Brunette hair may be common, but it doesn’t have to be boring! Medium-length brown hair can benefit from a wide variety of layers, highlights, and styling techniques that can make the look your own. So, are you looking to switch up your basic brunette? We have the hottest styles for 2024 below.
Medium Brown Hair Color
Read on to see 30 medium-brown hair styles to suit your every need.
1. Shoulder-Length with Blonde Ombre
A touch of blonde is the perfect way to lighten and brighten the overall appearance of your brunette locks. Focus a lighter, subtle blonde shade on the bottom half of your hair for a natural-looking effect for medium-brown ombre hair.
2. Subtle Dark Brown Balayage
Sometimes, a few subtle highlights are all you need. Create a medium-brown balayage style with lighter tones to brighten and add depth to brunette locks that are all one color. Focus highlights on the ends of hair and face-framing strands.
3. Lowlights for Thick, Curly Hair
Highlights can add depth, but we love the effect created by these medium-brown hair lowlights. This color is 2-3 shades darker than your base, and enhances the built-in dimension created by thick, curly locks.
4. Thick, Natural Texture
Natural medium-brown hair has tons of natural dimension, so you don’t have to overdo it with highlights, although subtle high and lowlights look gorgeous. Let wispy, beautifully frizzy texture do all of the talking.
5. Classic Chignon Up-do
Lots of different up-dos suit medium-brown straight hair but a classic chignon is always a winner. Thick hair will benefit better from a style with more distribution of hair around the head to prevent any tension from forming on the scalp.
6. Medium Brown Hair with Highlights
The shoulder-length hair is the perfect hair length that suits all face shapes. This hairstyle presents a straight look where the entire length is equal.
The hair is parted in the middle or to the side. The highlights are light brown, fit the dark brown hair perfectly and are low. They are discreet and eye-catching at the same time. The hairstyle can be worn straight or wavy.
7. Highlighted Curls
The curly hair can appear boring and plain in its regular and natural look. However, the blonde highlights on brown curls are nice refreshment that beautifies the look. The curly hairstyle is medium long, reaching the shoulders and maybe just a bit over them.
The layering is evident in the front and the spirals are nicely formed and defined. The highlights come low, just at the ends and give the entire hairstyle a lighter and more modern look.
8. Chocolate Brown Hair + Highlights
These orange highlights come as a mixture of brown, red, and orange hair color with subtle hints of pink on a brown base, they present this exact look.
As for their position, they are strategically done in places where they will be present just enough. They are thick, bigger and bolder.
When the medium-length hair is done in waves, they present a playful look. They come out as orange highlights under the brown hair.
9. Thin and Dense Blonde Highlights
The blonde highlights are a popular choice among women who are still dwelling over whether they should go blonde or stay brunette.
This medium hairstyle presents layered dark brown hair that is done in blonde highlights. The entire hairstyle becomes even more beautiful when the hair is styled in loose waves.
10. Auburn Highlights
The golden finish on any hair color gives a warm and soft look of the hair. If that comes in the form of highlights, the hair looks like it is sun-kissed. This shoulder-length hairstyle has a straight cut where the auburn highlights appear at the ends of the brown hair.
For a better color balance, some highlights go a bit higher in the hair. The hair is curled on the ends which make the golden shade even more dominant.
11. Discreet Babylights
The lob is a haircut that also greatly represents the highlighting technique. In this hairstyle, the highlights are discreet, high and thin.
They are precisely positioned so that there is the same amount of lighter color on both sides. They don’t start immediately after the root, but the color becomes denser at the ends.
On brown hair, the best choice is some ashy blond hair color.
12. Golden Blonde Highlights
The honey shade is a soft and warm blond shade. It is not too light, however, it does reflect different shine on the different base colors. On darker brown hairs, the golden blonde comes as a nice refresher and gives a warm tone to the entire hair.
The highlights are intense, present throughout the hair and they provide a nice sun-kissed look. The soft waves make the highlights even more dominant and eye-catching.
13. Caramel Highlights on Brown Hair
For lighter brown hair, that has a reddish undertone will also see that their lighter highlights will have the same undertone. In that case, not to overdo the color and damage the hair, a nice option is to do a balayage.
In this technique, the gradual change of color will be seen throughout the entire length of the hair. The reddish tone in the lighter shades will present itself as a warm caramel. The entire look will be soft and elegant.
14. Short Blonde Highlights
The short version of the highlights comes on short or medium hairstyles, for example on bobs. The length of the hair barely reaches the shoulders and the highlights are positioned in the lower parts of the hair.
They visually give the hair a different and fresher look, but at the same time, they don’t make the hairstyle look shorter than it is.
15. Bluish Highlights
Doing blue highlights on brown hair is also a very colorful and unordinary choice. To achieve a certain shade of blue that you desire, the brown hair will need some bleaching and needs to be as white as possible.
Blue is one of those hair colors that with every wash tend to fade and change their color. This will lead to having a different shade of blue every week. These ashy blue tones perfectly go with medium light brown hair.
16. Red Highlights
The red highlights on brown hair come as a bold but natural color gradation. Almost every brown hair color does contain red undertones; some are stronger, some lighter.
The stacked curly bob includes many different appearances in the look – it is a trendy haircut, with red bold highlights and medium curls that define the color even more.
17. Copper Highlights
The copper highlights are intense and cover most of the hair. It is a color that dominates the hairstyle.
The base is dark brown, while the cut is straight and reaches the shoulders. The highlights start high, and they are dense and present throughout the hair.
The copper shade beautifully blends with the dark brown, giving it a wonderfully warm look. The soft and medium loose curls make the color even more dominant.
18. Balayage Highlights
Linear highlighting is a common and popular option. Although it is among the first highlighting options in the hair business, it is still popular.
The younger generation, however, prefers ombre and balayage, while the older one sticks to this technique.
The linear highlighting starts immediately in the roots and goes all the way down. The highlights are lines, that are done parallel and visually give an elongating effect on the hair. The final look is interesting and playful.
19. Brown Hair with Pink Highlights
Pink highlights are extremely popular this season. The comeback of the neon color both in fashion and in the beauty department has left a mark in the hair industry also. The bright and energetic colors are finding their way on the hair in the form of highlights.
Orange, pink or any mixture in between is a cool option. It will bring a new trendy vibe into the hairstyle you wear. The stacked bob, shorter at the back and longer at the front is a suggestion to try out.
20. Top Layer Highlights
For those who do not want to make a big change, but still want to do something different with their light brown hair, doing a few highlights on the top of the head is the way to go.
The medium brown hair will instantly look different if you add a few shades lighter highlights only on the top portion of the head. They should equally fall to the sides, and make the hair look only lighter from the top.
Blonde Highlights for Medium Brown Hair
Blonde highlights look great on brown base, no matter how long or short their hair is. But the great thing about adding blonde highlights to medium brown hair is that women can easily customize their look with the help of a great stylist.
21. Long Side Bangs
Dark brown hair looks great when there is a lot of movement and motion to the hair. One great way to flaunt blonde highlights is to add swooping bangs that are really long, as this will give the medium length hairstyle extra personality and ensure that the style doesn’t look boring or outdated.
22. Babylights
Brown hair often looks full and rich and cutting the style so that the roots look full and attractive is key. This medium haircut with blonde babylights has a lot of volume at the roots so that the heavyweight of the rest of the hair doesn’t weigh it down.
Feathered hair a great look for women who are in the mood for something dramatic and that will help them stand out in a crowd.
23. Neatly Trimmed
A great trim is key to making sure that light brown hair looks its best. Keeping the ends of this haircut nice and neat allows it to grow out without any difficulties and ensures that the cut looks professional.
Plenty of blonde highlights complete the medium brown hairstyle, making this a great option for women who are ready for something that will stand out in the office.
24. Blonde Balayage
A long bob or lob looks great with classic blonde balayage highlights. These highlights stand out a bit more than when they are blended into the natural brown hair, which makes the color and cut look expensive and professional.
It’s a great look for businesswomen who need to make sure that they are going to be able to stand out.
25. Natural Full Highlights
Highlights don’t have to look unnatural, as this natural look shows. When framing the face, blended into the natural brown base, and focused on the front tips, the highlights can look sun-kissed.
This is a low-key highlight option for women with medium brown hair who don’t want their hair to look like they spent a lot of time or effort having highlights put in.
26. Lighter and Curled Tips
Lighter tips look very natural, like sun highlights that have grown out. When the tips are curled so that they fall around the shoulders and the face, they look even better.
This is a great way to wear blonde highlights on brown hair that have grown out while still making sure that they look updated and professional. It’s ideal for women of all ages.
27. Chunky Highlights
Highlights don’t have to be boring, like this bold look shows. These bright blonde highlights are an amazing contrast to the darker brown hair, and since they are chunky and not blended in, they really stand out and make a medium hair statement.
Being able to see individual highlights is a statement and will definitely make people look twice at the style and color.
28. Face Framing Highlights
This hairstyle has the hair curled gently away from the face so that the hair falls neatly around the shoulders, framing the face.
Adding in copper blonde highlights that are placed strategically around the front of the brown hair allows the face to be the real focal point. It’s a great option for women who love their medium hair but need to change it up a little.
29. Light Brown Curls + Highlights
Very small curls look great when the hair is allowed to grow nice and long, as this curly highlights look shows. The medium brown curls are enhanced thanks to the addition of some blonde highlights.
Keeping the blonde just a few shades lighter than the natural brown ensures that the hair looks sun-kissed and will keep people from knowing that the highlights aren’t natural.
30. Medium Curls with Blonde Highlights
This blonde highlights on curly brown hair look is bold thanks to the way the darker roots are allowed to show and are even celebrated. Rather than trying to hide the dark roots, the medium curls are styled in a way that allows them to show off.
Keeping the bangs longer and allowing them to fall in front of the face makes this look very casual and ensures that women look relaxed.
Brown medium hair color gives a universal look, but with a little help of the highlights, it can be transformed into a dashing new look.