50 Elegant Hair Color Ideas For Brunettes

Discover all the best, most gorgeous hair color ideas for brunettes ranging from subtle looks with dark-colored highlights to combinations with bold and unconventional colors such as green and purple, all below!

1. Brunette with Dark Blue Undertones

Brunette with Dark Blue Undertones- a woman wearing a black barber's cape — Source

2. Brunette with Soft and Subtle Brown Highlights

Brunette with Soft and Subtle Brown Highlights- a woman wearing a face mask — Source

3. Brunette with Caramel Highlights

Brunette with Caramel Highlights- a woman wearing a gray hoodie jacket — Source

4. Shiny Dark Brunette Hair

Shiny Dark Brunette Hair- a woman wearing checkered sleeve — Source

5. Toasted Caramel Brunette Hair

Toasted Caramel Brunette Hair- a woman wearing a dark gray sweater — Source

6. Brunette with Reverse Balayage

Brunette with Reverse Balayage- a woman wearing a white shirt — Source

7. Brunette with Light Brown Balayage

Brunette with Light Brown Balayage- a woman wearing a black barber's cape — Source

8. Brunette with Strawberry Blonde

Brunette with Strawberry Blonde- a woman wearing a gray sweater — Source

9. Brunette with Brown to Purple Balayage

Brunette with Brown to Purple Balayage- a woman wearing a checkered long sleeve — Source

10. Brunette Balayage Highlights

Brunette Balayage Highlights- a woman wearing a black sweater — Source

11. Brunette with Magenta Highlights

Brunette with Magenta Highlights- a woman wearing a black blouse — Source

12. Brunette with Light Blonde

Brunette with Light Blonde- a woman wearing a white t-shirt — Source

13. Brunette with Cream Highlights

Brunette with Cream Highlights- a woman wearing a yellow sweater — Source

14. Mushroom Brown Brunette

Mushroom Brown Brunette- a woman wearing a pink shirt — Source

15. Brunette with Root Melt Espresso

Brunette with Root Melt Espresso- a woman wearing a white sweater — Source

16. Brunette with Milk Chocolate Espresso

Brunette with Milk Chocolate Espresso- a woman wearing a blue combat sweater — Source

17. Brunette with Copper Brown Undertones

Brunette with Copper Brown Undertones- a woman wearing a brown blouse — Source

18. Brunette with Mocha Balayage

Brunette with Mocha Balayage- a woman wearing a gray sweater — Source

19. Brunette with Purple Under-color

Brunette with Purple Undercolor- a woman wearing a black face mask — Source

20. Brunette with Chocolate Brown Ombre

Brunette with Chocolate Brown Ombre- a woman wearing a gray sweater — Source

21. Dark Mocha Brunette

Dark Mocha Brunette- a woman wearing a white checkered polo — Source

22. Brunette with Ash Beige

Brunette with Ash Beige- a woman wearing a brown sweater — Source

23. Brunette with Pink Highlights and Light Brown Undertones

Brunette with Pink Highlights and Light Brown Undertones- a woman wearing a black face mask — Source

24. Brunette with Soft Babylights and Root Melt

Brunette with Soft Babylights and Root Melt- a woman wearing a black shirt — Source

25. Brunette with Copper Brown Hair and Pink Under-color

Brunette with Copper Brown Hair and Pink Under-color- a woman wearing a white shirt — Source

26. Cocoa Hair Color Ideas

We’ll start off this list of hair color ideas for brunettes with a dark-colored but warm look. One of the simplest ways to sweeten up significantly dark hair is by adding cocoa highlights. Depending on the desired effect, you can ask for a subtle placement or chunkier strands of highlights.

Cocoa Hair Color Ideas- a woman with a tattoo — Source

27. Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes with Ashy Highlights

Another way to significantly lighten up your hair – and in a more obvious way – is to go for some ash-colored highlights. This, for example, is an ashy dark rose blonde highlights idea – place them over the upper layers of hair and leave the underlayers in their natural color.

Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes with Ashy Highlights- a woman with red lips — Source

28. Dark and Light Caramel Highlights

Make brown hair look like molten chocolate by strategically placing dark and light chocolate highlights in it. If you look closely, you will also notice the almost red undertones of some of the strands. To really bring out the caramel highlights, consider curling the locks to create loose waves.

Caramel Highlights- a wearing an indigo dress — Source

29. The Dark to Light Balayage Look

Balayage is the perfect dyeing technique if you are looking to get a soft and natural gradient. For example, see how the hair color in this picture transitions from a dark brown at the roots and on top of the head to caramel at mid-back level before ending in warm blonde at the tips.

The Dark to Light Balayage Look- a woman wearing a black dress — Source

30. Honey Brown Hair Color

There is honey blonde hair and then there’s honey brown hair, as you can admire in this picture. This warm shade of brunette will look outstanding both as a solid color spread all over the head and as highlights or lowlights used to accentuate specific portions of the head.

Honey Brown Hair Color- a woman wearing a denim jacket — Source

31. Golden Bronze Hair

Jennifer Lopez was and continues being a major source of inspiration and of hair color ideas for brunettes. The Latina has experimented with many hair color and hairstyles but we are totally in awe at this superb brown hair with golden bronze highlights look. Style it in big and loose waves and sweep it over one shoulder and you’ve got an instant stunner!

Golden Bronze Hair- Jennifer Lopez wearing a black dress — Source

32. Chocolate Brown Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes

Not to be confused with cocoa, this chocolate hair example has the locks dyed in a uniform dark chocolate color. Just as with the delicious treat itself, you can choose your favorite flavor of chocolate and go for milk chocolate, caramel chocolate, or any other shades as well.

Chocolate Brown Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes- a woman wearing a white blouse — Source

33. Cinnamon Brown Hair

Keeping on with the food-inspired hair color for brunettes, we present one inspired by a very popular spice: cinnamon. The rich and warm brown base hair color was made all the more vivid simply by adding cinnamon highlights. Another thing that makes it stand out is the beautiful styling.

Cinnamon Brown Hair- a woman wearing a black dress — Source

34. Dark Copper Highlights

Why settle for one color when you can add several? For a more diverse yet still elegant look, consider adding highlights in different colors but from the same palette. Dark copper, for example, will look beautiful when placed on a brunette base and combined with red and even caramel highlights. Just be sure to blend them in properly for a smooth effect!

Dark Copper Highlights- a woman wearing a black blouse — Source

35. Light Brown Hair Color Ideas

The balayage here is so perfectly applied that you almost can’t even notice the colors blending into one another. The roots of the hair are a deep dark brown that then falls into caramel, medium natural brown, light natural brown, and then once again darken into medium before ending in deep brown black tips.

Light Brown Hair Color Ideas- a woman wearing a sun-glass — Source

36. The Milk Chocolate Look

As mentioned a bit earlier, you can choose your next shade of chocolate depending on your favorite flavor. For example, admire the beauty of milk chocolate hair and see how lustrous it can on hair that was side-parted and straightened to perfection!

The Milk Chocolate Look- a woman with long front hair — Source

37. Brunette Hair Color Ideas with Cappuccino Highlights

From one treat to the next, did you know that you can now wear Cappucino highlights? The different colors of these highlights are meant to replicate the famous Italian coffee-based drink. They do so by starting with a light coffee shade and ending in light ashy tips that replicate the milk.

Brunette Hair Color Ideas with Cappuccino Highlights- a woman wearing a checkered polo — Source

38. The Chestnut Brown Hair Color

Chestnut brown can be the perfect hair color for the fall as its rich brown shades will go hand in hand with the beautiful shades of nature. However, this pretty hair color will look just as good in any season!

The Chestnut Brown Hair Color- a woman wearing a white sleeve — Source

39. Golden Brown Hair Ideas

Golden brown hair is another perfect way to liven up and lighten your hair color and the best thing about it is that you will be doing so without changing the undertones either. While most colors will add a warm undertone, this shade of brown keeps its cold base – and with stunning results.

Golden Brown Hair Ideas- a woman wearing a black dress — Source

40. Ombre Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes

We’ve shown you balayage, now it’s time to rejoice in the beauty of ombre. While the stylist will use balayage to make ombre hair, this latter is characterized by the fact that the transition from one hair shade to the other will be shorter and more obvious. Also, ombre traditionally starts from dark roots.

Ombre Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes- a woman wearing a black shirt — Source

41. The Dark Chocolate Hair

You’ve seen chocolate and milk chocolate, now revel in the beauty of dark chocolate hair! Admire these luscious waves that glow as they fall down and over the shoulder in gentle waves. Wear them with a center-part or side-swept depending on what looks best on you!

The Dark Chocolate Hair- a woman wearing a gray jacket — Source

42. Espresso Hair Inspiration

Add a new twist to those curls and make them stand out by dyeing them in an espresso shade. This hair color idea will look just as good on short curly hair as it will do on longer, afro-like hairstyles.

Espresso Hair Inspiration- a woman wearing a brown camisole — Source

43. Mahogany Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes

This stunning shade of mahogany is obtained by blending red with brunette hair to get that perfect reddish-brown color. Some even mix in some dark purple but whether you do so too or not, the result will surely be amazing.

Mahogany Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes- a woman wearing a black blouse — Source

44. Burgundy Hair Color

While the mahogany above was a subtle way of adding red tones to the hair, this shade of burgundy will have you go all out! The color is very vivid and fiery but the fact that it is applied using balayage makes it look more natural thanks to the smooth transition.

Burgundy Hair Color- a woman wearing a white shirt — Source

45. Ash Brown Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes

Now, we’ll be looking at some more unconventional hair color ideas for brunettes and we’ll do so by first introducing you to ash brown hair. This color is so dark, that it can easily be mistaken for gray – however, the difference is given by the undertones and, as can be seen in this example, the lighter strands of gray.

Ash Brown Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes- a woman wearing a white polo — Source

46. Dark to Light Blue Hair

Don’t be afraid to experiment with color and to mix and match them in spectacular ways. Take this look, for example, as an example of how you can add a touch of color to that brunette hair and stand out from the crowd. The top knot-like half-up, half-down hairstyle is also a good idea.

Dark to Light Blue Hair- a woman wearing a black sweater — Source

47. Brunette Hair Color Ideas with Gray Tips

Another interesting way to color your hair in an unconventional manner – yet still in a subtle way – is to color only the tips. Take this raven hair idea as inspiration and model on how you can add gray only to the lower section of hair or even just the tips. The half-up twisted bun styling is also a great way to accentuate these color differences.

Brunette Hair Color Ideas with Gray Tips- a woman wearing a black t-shirt — Source

48. Dark Pink Hair With Black Roots

Pink is and will continue being a great color to wear in your hair – and not just by blondes, either. While many think bubblegum pink or rose gold, know that there also shades or dark pink or ash pink that will look gorgeous when combined with brunette hair.

Dark Pink Hair With Black Roots- a woman wearing a white camisole — Source

49. Purple Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes

Even more daring and just as spectacular, you can also go for different shades of purple in your hair. Here, for example, admire the ashy pastel lavender places on really dark brown hair. The color is further accentuated by the hairstyle itself: a textured and layered short pixie cut with shaved sides and undercut.

Purple Hair Color Ideas for Brunettes- a woman wearing an earrings — Source

50. Forest Green Hair

Our last idea for this list of hair color ideas for brunettes has a very fairy-like feel to it. Ignore the preconception that green is the color of the bad guys/girls and go for this beautiful shade of dark forest green hair. It will look just as good on straight hair as it does on these wavy locks.

Forest Green Hair- a woman wearing a black t-shirt — Source

Conclusion

When it’s all said and done – and after so many great ideas – it is easy to see that dark hair is just as simple to change as the lighter colors. After all, you’ve seen a variety of ways to breathe new life into those dark colors, be it might strategically placed highlights, ombre, balayage, or even as a full-on dye. So which of these hair color ideas for brunettes is your favorite?

Adina Mazilu

As a Foreign Languages graduate, my passion for writing and translating came naturally from a very young age. I was always an artistic person but after college, this hobby turned into a job and then into a business. With a huge passion for beauty and fashion, my areas of interest became more and more clear. For the past few years, I have been writing about my main topics of interest which include, among others, hairstyles. Now, my most ardent wish is to expand my professional horizons and keep writing about my passions and delivering top-quality content to my readers, regardless of where they are living.