20 Ways to Rock Fall Highlights for Brown Hair, According to Hairstylists

Transform your Autumn style.

Highlights are beloved for their dimensional benefits. Without highlights, hair can look flat and dull; with them, it can appear shinier and more voluminous, not to mention more lush overall. While highlights look lovely on all hair colors, they’re especially popular when paired with brunette manes—particularly for fall.

“Highlights can enhance brown hair for fall in several ways,” says R+Co Collective member Richy Kandasamy. “Warm tones like caramel, honey, or golden highlights can create a rich, autumnal look, complementing the season’s colors and enhancing your skin tone and complexion for the cooler fall transition.”

Meet Our Expert

• Richy Kandasamy is an R+Co Collective member and the vice president of color development at R+COLOR.

• Nicole Gache is the color director at Valery Joseph Madison Avenue.

• Chase Kusero is a celebrity colorist and co-founder of IGK Hair Care.

But that’s not all. Kandasamy says that highlights can make brown hair look “fuller and more textured with a multidimensional reflection,” as well. Convinced your brunette mane needs a hint of highlights? Ahead, explore the best fall highlights for brown hair.

Grown-Out Balayage

For a low-maintenance highlight idea for brown hair, opt for balayage—it grows out beautifully. “I love the grown-out balayage highlighted look—it’s perfect to transition to the fall,” says Nicole Gache, color director at Valery Joseph Madison Avenue. “Julia’s tousled ends really accentuate the piece-y look of the highlights.”

Face-Framing Latte Highlights

“Highlights can significantly enhance brown hair for fall by adding warmth, dimension, and depth to your hair,” says celebrity colorist Chase Kusero. Here, you can see how subtle face-framing latte highlights brighten up not only the mane but the complexion as a whole.

Honey Gold Highlights

“Softly painted honey gold highlights add dimension to even the darkest of base colors,” Gache says, noting that they’re perfect for fall. Here, you can see honey gold highlights in action on Selena Gomez. The subtle waves of color add shape to her hairstyle.

Butter Blonde Highlights

Butter blonde might seem like a more summery choice, but when woven into light brown hair, they make for a warm, toffee-like end look perfect for autumn. “Highlights are always on-trend since they look flattering on everyone by adding dimension and lightness,” Gache says. “In the fall, I love to transition my clients' hair from bright hues to more natural, paired-down highlights. The hair looks appropriate for the season, but still looks fresh.”

Cool Bronde Babylights

As popular as warm highlights are for autumn, cool highlights are fair game, too. Here you can see how slightly cooler blonde highlights make for a gorgeous bronde mane fitting for fall.

Warm Tones

That said, warm tones really do make for a rich autumnal mane. “Try highlights in caramel, honey, or golden hues,” Kusero suggests. “These shades add warmth and brightness, making your brown hair look richer and more vibrant in the fall light.”

Ultra-Subtle Face-Framing Highlights

“Adding lighter highlights around your face can illuminate your look,” Kusero says. Just look at Becky G’s ultra-subtle chestnut highlights as proof. Stunning, no?

Dark Chestnut Highlights

One of Kandasamy’s favorite highlight colors for fall is chestnut brown. “Fall is definitely all about the warm tones,” he says. “From warm leather to chestnut brunettes, it’s about dimension and the natural harmony of depth and tones.” Here, you can see how dark chestnut highlights add dimension to Jourdan Dunn’s espresso tresses.

Ashy Bronde

“Going bronde is a natural way to take ashy highlights straight into the cooler months,” Gache says, referencing Jamie Chung’s hair. “Ask for a root shadow for an even more ‘grown out’ look.”

Braided Honey Highlights

Protective styles can be embellished with highlights, too. Kerry Washington illustrates just how well honey highlights can pop within glossy black braids.

Espresso Highlights

Love coffee? Let it inspire your autumn hair color! “For very dark hair, consider adding a touch of espresso,” Gache exclaims. “The highlights will give your hair color an overall chocolate-y tone, perfect for dimension in the fall.”

Soft Brown Highlights

You don’t have to go darker in fall if you don’t want to. There’s always the option to take a page out of Jennifer Aniston’s book and pump up the brightness for a glossy and dimensional brown hair color for fall. “Any natural brunette will love this soft brown as its low maintenance and an easy way to carry previously lightened hair through the fall and winter,” Gache says.

Caramel Highlights

Jennifer Hudson’s caramel highlights look rich against her jet-black base color. You’ll notice that these warm, rich highlight hues also seemingly amp up the shine in just about any hairstyle.

Copper-Blonde Highlights

Consider a light brown base with copper-blonde highlights for a lighter autumnal 'do. “J-Lo’s highlights are always a point of envy,” Gache says. “Bright, copper highlights especially accentuate her skin tone and add a lot of shine to the hair.”

Smoky Highlights

Kim Kardashian’s hair might usually look like one solid color, but if you look closely, you’ll notice ultra-subtle highlights for added dimension. “Naturally lighten jet black hair with a smoky toned hue,” Gache says. “Kim Kardashian is always rocking this go-to color since it’s flattering on even the darkest of hues.”

Auburn Babylights

Bella Hadid regularly rocks highlights in her brown hair. Here, you can see how auburn ribbons add a hint of rich radiance to her overall ‘do.

Rooted Blonde Highlights

Not ready to kiss your summer blonde goodbye? Opt for a rooted brown look. “What’s more low maintenance than letting your natural base grow in,” Gache quips. If your hair grows slow, you can book an appointment for a shadow root for a similar look.

Bronde Babylights

Chunky highlights might be coming back in style but Gache says that bronde babylights can transform brown hair for fall. “Babylights are fine highlights that mimic the way the hair should look after a summer spent in the sun, so are definitely appropriate for early fall,” she explains, referencing Hailey Bieber's look, above.

Cranberry Highlights

If your brown hair borders on red, Gache recommends adding deeper cranberry tones for fall. Her inspo? Dua Lipa!

Ashy Blonde Highlights

Last but not least, we have ashy blonder highlights, as seen on Jessica Alba. They're soft and subtle yet visibly elevate her darker brown base for fall.

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