17 Dark Brown Hair with Highlights For Women: Trending Styles for Spring 2025

Dark brown hair with highlights offers a versatile and refreshing look for women seeking to update their style.

These highlights can range from subtle caramel tones to bold blonde streaks, adding dimension and depth to your natural color.

Adding highlights to dark brown hair creates visual interest while maintaining a natural appearance that complements your skin tone.

Whether you prefer a sun-kissed glow or dramatic contrast, highlights can transform your look without requiring a complete color change.

1: Thick Dark Brown Hair with Caramel Highlights

Thick dark brown hair with caramel highlights creates amazing depth and dimension.

This style brings life to your locks by adding warm tones that catch the light.

You’ll love how these highlights make your hair look healthier and more vibrant.

The contrast between your dark base and lighter caramel streaks gives a natural, sun-kissed effect.

This look works well for both long and short cuts. It’s a great choice if you want to enhance your natural color without a dramatic change.

2: Dark Brown Hair with Golden Highlights

Golden highlights add a sun-kissed glow to dark brown hair. This timeless look creates dimension and warmth, making your features stand out.

The golden tones mimic natural sunlight effects, giving your hair a vibrant appearance even in winter months.

You can opt for subtle or bold highlights depending on your preference.

3: Dark Brown Hair with Subtle Ombré

Dark brown hair with subtle ombré creates a soft, natural look. The gentle color transition adds dimension without dramatic changes.

You can choose ash blonde or golden tones for your ombré highlights.

This style works especially well on fine hair, adding the appearance of volume and texture.

4: Dark Brown Hair with Bold Blonde Highlights

Bold blonde highlights on dark brown hair create a striking contrast that catches the eye. This look adds drama and dimension to your natural color.

You can choose to place these highlights throughout your hair or focus them around your face for a brightening effect.

The bold contrast works well for both long and short hairstyles.

This style is perfect if you want a noticeable change without fully committing to blonde hair.

The maintenance level is moderate, requiring touch-ups every 6-8 weeks to keep the highlights fresh.

5: Classic Brown with Peekaboo Highlights

Classic brown hair with peekaboo highlights adds a fun surprise to your look. These hidden streaks peek out when you move your hair, creating a playful effect.

You can choose blonde peekaboo highlights for a striking contrast against dark brown hair.

This style works well for those wanting subtle dimension without changing their entire look.

6: Natural Look with Sun-Kissed Highlights

Sun-kissed highlights create a natural, effortless look on dark brown hair.

They mimic the way sunlight naturally lightens your hair, giving it dimension and warmth.

These highlights are subtly blended into your brown base, creating a seamless transition.

The result is hair that looks naturally lightened, not obviously colored.

This style is perfect if you want a low-maintenance option that enhances your natural beauty.

The soft, light brown or caramel tones add just enough brightness to refresh your look.

7: Face-Framing Light Brown Highlights

Face-framing light brown highlights add brightness around your face while keeping your dark brown base.

They draw attention to your facial features and create dimension.

These highlights start an inch or two from your roots and cascade down around your face.

This placement creates a natural, sun-kissed effect that softens your overall look.

You can adjust the thickness of these highlights based on how subtle or bold you want the contrast to be.

They work well with all face shapes and complement most skin tones.

8: Burgundy Brown Hair with Subtle Highlights

Burgundy highlights on dark brown hair create a rich, warm look that’s subtle yet striking.

The burgundy tones blend naturally with brown hair, adding depth and dimension without being too bold.

You can ask for just a few burgundy streaks for a hint of color. This works well if you want a change that’s noticeable but not dramatic.

The red-purple hues of burgundy catch the light beautifully, giving your hair movement and visual interest.

9: Dark Brown Beachy Waves with Muted Highlights

Dark brown beachy waves with muted highlights create a natural, sun-kissed appearance.

These subtle highlights blend seamlessly with your dark base color.

You’ll love how these waves add movement and texture to your hair. The muted tones give dimension without being too dramatic.

This style works wonderfully for everyday wear while still looking effortlessly stylish.

The low-maintenance highlight placement means less frequent salon visits.

10: Textured Curls with Caramel Highlights

Caramel highlights add beautiful dimension to textured curls. They create a sun-kissed effect that makes your curls pop.

The contrast between dark brown hair and caramel tones enhances your natural curl pattern.

This combination works especially well for adding volume and movement.

Your curls will shimmer and dance with light as you move. This style looks stunning on all curl types, from loose waves to tight coils.

11: Soft Balayage on Dark Brown Hair

Soft balayage on dark brown hair creates a subtle, natural-looking transition between colors.

This technique uses hand-painted highlights that blend seamlessly with your base color.

The gentle contrast adds dimension without making a dramatic change.

Your dark brown hair remains the star while caramel or honey highlights add warmth and movement.

This style works well for those wanting to brighten their look while keeping maintenance low.

The grow-out process is more forgiving than traditional highlights.

12: Dark Brown Locks with Platinum Highlights

Platinum highlights create a stunning contrast against dark brown hair.

These bright streaks peek through your locks, adding an unexpected twist to your look.

You can keep these highlights hidden within layers for a subtle surprise element.

When you move your hair, these platinum pieces catch the light for a playful, modern effect.

13: Warm Honey Highlights on Dark Brown

Warm honey highlights add a natural glow to dark brown hair.

The golden tones create depth and dimension, making your locks look sun-kissed and vibrant.

These highlights work well for any hair length and complement most skin tones.

14: Dark Brown Hair with Auburn Streaks

Auburn streaks add warmth and dimension to dark brown hair. These reddish-brown highlights create a subtle but noticeable contrast against your darker base.

You can opt for thin auburn streaks throughout your hair or concentrate them around your face. This combination works well on both straight and wavy styles.

Auburn highlights bring out natural warmth in your complexion. They’re especially flattering during fall and winter months when you want a rich, seasonal look.

15: Chestnut Highlights for a Soft Contrast

Chestnut highlights bring warmth and subtle dimension to dark brown hair.

This natural-looking option creates a soft glow that enhances your base color without dramatic contrast.

You’ll appreciate how these highlights add refinement to your look. They work beautifully on both straight and wavy hair textures.

Chestnut tones complement most skin types and require less maintenance than lighter highlight options.

16: Gradient Highlights on Layered Hair

Gradient highlights on layered hair create stunning dimension that makes your dark brown base really pop.

The technique places lighter colors strategically through the layers, creating a natural flow.

You’ll notice how the highlights blend from darker to lighter, mimicking the way sun naturally lightens hair.

This works amazingly well on layered cuts because the different lengths showcase the color variation.

The maintenance is also more manageable than traditional highlights. As your hair grows, the gradient effect remains natural-looking, extending time between salon visits.

17: Dark Brown with Contrasting Ice-Blonde Highlights

Dark brown hair with ice-blonde highlights creates a bold, eye-catching contrast.

The cool tones of the icy blonde stand out dramatically against the rich dark base.

You can place these highlights around your face to brighten your complexion.

This style works well for any hair length but looks particularly striking on longer hair.

The maintenance level is moderate. You will need regular touch-ups to keep the blonde looking fresh against your dark brown base.