Are you still torn on which you should choose between brown and blonde hair colors? Then note that you can have both.
What you can do is combine them by having brown hair with blonde highlights. Combining both colors is a good decision as it gives your hair more contrast, depth and movement.
Table Of Contents
- 35 Most Popular Brown Hairstyles With Blonde Highlights
- Caramel Blonde Shade Featuring Champagne Twist
- Dark Brown Locks Featuring Blonde Strands
- Chocolate Brown Hair Featuring Beige Blonde Highlights
- Heavy Blonde Highlights
- Chestnut Brown Roots Featuring Soft Blonde Ombre
- Warm Blonde Melt Look
- Brown Hair Featuring Platinum Babylights
- Dark Brown Hair Featuring Heavy Blonde Balayage
- Light Brown Hair Featuring Buttery Blonde Balayage
- Light Brown Hair Featuring Amber Blonde Highlights
- Cool Blonde Balayage
- Dark Brown Lob Featuring Buttery Blonde Balayage
- Blonde Streaks
- Dark Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Highlights
- Golden Blonde Balayage
- Strawberry Blonde Highlights
- Baby Caramel Melt
- Cool Blonde Highlights
- Curly Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Highlights
- Platinum Blonde Money Piece
- Brunette With Toffee Highlights
- Blended Balayage Curls
- Ice Blonde Balayage
- Ashy Brown Hair Featuring Honey Highlights
- Silver Blonde Highlights
- Sandy Brown Featuring Blonde Highlights
- Face-Framing Blonde Highlights
- Medium Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Highlights
- Icy Blonde Locks
- Dark Brown Hair Featuring Caramel Blonde Highlights
- Blended Blonde Tones
- Short Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Highlights
- Blonde Highlights With Dimension
- Brown Layers Featuring Strawberry Blonde Balayage
- Chocolate Brown Hair Featuring Caramel Blonde Balayage
- Light Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Shades
- How to Style and Maintain Brown Hair With Blonde Highlights
- FAQ
- How much does it cost to get blonde highlights in brown hair?
- Does brown hair with blonde highlights require frequent touch-ups?
- How long do blonde highlights last in brown hair?
- Do you need to bleach your brown hair if you want blonde highlights?
- How will I know what kind of blonde highlights will suit me?
35 Most Popular Brown Hairstyles With Blonde Highlights
Caramel Blonde Shade Featuring Champagne Twist
This style is perfect for those with dark brown hair. You can lighten that particular hair color by adding caramel blonde highlights.
Add a glossy effect to your tresses by incorporating a hint of champagne. This is a fantastic color combination that will turn heads.
Dark Brown Locks Featuring Blonde Strands
It is also nice to go for dark brown locks that feature blonde strands in the form of highlights. What’s great about this style is that the blonde strands added to your dark brown hair can nicely frame your face.
It can feature subtle touches of blonde that go well with your tousled waves and long layers.
Chocolate Brown Hair Featuring Beige Blonde Highlights
This look for your hair aims to make all the colors and styles seamlessly mold and combine. This can give you a color with a rich finish.
It can give out a more unified color palette, as the pure chocolate brown shade matches perfectly with the beige blonde, which is more of a neutral shade.
Heavy Blonde Highlights
Choose heavy blonde highlights if you prefer providing your hair with more texture. The additional texture the highlights provide makes your strands appear deeper and thicker. Integrate beachy waves into the overall hairstyle to create a more relaxed feel.
Chestnut Brown Roots Featuring Soft Blonde Ombre
One thing you will instantly notice in this hairstyle is its lower half, which seems sun-kissed. This particular feature is the reason behind your hair’s buttery soft and silky-smooth look.
It also uses a blonde shade with a butterscotch tone, which is perfectly compatible with the brown shade’s warmth.
Warm Blonde Melt Look
You will also look and feel great if you sport the warm blonde melt look for your hair. You can develop the color melt by picking honey, caramel, and golden tones in this case.
The color melt comes from your roots that hold the chocolate brown shade. It can create a brightening effect, allowing you to lighten up your entire look. It would even appear like you lighten your hair without bleach.
Brown Hair Featuring Platinum Babylights
In this hairstyle, you will take advantage of subtle platinum highlights. Making these highlights a part of your overall hairstyle can give your dark chocolate brown hair more dimension. Make sure you are extra careful when applying this style to your hair.
Be as thorough as when trying to choose between partial and full highlights. The reason is that you risk going too far if you do it heavily since the highlights are lighter compared to your locks’ base color.
Dark Brown Hair Featuring Heavy Blonde Balayage
With the positive effects of this shade on your overall hairstyle, you will surely start getting more interest in balayage. It has such a nice effect that you will choose the former if you decide which to select, the balayage or foil highlights.
You can use your dark brown mane to make a statement in this style. You can also do so with your platinum ombre ends that can grow out flatteringly while requiring only minimal touch-ups.
Light Brown Hair Featuring Buttery Blonde Balayage
If you want your hairstyle to have a partial balayage for contrast, you may wish for this style. This works well if you are long-haired with delicate loose curls. Just add blonde highlights to your dark chestnut brown shade.
Light Brown Hair Featuring Amber Blonde Highlights
This is also a very nice pairing of brown and blonde hair colors. In this style, you will have great-looking hair as the shades tend to combine buttery honey blonde and sweet cola brown. You will also fall in love with its attractive cream soda finish.
Cool Blonde Balayage
This beautiful cool blonde balayage hairstyle is a sure way for you to bring out the beauty of your hair. It features cool undertones that are genuinely compatible with your darker roots. This can form a contrasting and softer effect.
Dark Brown Lob Featuring Buttery Blonde Balayage
If you want to sport a fun, playful, and exciting hairstyle, you can go for the dark brown lob and pair it up with a buttery blonde balayage.
Here, you will use hints of lighter blonde, making it possible for the color to play nicely with your lob-length haircut’s dark chocolate brown shade. Expect this style to carry a breezy and relaxing vibe as it also features long layers in the wavy haircut.
Blonde Streaks
You can also style your hair with blonde streaks, which you can attain using a brush and aluminum foils. You must put the aluminum foil beneath the part of your hair you wish to streak.
Do this before you apply hair dye. Secure that particular part or section of your hair by folding the foil. By doing that, the color will not spread to other strands.
It is the ideal style for anyone wishing to make their hairstyle more interesting while ensuring the result is still low-key. You can maintain the subtlety of this style by choosing a natural warm blonde.
Stripping hair dye is also easier here since it is subtle and low-key.
Dark Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Highlights
If you have dark chocolate brown strands, you can amp up this look and add more life and vibrance to it with the help of subtle and thin blonde highlights.
What’s great about the hints of blonde is that they can capture light nicely, which is lacking when using solid brown on your hair.
Golden Blonde Balayage
In this hairstyle, you will take advantage of the color gold, often intended for the rich and famous. You will find the blonde balayage useful in adding a nice and elegant touch to your brown-colored hair.
It can provide more depth to your strands, which is why you can make them look thicker. Another advantage is that the blonde lower half and brown roots are helpful in beautifully framing your face.
Strawberry Blonde Highlights
Also known as Venetian blonde, strawberry blonde highlights are among the unique hair colors you can wear.
This shade started when women in Venice, who sported darker hair, began desiring the blonde tresses they saw in foreigners. This prompted the beginning of hair dyeing in Venice, which resulted in the Venetian blonde shade.
It features a mix of ginger-blonde shades with a pinkish and reddish color. Make these highlights even more interesting by mixing them with light brown.
This can make your brown locks obtain more texture and dimension. Adding waves when styling your hair is also a good idea, giving your hairstyle a fascinatingly flowy look.
Baby Caramel Melt
In this particular hair color, it would seem like your hair’s on its way to transitioning to blonde. What’s great about it is that the process does not require you to go through the hassles of thorough upkeep and possibly harsh grow-outs.
To make this style work, using your natural hair color to maintain a shadow root is highly recommended. Give the style an excellent finish by using a melt of caramel blonde.
Cool Blonde Highlights
Cool blonde highlights are compatible with people who have cool undertones. It showcases an excellent blonde color, which makes it ideal for a skin tone classified as cool.
One thing that is so noticeable in this shade is the white-silver tint capable of improving the shine of your strands. It is also what helps keep your hair appear healthy and thick.
Curly Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Highlights
Do you want to make your chocolate brown hair lighter? Then make light brown highlights a part of your overall hairstyle. Adding these highlights in front would be best to make them look more prominent.
There is no need to dye your locks or get a full highlight. Note that even hints of dark blonde or light brown strands integrated in front would be enough to update your style.
Platinum Blonde Money Piece
Do you have dark brown hair and want to add vigor and energy by combining it with a light blonde? Then consider going for the platinum blonde.
These are face-framing pieces guaranteed to make your hair look even more attractive. You can blend this shade in a way that fits your facial shape. It can also instantly update the style of your solid brown hair.
Brunette With Toffee Highlights
You can also combine brunettes with interesting toffee highlights. This combination is enough to provide your skin with a metallic golden glow.
It is possible because of the complementary toffee highlights or caramel baby lights. You can conveniently integrate it into your warm brown hair. Enhance your hair’s shine by brushing and smoothing it out.
Blended Balayage Curls
With the blended balayage curls, you will surely be able to get your money’s worth. You can do that if the main focus is on the ends while trying to integrate an entire scheme of colors.
It could be a wide range of colors, starting from the chocolate brown shade to the color of caramel, then honey blonde. It can give a fantastic blend, which can significantly showcase your personality. This is true if you also integrate some nice curls into the style.
Ice Blonde Balayage
You can also give the ice blonde balayage a try. In this shade, you can integrate balayage using cool tones, such as ice blonde, to your darker and cool brunette hair color.
When applying this style, make sure the color of your roots remains dark. You should then combine the colors seamlessly.
Ashy Brown Hair Featuring Honey Highlights
Getting ash brown hair color is a trend nowadays, so this color combination is worth checking out. One thing to note about locks with the ashy brown shade is that they can fall under cool tones, like silver.
It does not belong to warm tones that usually include golds and reds. You can incorporate warmth into the ashy brown shade, though, using honey highlights. The result is a cool hairstyle that is also cohesive.
Silver Blonde Highlights
With this hairstyle’s help, you are allowed to blend warm and cool tones, which can result in an attractive bronde blend.
It also looks good if you pair this style with a brunette afro. The fact that it comes with light tips means it can frame your face generously while accentuating your jawline nicely.
Sandy Brown Featuring Blonde Highlights
Do you want to wear a hassle-free beach air without hassle? Then you can make that possible by combining your sandy brown hair with blonde highlights. This combination will let you showcase a beach hairstyle regardless of the year.
Face-Framing Blonde Highlights
If you want your brown hair styled to frame your face efficiently, choose to incorporate blonde highlights. They are guaranteed to be face-framing, so you may want to include these highlights in your overall appearance.
Medium Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Highlights
Does your hair currently have a neutral brown shade? Then an effective means of sticking with this particular tone while bringing some lightness and vibrance into it is to add honey-beige highlights.
Just like caramel balayage highlights, it would be best to do it with a heavy hand to increase the overall style’s flair.
Icy Blonde Locks
Icy blonde locks are also considered a hit these days. With the icy blonde locks, you can give your strands a cooler tone, which is nice.
Dark Brown Hair Featuring Caramel Blonde Highlights
In this style, you will be sporting dark roots that tend to contrast with the striking and bold caramel-blonde balayage surrounding your face and can be found at the ends.
The caramel blonde highlights are also strong in that they can attract the attention of those around you, especially to your bright and vibrant face.
Blended Blonde Tones
Blended blonde tones are shades you can uniquely integrate into your brown hair. The tones are nice to look at, so expect to hear positive things about your hair when you use them.
Short Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Highlights
If you naturally have short brown hair and want to add some colors for more brightness and vibrance, adding hints of blonde highlights can help you achieve that goal.
You can even integrate a money piece, even a subtle one, into this style, which helps frame your face well.
Blonde Highlights With Dimension
For this style to work, you should keep the roots of your hair dark before putting blonde highlights into your hair, starting from the front.
With your dark roots, you can have a more elongated face.
Meanwhile, the highlights in color light blonde aid in softening your entire look. When planning to get this style, ensure that you match the highlights with the undertone of your skin and the color of your eyes to get the perfect look.
Brown Layers Featuring Strawberry Blonde Balayage
In this style, you will have to sport a chunkier version of balayage, which should begin close to your roots in the shade of dark brown.
This should create a cherry-cola statement.
Of course, it features strawberry blonde highlights that help in making the red shade used in this combination look incredible.
Chocolate Brown Hair Featuring Caramel Blonde Balayage
This is another interesting color combination. Here, you will enjoy chocolate brown hair with equally fun and nice honey-blonde highlights tinted in caramel.
It would be best to look for a salon professional that caters to such needs. Also, keep highlighting the incredibly-looking pieces of your base in dark brown.
Light Brown Hair Featuring Blonde Shades
The light brown shade of this exciting style can be expected to show off its icy touch by using platinum blonde highlights. Make sure that the highlights are integrated from the roots to the ends.
How to Style and Maintain Brown Hair With Blonde Highlights
Step 1 – Pick the hairstyle
Pick brown hair with blonde highlights hairstyles based on several factors, like the exact color of your natural hair and your facial features and overall shape.
Find out which one is the most compatible with the shape and features of your face, so you will not regret your choice in the end—your natural hair matters since it can contribute a lot to choosing the best color combination for you.
Step 2 – Style your hair using highlights
This can bring vibrance to your otherwise dark aura with your long hair and dark brown center. If you are a brunette, you can enjoy a more impressive and multi-dimensional mane by integrating some golden blonde strokes and a bit of honey shade.
Increase your hair color’s depth by choosing an intense blonde shade over a bright one.
Step 3 – Maintain
Be extra careful when handling your hair since it involves bleaching to turn it blonde. A wise care and maintenance tip would be to deep condition your hair to ensure it will not get dehydrated.
Also, avoid using any styling tool that uses heat for at least two weeks after your hair receives the color.
Step 4 – Use some hair products
Of course, you need a deep conditioning treatment to keep your hair looking moisturized and well-hydrated despite having to go through bleaching and coloring.
Ensure you also use quality shampoo and conditioner safe for color-treated hair.
FAQ
How much does it cost to get blonde highlights in brown hair?
This will depend on the kind of highlights you intend to receive. In most cases, professional salons usually charge clients around $50 to $70 if they wish to have partial highlights. Meanwhile, full-blonde highlights may cost around $80 to $100.
High-end salons with high ratings cost higher, though. A professional coloring package may cost around $175 to $350.
Does brown hair with blonde highlights require frequent touch-ups?
Yes. Touch-ups should be every three to five weeks. This will also depend on the natural grow-out shade or color.
How long do blonde highlights last in brown hair?
In general, blonde highlights can last for around four to six weeks. Note that other factors contribute to its lifespan, including the kind of blonde used on your hair, your hair’s porosity, and its overall condition.
Do you need to bleach your brown hair if you want blonde highlights?
Yes. The use of bleach to get blonde highlights is a trend. Note, though, that if your hair strands are light enough, bleach is unnecessary to add blonde highlights to your brown hair.
How will I know what kind of blonde highlights will suit me?
The kind of blonde highlights you need will greatly depend on your hair type and texture, as well as the natural color of your hair’s base. You must identify the shade of brown sported by your hair and whether it is warm or cool.
In most cases, if it is cool, going for an incredible blonde, like platinum or vanilla, is advisable. Caramel, honey highlights, or any other warm shades will be ideal if your hair is warm brown.
You must also discover what highlights enhance your best physical features and frame your face.
Anthony Giannotti is a senior writer and editor for Beardoholic and a licensed barber for more than 13 years. He owns 3 barbershops and has his own hair care product line that is sold in barbershops worldwide. Known for his impeccable technique and skills, Anthony is an expert in hair and beard care and he knows the best products and tools to get rid of all beard problems and have an amazing beard.