayage, ombre, and highlights.

hair color ideas for brunettes

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team


Check out this video for some gorgeous brown hair color ideas to inspire your next brunette look! From subtle highlights to bold balayage, you’ll find the perfect style.

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