According to Top Colourists, These Are the 9 Chicest Brunette Hair Colours Right Now
I've been a brunette all my life, but it's only in more recent years that I've started experimenting more with my hair colour. Blondes might have more fun, but brunettes are far from boring either. From balayage to hair glosses, I've sat in the chair of several salons and been amazed at the difference a good hair colour appointment can make, whether it's adding tactical highlights or going a couple of shades darker.
After having caramel balayage through my lengths for a long while now, I've been wanting to switch up my hair for winter and have been gravitating to deeper and glossier tones. Many of us consider switching up our hair colour around this season, so I was curious to know what winter hair colours for brunettes are trending right now. To find out, I spoke to hair colour experts from two of London's leading hair salons to provide all the inspiration you need for your next appointment.
1. Ash Brown
"For our brunette lovers that don’t like warmth in their hair, this colour is perfect for someone who loves their brown hair, but doesn’t want to add warmer tones," says Hannah Gayle, hair colourist at Hershesons. If cooler, ashy tones suit your skin and features (if you're more of silver jewellery person than gold, this might be your vibe), then she recommends this colour for you. However, you'll want to book in for regular toners to help keep it looking cool-toned. "Regular toners to kill the warmth and are very important to upkeep this colour," adds Gayle.
If you want to experiment with cooler tones, this colour-depositing mask delivers a glossy espresso hue through the lengths and gradually washes out.
2. Chestnut Brown
"Chestnut brown is a softer version of chocolate brown, adding warmth with a lighter brown to create a beautiful medium brown warm colour," says Gayle, who says this is a great hair to compliment mature brunettes too, as it tends to be softer. "Regular home treatments and glosses to keep the colour fresh and vibrant," she says, so look for products to help keep your chestnut tones looking rich and expensive-looking.
Leave this treatment in for 20 minutes to add an expensive-looking chestnut lustre to your lengths.
3. Teddy Bear Brown
You've heard of teddy bear blonde, but teddy bear brunette is the plush, brown-toned version that makes hair look multi-dimensional and velvety. "Teddy bear brunette is the perfect combination for incorporating a lighter version of your brunette with warm honey tones to complement a natural brunette wanting to add lighter pieces," says Gayle. "I would definitely recommend keeping up with glosses and at-home hair masks to keep this colour look super shiny and super glossy," she says.
This dedicated gloss helps to enhance highlights and the brighter natural tones in medium brunette hair.
4. Caramel Brown
Caramel is a great way to add lightness to your hair in the depths of winter, and balayage or highlights are a great way to add toffee tones through your lengths. "This is a beautiful light soft beige-brown and caramel to create a very natural low maintenance colour—a great way to mix light and dark tones," says Gayle. "This is a very low maintenance colour, but would advise treatments at home to keep the shine," she says.
If you're having lighter tones through your hair, you may find that the bleach can cause damage with time, so be sure to use hair-repairing masks such as this one to keep hair healthy and glossy.
5. Burgundy Brown
"We have seen this tone enter our wardrobes and our nails and now on our hair," says Harriet Muldoon, hair colourist at Larry King. "This shade is a deep rich red with a hint of purple melted into a brown base. I love this shade as it’s multi-tonal in different lighting. It’s definitely a stand out trend."
Want to experiment with this bolder hue? This mask adds a rich burgundy tone to brunettes.
6. Auburn Brown
"Auburn brown is a mix of copper and brunette, you can really have fun with this colour. You can go more auburn or brunette to create a unique colour that really suits your features and tones," says Gayle. "It’s such a beautiful mix if you feel copper is to loud and want to soften this. Regular regrowth tints are important to avoid regrowth banding and keeping the colour seamless," she says.
Tip a toe into auburn tones with this colour-depositing gloss that will add rich red tones.
7. Noir Brown
"Demi Moore and Kylie Jenner have been running this trend at the Golden Globes. It still looks like a natural tone—it’s the darkest shade before black—think super healthy hair and shine," says Muldoon "To maintain I would go with a Redken Shades EQ gloss and the brown lights range to maintain tone."
8. Bronzed Brown
"This look is for brunettes that want to have multi-tonal hair, but feel like a brunette," says Living Proof . "To create this look go for a balayage and layer with some rich dark blonde tones."
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Keep bronze tones looking vibrant—not brassy—by enlisting the help of a violet or blue toning shampoo such as this one to help your hair colour look fresh in between salon visits.
9. Chocolate Brown
"This rich chocolate brown colour will never go out of style," says Gayle. "It’s the Perfect mix of warm tones to create shine and a deep brown for depth and warmth that adds so much softness. I would recommend regular toners to upkeep the shine and richness."
Keep chocolate tones looking rich with blue toning drops in between salon visits to keep your colour fresh.
Eleanor Vousden is the beauty editor for Who What Wear UK. She was previously deputy editor at Hairdressers Journal, health writer at Woman & Home and junior beauty editor at beauty website Powder. She has also contributed to Wallpaper and Elle Collections with written and styling work.Working as a beauty journalist since 2015 after graduating in fashion journalism at the London College of Fashion, she has been highly commended at the BSME Talent Awards for her work on Powder and also contributed to the title winning Website of the Year at the PPA Awards.Eleanor’s journalistic focus is to provide readers with honest and helpful beauty content. Through words, video and live broadcast, she has interviewed several celebrity makeup artists, hairstylists and top dermatologists throughout her career, as well as celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Scarlett Johansson. She has a particular interest in finding solutions for acne and eczema, which she has experienced firsthand. She has also amassed a large collection of fragrances and can never say no to a new candle.When she’s not writing or testing the latest beauty product or treatments, she’s on the seafront in her hometown of Brighton and Hove, where she lives with her partner and her miniature dachshund.
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