Brown Hair Colour Ideas That Are Anything but Boring

• There are a variety of hair color ideas for brunettes to choose from.
• The most popular shades include the chocolate brown hair color trend and “mushroom-brown.”
• Options range from light brown to deep, rich hues.

If you’re a brunette but are tired of your regular old brown hair color, prepare to find yourself inspired to switch it up. It’s a misconception that dark hair is boring or limited in options; in reality, there are so many different hair color ideas for you to play with – just like with blond or red.

“Translucent” brown, “chocolate” brown, and strawberry brunette are just a few shades that have proven to be popular in 2023, but that’s only the beginning. Whether you’re a light brunette that borders bronde or have an ultra-rich dark brunette hair color, there’s a catalog of shades out there to refresh your look. To find your perfect hair color, you should consider your skin tone, as well as your eye color. Many brunettes also have brown eyes making shades like warm caramel brown and ash brown flattering on them.

Despite many stars going blond over the last year following the 2022 premiere of Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy,” there are also a handful of celebrities proving brunettes can have just as much fun. Just look at Julianne Hough who recently went light brown, Kim Kardashian who went back to her dark brown hue after rocking platinum for quite some time, and Kaley Cuoco with her new medium-brunette color. Not to mention, famous brunettes like Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lopez, and Selena Gomez.

To get inspiration for your new brown hair color, keep scrolling to see some of the most popular variations of the year.

Getty / Pascal Le Segretain

Brown Hair Color Ideas: Golden-Brown Hair

Golden-brown hair, aka “winter gold,” looks really chic and warm when the light hits it.

Getty / Jamie McCarthy

Brown Hair Color Ideas: Caramel-Brown Hair

Caramel-brown is a light-to-medium hue that will brighten up your face. It looks especially flattering on medium and dark skin tones.

Getty / Kevin Mazur

Brown Hair Color Ideas: Red-Brown Hair

If you want something a bit more interesting, try red-brown hair or dark auburn.

Getty / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin

Brown Hair Color Ideas: Ash-Brown Hair

A popular cool-toned brown hair color is ash brown or smoky brunette.

Getty Images / Edward Berthelot

Brown Hair Color Ideas: Strawberry-Brunette Hair

“Strawberry brunette” is a happy medium between the ever-trendy red hair color and dark brown.

Patrick McMullan via Getty Images / Robert Smith

Brown Hair Color Ideas: Medium-Brown Hair

Medium-brown hair looks great with warm honey or blond highlights in it to add dimension, like the “tranluscent-brown” trend.

Getty Images / Albert L. Ortega

Brown Hair Color Ideas: Dark-Brown Hair

Rich, dark-brown hair that borders black is a head-turning look.

Getty / Mason Poole/Parkwood Media

Brown Hair Color Ideas: Honey-Brown Hair

Honey-brown hair is a shade of light brunette that can even pass as “bronde” in some light.