14 Dimensional Brunette Hair Ideas for Body and Shine
Ready to give your brown hair a glow-up? Good news: right now, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to dreamy, dimensional brunette looks. From mocha mousse manes, to bronde ombres, to copper brown creations, there are endless ways to give a brunette base a multi-tonal glow. So, let's get into the light-reflective looks that have brunette beauties racing to the salon...
But, First, What is a Dimensional Brunette?
Whether dark brown is your natural colour 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 colour.
As for the colour 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.
14 Dimensional Brown Hair Colour Ideas
Candlelit Brunette Hair
Image Credit: @hairbysulo
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 BlondorPlex and Color Touch. Your colourist will use BlondorPlex first to lighten the lengths with up to 97% less breakage¹, and then tone with a neutral caramel blonde shade of Color Touch. This demi-permanent formula now comes with the new built-in metal purifier, which gives you true-to-tone vibrancy, no matter your hair’s condition.
Deep Copper Brunette Hair
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
For a brown base with reddish undertones, try this brunette and copper-colour 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. It's the kind of radiance that only a zero lift, zero damage SHINEFINITY Color Glaze could bring to a brunette look. This demi-permanent glaze is all about creating shine you can feel, with a translucent veil of colour that catches the light in the most mesmerizing way.
Golden Brunette Hair
Image Credit: @oliviabrusciahair
For sun-kissed brown hair with hints of gold, ask your colourist for caramel highlights. This lived-in look can be mastered with Koleston Perfect's palette of high-lift Special Blonde hues. It's a permanent hair colour line that lifts and tones your hair in a single step, so you get a quick and easy route to a soft, golden brunette that shimmers under the light. For maximum glow, ask for chunky highlights to be placed through the face frame; a trick that lights up your mane, enhances your complexion and ties the whole look together.
Mushroom Brunette Trend
Image Credit: @hairbymonicacher
If you prefer cool brunette hair, go for mushroom highlights through your deep base. BlondorPlex and Color Touch are giving these dark brown curls vibrant dimension that enhances each and every ringlet. The trick with curls is to keep your roots natural and let your colourist apply lightener in heavy highlights, with the bright pieces starting at different distances from the root section. 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.
Smoky Brunette Tones
Image Credit: @jadahairandbalayage
Another cooler brunette shade, this smoky mane reflects hints of silver against dark pieces, giving hair a muted metallic finish. If you're craving a charcoal brunette like this, make sure you add a purple shampoo to your kit, like INVIGO Blonde Recharge Cool Blonde Shampoo. Its violet tint will ensure cool undertones stay cool, eliminating brassiness in under five minutes.
Brownie Batter Brunette
Image Credit: @_jt_hair and @danielleemilie
A beautiful chocolate brunette goes dimensional with brownie batter highlights, as seen in this deliciously decadent dark mane. The trend is a chic option for brunettes looking to go low-maintenance, as the lift is so subtle and the roots are so natural that it can be touched up with a speed glaze. So, once you've got the look locked down, book a SHINEFINITY Glaze for your next appointment; a 20-minute refresh that injects hair with added shine and a translucent deep brunette tint.
Brunette with Subtle Highlights
Image Credit: @hairxjojo
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. Your colourist can recreate the look with BlondorPlex to lighten, followed by Illumina Color to tone. This is our glowy permanent hair colour that gives you radiant, youthful, 100% natural-looking results, plus up to 100% grey coverage. Keep the glow going by finishing your style with a few drops of Oil Reflections Luminous Smoothing Oil; a lightweight elixir that adds shine and smoothness.
Espresso Martini Brunette
Image Credit: @foxyroxhair
To get a deep espresso colour, 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. Show these beautiful curls to your colourist for a flawless demonstration. And don't forget to add Color Fresh Mask in Chocolate Touch to your at-home hair kit; a tinted treatment that revives deeper brunettes in just 10 minutes.
Light Dimensional Brunette Hair
Image Credit: @kennyhairartist
Indulge in this year's bronde (brown-blonde) trend with an overall lighter look. It's brimming with warm tones, crafted through babylights – AKA micro-fine highlights that cheat the natural colour of your youth. This shade relies as much on care as it does colour, so don't leave the salon without the ULTIMATE REPAIR regimen. Use the Shampoo, Conditioner and Miracle Hair Rescue to repair hair damage in 90 seconds², leaving your rich brunette 12x smoother³ with 99% less breakage⁴.
Brunette Colour with Partial Highlights
Image Credit: @oliviabrusciahair
For the sheerest glow that illuminates just the top layer of hair, ask for partial highlights in deep coffee tones. They'll add a whisper of brightness. This dreamy look is all about layering, with Color Touch toning the base and balayage, before a SHINEFINITY Color Glaze was used for a zero lift, zero damage topcoat that lends unbelievable shine. Want to take the gloss to the next level? Mist your finished style with EIMI Glam Mist for a bombshell brunette that radiates health.
Dimensional Brunette with Bronze Coppery Strands
Image Credit: @byjohnsanchez
Team the copper bronze hair trend with brunette depth by working metallics in light-catching highlights. We can't get enough of this delicious dimension, served up by SHINEFINITY on the roots and Color Touch through the lengths. If you're trying the look, request an exaggerated pop piece through the face frame to warm up your skin tone, and then finish with a glossy blow-dry, so each sparkling strand gets its chance to shine.
Dark Brown Hair with Cool Subtle Highlights
Image Credit: @matherzberg
So subtle, they look like natural highlights – that's the goal in this deep espresso style. It's the softest look, featuring cool-toned highlights just a level or two brighter than the natural brunette base. The hair colourist creating this look nailed it with a Color Touch Melt service, which sees hues within the same colour family melted together for delicate highs and lows that boost radiance. Want in? Find your nearest salon to try this Wella-exclusive technique.
Dimensional Brunette Curly Hair
Image Credit: @augustoallencar
Caramel curls are the way to glow when you want to give ringlets a sun-drenched edge. So, elevate your beautiful texture with a fresh scattering of balayage, courtesy of Blondor Freelights for the bleaching process. It's a freehand lightener that's specially formulated to help your hair colourist personalize your placement, making it the ideal option for this surfer-cool look. Then, once caramel strands have been toned, ask your colourist to define your curl pattern with NutriCurls Curlixir Balm. This nourishing styler is essential in and out of the salon for a healthy, bouncy mane.
Dimensional Brunette with Cherry Cola Highlights
Image Credit: @vaggi_wella
Who said dimensional brown hair had to feature natural tones? Add a bold tint to brunette hair with pops of cherry cola that fizz through lengths and ends. Our pure, permanent hair colour, Koleston Perfect, has a range of vibrant reds alongside a brunette colour palette, so you can take your cherry shade as vivid and vibrant or deep and delicious as you crave.
How to Maintain Dimensional Brunette Hair
Care for your base and enhance your highlights with the perfect maintenance regimen. These easy steps will keep your salon shade looking dimensional for longer...
1. Wash with Colour-Safe Formulas
Healthy hair just glows better, so focus on a regimen that repairs and prevents damage. For this, we recommend ULTIMATE REPAIR Shampoo, ULTIMATE REPAIR Conditioner and, on masking days, ULTIMATE REPAIR Mask. All three are infused with a skincare-inspired blend of AHA and Omega-9, which works to replenish the hair shaft from the inside out. This means any existing damage is fixed over time, while future damage is kept at bay, so your colour looks beautifully nourished.
2. Shield Hair Against Heat Damage
Dark brunette hair can fade overly warm and brassy when exposed to excess heat, so make sure you have a hard-working heat protectant in your kit. ULTIMATE REPAIR Protective Leave-In is ideal, as it shields hair against scorching temperatures while also keeping your deep brunette shade safe from frizz, breakage and UV damage. It's your go-to multi-tasker.
3. Refresh Brunette Tones Between Salon Visits
In the weeks between your salon appointments, keep your brunette shade glossy with the Color Fresh Mask in Chocolate Touch. The colour-depositing mask can be used in the shower to top up your tone and vanquish brassiness. Apply it to clean, damp hair, distribute it evenly with a wide-tooth comb, let it absorb for 10 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly. Your dimensional brunette hue will look salon-fresh once more.
Looking for more shade inspiration? Discover this year's hottest hair colour trends, from the best in blondes to the boldest brunettes. There's a look for everyone.
¹ When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex, versus Blondorplex alone.
² When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue.
³ Vs. non-conditioning Shampoo.
⁴ When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue instrumental test vs. non-conditioning Shampoo.