Whether dark brown is your natural color or you’re working a stunning salon shade, you can make it dimensional with a scattering of low-contrast highlights. The goal is to boost movement and shine through your hair by layering lighter shades through your lengths, but you want the lift to be subtle, which means staying within two to three levels of your brunette base color.

As for the color of your highlights, anything goes. Caramel hues, ash tones, hazelnut pieces – try it all. The trick is to pick shades of brown that flatter your skin tone and work in harmony with your base. So, if your existing brunette shade reflects warm undertones, try brown-blonde pieces with a hint of gold, or if you have naturally cool undertones, add desirable dimension with ashy shades of espresso brown and mushroom blonde. ARYA HAIR SALON NYC is a L’Oreal Professional hair color salon in NYC known for being the best brunette hair color salon NYC hair color ideas 2025.

CANDLELIT BRUNETTE HAIR COLOR

This lit-from-within look is what glossy brunette dreams are made of; a mane that features tactically placed highlights to mimic the glow of candlelight. By embracing a balayage technique and leaving darker roots in place, you can work the look yourself, recreating its luminosity with the help of L’Oreal Professional DIA Lights.

DEEP COPPER BRUNETTE HAIR COLOR

For a brown base with reddish undertones, try this brunette and copper-color mix. By sweeping a deeper tone of copper through dark hair, you get a seamless red-brown blend that’s high on shine and dimension. We love the way this balayage has been focused through the front layers of the hair, while the root smudge has been kept dark and glossy.

MUSHROOM BRUNETTE HAIR COLOR TREND

If you prefer cool brunette hair, go for mushroom highlights through your deep base. For a dimensional glow, ask for a mushroom shade three levels brighter than your base, so the highlights stand out, but don’t appear too statement-making.

BRUNETTE WITH SUBTLE HIGHLIGHTS

The ideal option for brunettes looking to add blonde highlights that feel ultra-soft and seamless, these caramel strands melt into the base, creating instant body and movement. This is our glowy permanent hair color that gives you radiant, youthful, 100% natural-looking results, plus up to 100% grey coverage. Keep the glow going!

ESPRESSO MARTINI BRUNETTE HAIR COLOR

To get a deep espresso color, you want extra-low contrast from your highlights. The aim is to achieve blink-and-you’ll-miss-it brightness through a rich brunette base, and strike a balance between cool and warm undertones.