You don’t need to have a sweet tooth to love chocolate brown hair. This deliciously rich hair color is one of the most popular brunette shades around—and it’s not hard to see why. The versatile shade suits a variety of complexions and can easily be customized to complement your look.
So whether you prefer warmer-toned browns or cooler shades, light browns or dark, you can easily find your ideal match with a brunette hair color. Need some inspiration? Read on to discover 25 chocolate hair color ideas that work perfectly for any season.
What is chocolate brown hair?
Chocolate brown is a classic brunette shade that’s flattering on an array of skin tones. The medium brown hue traditionally has reddish or gold undertones, which give the shade warmth, depth, and richness. But, as we mentioned above, chocolate brown hair is super versatile and can be made lighter, darker, or cooler depending on your preference. Because of its versatility, it’s an easy shade to wear, which makes it a great option for any brunette looking for a low-maintenance yet luxurious-looking hair color (or anyone looking to experiment with brown hair).
Who should try chocolate brown hair?
Chocolate lovers rejoice: This shade is nearly universally flattering. When it comes to chocolate-inspired styles, it’s all about finding a shade that works with your hair texture, hair type, and skin tone. Generally, warm shades best complement warmer skin tones, while cooler, muted chocolatey hues serve those with cooler undertones well. If you have neutral undertones—meaning they’re neither obviously warm nor cool—you can pull off just about any chocolate brown hue.
If that sounds like a lot to keep in mind, don’t worry: Your stylist can help you find the perfect chocolate brown shade that plays best with your skin’s undertones depending on whether you have warm or cool-toned skin.
Milk Chocolate Curls
Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw has amazingly rich chocolate curls, and we’re truly in love. Her shiny spirals illustrate just how deeply stunning the color is.
Golden Undertones
Worn with a slight wave and middle part, Ashley Graham’s luscious color looks rich, shiny, and right at-home against her olive complexion.
Cool-Toned Chocolate
Both experts cite Emily Ratajkowski as a great chocolate brown hair inspiration. Her signature cool-toned hair is the antithesis of the notion that blondes have more fun. From Paris runways to red carpets, she and her hair color are sure showstoppers.
Warm Highlights
While Zendaya is the queen of switching up her hairstyle, each one more iconic than the last, we’re especially feeling this braided look with warm, light-reflecting highlights.
Natural Brown
Taylor Hill is another model known for her natural chocolate brown hair, usually worn cascading down her back and paired with a minimal makeup look. To achieve a milk chocolate brown like Hill’s here, Jaxcee says she’d use golden and copper tones. For a dark chocolate color, which is more cool-toned, she says she would use red-violet and copper-violet tones to emulate the rich velvety goodness of dark chocolate.
Raven Colors
Bella Hadid’s color vacillates from raven to chocolate and right back again. She’s a true brunette dream girl, and we think it’s safe to say that we’ll be copying her hair until the end of time. It’s worth mentioning that she’s actually a natural blonde like sister Gigi, which can make chocolate brown hair tricky to maintain if you’re one to skip a salon appointment.
Deep Brown Waves
Being the pop superstar that she is, Normani is often changing up her style, but we’re partial to her deep brown waves or the amazing curly ponytail she’s sported on stage.
Golden Highlights
Jasmine Tookes’s warm brown hair and golden highlights perfectly complement her equally glowing complexion.
Deeper Tones
A warmer brunette on a lighter complexion like Kaitlyn Dever’s helps to create contrast without looking too extreme. Plus, the darker color makes her eyes look super bright.
Healthy, Rich Curls
If you have naturally curly hair, it’s wise to seek out a stylist and colorist who is well-versed in working with such hair types and who will consider the specific needs of the hair texture they’re coloring. Jaxcee makes sure to do so, especially when working with clients like Hamilton alum, actress, and singer Jasmine Cephas Jones and her gorgeous deep brown curls.
Deep and Dimensional
We’re absolutely captivated by Issa Rae—her wit, beauty, and, of course, her glorious natural hair. Here, the CoverGirl ambassador shows off the chocolate brown color with curls and an award-winning smile. This type of dynamic brunette is not the kind that you want to do as a kitchen beautician, Jaxcee says. “To truly get the nuanced tones and dimension chocolate shades call for, let a professional do it.”
Universal Brunette
It’s important to ask your colorist to formulate a shade best for your complexion, like Emilia Clarke’s true chocolate brown look. Many of us know her best as the legendary platinum-haired Mother of Dragons, but it’s common knowledge these days that she’s a true brunette—and we love it.
Enhanced Color
One thing we love about Victoria Beckham: She has a sharp sense of what she likes and what works for her. Her timeless brown hair is on the top of the list right next to sky-high stilettos. She may have had a short-lived stint as a blonde, but it’s clear that Posh is a brunette at heart.
Chocolate Brown Waves
Megan Fox is no stranger to switching up her hair color– she’s been every shade from pastel pink to jet black, but arguably her best look is a dimensional deep chocolate brown that lets her blue eyes shine. Whether your hair is naturally brunette, or you’re getting it colored, it’s always a good idea to incorporate a hair mask for shiny, healthy strands like Fox’s.
Rich Espresso
Mandy Moore has mastered practically every hair hue on the spectrum, but she’s stuck with a rich espresso and a few well-placed bronzy highlights for the long haul. Because Moore’s natural color skews towards blonde, it requires her to go in for a touch-up every once in a while. This depends on how dark you go compared to your natural level of lightness, Casanova says, noting the upkeep usually requires just a root touch-up or an overall gloss.
