Highlights for Brown Hair: 35 Celeb-Inspired Highlights & Lowlights Ideas

From choosing the right shade to lots of ideas for different types of hair colors, here’s everything about lowlights & highlights for brown hair!

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Hey beautiful! We have started the hair color series and I couldn’t be happier! I have been planning to color my hair for 2018. It’s been a while since I experimented with my hair. In fact, I haven’t even got a haircut in a long while. Whaat?! Ok, let’s get to haircut ideas in future articles, and coming back to hair colors, brown hair is the most common hair color in Asian countries and in the west, too! So if you’re looking for brunette highlights and lowlights, we have rounded off almost everything that you should know before coloring your hair.

And working on this topic was an added bonus as even I have brownish black hair. So I’ll also be choosing the right shade for my own highlights with you!! So, let’s check out!

Lowlights & Highlights for Brown Hair

1. Highlights and Lowlights: What’s The Difference?

Let’s start with the basics. Before you get to the salon, you need to know the difference between highlights and lowlights, so you can ask for what you want. Highlights involve lightening the strands whereas lowlights involve darkening the strands. So essentially, highlights are always lighter than the base hair color, and lowlights are always darker.

2. Should You Get Highlights Or Lowlights for Brown Hair?

Whether its highlights or lowlights, both work well for brown hair. Or you can go for a combination of both highlights and lowlights. Like Rihanna who has light brown highlights and black lowlights.

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Rihanna
  1. If you have light brown hair, then lowlights are perfect. Since you already have light hair color, a darker shade will add the look of bounciness and youthfulness.
  2. If you have dark brown hair, the highlights work well, especially to add that sun-kissed look with face-framing lighter strands. Even a combination of lowlights and highlights works well for both light and dark hair.
  3. If you have medium brown hair, either will work for you, so take your pick, or go for both!
  4. If you have less volume, then highlights are a great idea as they give a fuller effect.
  5. Lowlights work for both voluminous and thin hair. They may be used to darken the roots and add a three dimensional, shadow-like effect.
  6. Highlights fade away quicker than lowlights as they are of lighter color and they’ll also be easier to color over. So if you’re someone who likes to change their look frequently, highlights are a better option.
  7. For a more natural sun-kissed look, you can also go for balayage highlights.

Also read: DIY Balayage: How to Do Balayage at Home

3. Brown Hair with Highlights: How to Choose Your Shade

There are a variety of options to choose from if you’re looking for highlights for brown hair. Here are the things to keep in mind before choosing the right shade of highlights.

  1. Typically, colorists choose two shades lighter or darker than your natural or base hair color when going for highlights and lowlights. This gives most natural effect.
  2. If you want something subtle, choose a shade that’s one or two shades lighter than your natural hair color.
  3. If you wanna experiment or want a bolder look then choose a color that’s three or more shades lighter than your natural hair color. Or go for something bright like burgundy or copper!

Also read: Hair Color Ideas for Balayage Ombre and Trendy Hair Highlights

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Cara Delevingne, Julia Roberts & Miranda Kerr

4. Highlights for Light Brown Hair

There are limitless options of shades you can choose from. Violet, medium golden brown, burgundy, ash, blonde, red – so many colors work well with brown hair. For a really bold look, go for platinum blonde highlights, but get them subtly because the zebra/tiger effect is out! Latte, caramel and honey are the best bets that never go out of fashion.

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Rosie Huntington & Sarah Jessica Parker

5. Blonde and Brown Highlights: Getting The Perfect Mix

Blonde brown hair is such a popular style. Internet queen, Kim Kardashian has donned the hair color, too. While going for blonde highlights for brown hair, keep your personal style in mind. Don’t forget to show an image of the look you wanna create to your stylist. This helps your stylist to understand what’s in your mind and whether that can work or not.




There are a variety of styles to try in blonde highlights. From ombré to frosting, they all look gorgeous. If you want subtle blonde highlights, go for caramel, sandy or almost brown blonde shades. Even brown hair with blonde tips would be a good start. If you wanna experiment, then go for platinum, golden or amber shades of blonde.

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Jennifer Lopez

6. Brown to Blonde Ombré

Brown to blonde ombré hair color is widely loved and most popular hair color style. Celebs like Miley Cyrus, Gigi Hadid, Emma Stone, Vanessa Hudgens and pretty much every celeb has sported the super-cool blonde brown hair colors. You can even opt for a reverse ombré effect!

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Miley Cyrus & Vanessa Hudgens

7. Brown Hair with Blonde Highlights

If you feel ombré is too much, then blonde highlights are a cool idea. Go bold or keep it simple, blonde and brown are always a good combination! Here are some ideas for all shades of brown hair:

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Kim Kardashian

A. Light Brown Hair with Blonde Highlights

Platinum, milky chocolate, butterscotch and golden honey blonde highlights work well with light brown hair color.

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Jourdan Dunn, Jennifer Aniston & Rosie Huntington

B. Dark Brown Hair with Blonde Highlights

Golden highlights may sound too bold for dark brown hair, but if chosen right, they can work wonders. Ash, ginger, medium golden blonde or caramel blonde highlights for dark brown hair work well with blonde highlights.

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Jennifer Lopez & Drew Barrymore

8. Subtle Highlights for Dark Brown Hair

Subtle highlights are a great start if you’re coloring for the first time, even for short hair cuts. Try really subtle shade of brown that’s just a shade or two lighter than your natural hair.

Also check out: Balayage Short Hair Ideas | 30 Celeb Inspired Pixies, Bobs & Lobs

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Miranda Kerr & Daisy Ridley

9. Brown Hair with Lowlights

Lowlights may sound tricky for dark hair. Black and darkest brown are the obvious choices for brown hair lowlights, but you can also try dark chestnut and ginger brown. Copper highlights are also a good combination that work well on brown hair with dark chocolate lowlights, especially on long hair. Check out Gigi Hadid’s brown hair with caramel highlights.

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Gigi Hadid, Mila Kunis & Shay Mitchell

10. Dark Brown Hair with Light Brown Highlights

If you wanna experiment while retaining the natural shade, then light brown highlights are a perfect choice. The natural looking highlights for dark brown hair are sunkissed bronde, mocha and auburn. They are subtle but not too bold. I loved Priyanka Chopra’s subtle highlights for brown hair. Perfectly done highlighted hair!

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Aishwarya Rai, Kendall Jenner, Emma Watson & Priyanka Chopra

11. Red Highlights on Brown Hair

Red highlights blend well on brown hair. If you have dark brown hair, go for copper shades or auburn. Even cool red tones like burgundy and magenta are ideal choices. I loved Selena Gomez’s red highlights for dark brown hair!

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Bella Thorne, Beyonce, Selena Gomez & Tyra Banks

12. Multi Colored Highlights for Dark Brown Hair

Multicolors on natural brown hair look way too cool. Whether its light or dark brown hair, rainbow hair look awesome. If you’re a beginner coloring your hair, then this is something you don’t wanna try! If you are completely sure, then go ahead. A great way to experiment if you color your hair regularly.

Take cues from Bella Thorne for subtle multi-colored highlights for dark brown hair. Or go bold like Avril Lavigne or combine blonde and a bright color like Kylie Jenner. Choose colors that complement each other, like mahogany and red. Or that contrast each other like neon pink with green.

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Avril Lavigne, Kylie Jenner & Bella Thorne

13. Frosted Hair

Frosting is wherein a few strands of hair is colored and the adjacent strands are untouched. It gives a salt and pepper effect. Frosted hair gives a really natural look, if done well. So go for a shade that’s close to your natural one. Try chestnut, caramel, amber blonde or chocolate brown shades.

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Kate Upton & Karlie Kloss

So, this was a complete guide for highlights for brown hair. Did you like them? Which hair color are you gonna choose? Let us know by tagging your latest hair makeover on Instagram @shilpaahujadotcom, and we’ll be sure to like your pic!

Also read:
Raspberry Hair Color Ideas to Bring Out Your Inner Sweet Devil!
Balayage vs Ombre: What’s the Difference & All Questions Answered
Blonde Hair with Lowlights: 21 Chic Ideas to Choose From
Best Shampoo for Color Treated Hair 
Highlights and Lowlights: What’s the Difference & What’s Right for You
Hair Color Ideas for Balayage Ombre and Trendy Hair Highlights
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