15 Celeb-Inspired Hair Color Ideas

By Daley Quinn, Women's Health

Hair color ideas for brunettes are soooo much more nuanced then just light, medium, and dark brown. Whether you’re already rocking brown locks and looking to add a bit more dimension, or you’ve always wondered what brunette life is like, please enjoy some major celebrity hair inspo that you'll surely dye for (see what I did there?).

Alexa Chung: Iced Toffee Brown

“The super-beige hue of the highlights extend from root to ends,” explains Paul Cucinello, celebrity stylist and founder of Cucinello Studio NYC. “The reason why these ‘traditional’ (i.e.: not ombre) highlights work so well is because they are only about a shade or two lighter than her cool, light brown base.”

Kylie Jenner: Ash Brown

“If you’ve got some warmer tones or undertones to your skin, try playing with some ashy highlights and lowlights, which have been popular recently,” suggests celebrity hairstylist Andrew Fitzsimons. “It will give your hair dimension and is a very cool look."

Lily Aldridge: Chestnut Brown With Highlights

“This color looks best with Lily’s skin tone with a darker base tone and warmed up with chestnut highlights,” says celebrity hairstylist Rita Hazan.

Kerry Washington: Dark, Sable Brown

“It’s a great example of when a hair color really enhances your eye color and skin tone - I love how rich this color is and how it make her eyes look so intense,” says Cucinello.

Ruby Rose: Dark Amber Brown

“What’s not to drool over?” says Cucinello. “The way the color starts out a bit richer at the roots and then bleeds into a rich, warm, golden amber on the ends.” Cucinello adds that this classic “surfer girl crop” is super easy to wear because it’s simple, sexy and very confident.

Halsey: Dark, Dark Brown

“If you’re thinking about going to a darker brown, I’d recommend starting small,” says Fitzsimons. “Start by asking your stylist to go a shade or two darker," says Fitzsimons. If you want to go even further, you can always step it up in another appointment.

Shay Mitchell: Dark Brown With Highlights And Lowlights

“For someone with olive tones like Shay, dark hair is definitely trending right now,” says Fitzsimons. “Darker hair colors often don’t show dimension well, especially in photos, so the key is to add some layered highlights and lowlights (which, as you can see from Shay’s photo, this can very subtle).”

Indya Moore: Soft, Chestnut Brown With Sun-Kissed Tips

“It’s just so refreshing to see natural hair textures and colors take center stage,” says Cucinello. “I love how her color just fades out on the ends as if she spent a good amount of time in the sun - it’s not an ombre, it’s a subtle gradation."

Ashley Graham: Medium-To-Dark Brown Hair

“What I love about Ashley’s color, which is great for anyone with olive tones to their skin, is the honey highlights that give the color dimension,” says Fitzsimons.

Katie Holmes: Chocolate Brown

“This is an example of what I consider the perfect brown: it’s super-neutral, which makes it very wearable, not too dark, not too light, not too red, not too ash...just right,” says Cucinello.

Joan Smalls: Amber Highlights

“Joan’s hair is naturally a dark brunette, which looks gorgeous with her skin tone, but she’s given her hair dimension and warmth with highlights throughout,” says Fitzsimons.

Olivia Munn: “Root Beer” Brunette

“Adding another color to a solid brunette always makes it more interesting," says Cucinello, "and in this case, the auburn highlights not only break up the color but they bring out the warmth in her skin tone and make her hazel eyes look incredible.”

Gal Gadot: Warm And Cool

“Gal Gadot has naturally fair skin that is fairly neutral, so this dark shade looks lovely with her complexion,” says Fitzsimons. “She has a range of subtle warm and cool tones in her hair, so it doesn’t wash her out.”

Anne Hathaway: Rich, Warm Dark Brown

“With her porcelain skin and large eyes, this hair color plays up the rosiness in Anne’s cheeks,” says Hazan. “It really gives her a natural vibe.”

Constance Wu: Honey Brown

“The rich, sun-drenched honey color is so flattering on warm skin tones from deep to fair,” explains Cucinello. “Honey softens the intensity of dark brown eyes and gives them more of a glow.”