While it may seem that blondes have all the fun when it comes to summer hair colour transformations, I'm here to tell you that there are so many summer hair colours for brunettes too. Brunettes have an equally exciting and chic palette to play with—from sun-warmed caramels to espresso glosses. If like me, you're a brunette to your core but are ready for a seasonal switch-up, consider this your cue to book that salon appointment. I've been saving a Pinterest board full of hair colour inspiration, and I'm sharing my notes with you.
If you look at the summer hair trends in recent years and now, it's less about drastic overhauls and more about nuanced shades and clever colouring techniques that bring out the best in your natural tones. Think soft brunette balayage for a subtle sun-kissed effect, rich chestnut and cinnamon glazes to enhance depth, or face-framing highlights that create brightness without a full all-over dye commitment.
Whether you're considering balayage or want to add barely-there babylights for that effortless "just back from holiday" effect, there are multiple hair colouring techniques, such as foilayage and hair glosses, to offer bespoke finishes with low-maintenance upkeep. Ready for your seasonal refresh? Scroll ahead for all the brunette summer hair colour inspo to take to the salon.
Summer Hair Colours For Brunettes
1. Golden Hour Ombré
Daisy Edgar-Jones may be my favourite hair crush of all time (she's the only person who could ever influence me to try a fringe) and her hair colour from last summer remains rent-free in my mind. If you're naturally brunette or have a medium-brunette base already, opting for a golden ombré hair colour is an easy way to bring lightness to your hair in the summer season.
In fact, it's one of the trends that hairstylist and trend forecaster Tom Smith predicted would be huge this year. "[Ombré is] characterised by a gradual fade from one tone into another, unlike dip-dye, which has a harsher transition, or balayage, which is a technique that gives more of a highlighted look," he says. "The great thing about this colour is that it makes available any shade to any skin tone because you can keep a flattering tone near your face and fade out into a bolder shade. It’s also great to add blonde into darker hair with a super low maintenance result—no roots at all."
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To achieve ombré, your hair colourist will need to use bleach to lighten. To reverse damage, enlist the help of a good repairing hair mask such as this one, which repairs hair on a molecular level (even deeper than traditional bond-builders).
If you've ever had blonder hair, you'll know that it can be prone to going brassy over time. Invest in a good shampoo and conditioner designed for blonde hair to prevent your lighter sections turning brassy.
Keep your lengths looking and feeling soft with this overnight treatment, which you apply on dry hair and come morning leaves it feeling silky, soft and shiny.
2. Toffee Balayage
If you have brunette hair but don't want to go too light, then consider balayage. The French technique, which translates "to sweep" involves hand-painting sections for a seamless and naturally highlighted look. It's softer than ombre, but allows you to bring brightness through your lengths. I love Hailey Bieber's darker brunette base here, which is paired with soft toffee balayage to bring her hair colour into the summer season.
The additional benefit of balayage is that you can also enjoy seamless grow-out, so you're not left with a noticeable root or committing to salon visits every couple of weeks. Low-maintenance hair colour? Yes please.
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This glossing treatment helps to keep your balayage looking fresh in between appointments by depositing semi-permanent colour to your highlights.
Investing in a good shampoo and conditioner will ensure your balayage stays looking fresher for longer.
Everyone should be using a heat protector, whether you're using a hair dryer or a hot brush to style your hair. This one from GHD applies as a fine mist that won't weigh down your lengths.
3. Iced Brunette
When you think of brunette hair colours for summer, most typically think of lighter tones and blonde balayage. But, every summer I actually love to go darker. While I find it too stark against my skin tone in the winter, come summer, I find it suits my hair far better as my complexion warms up. So this season, I've opted for an iced chocolate hair colour rather than going lighter. You can experiment with a deeper, cooler brunette hair colour by asking for a hair gloss from your hair colourist, which will give a semi-permanent hue that will gradually fade. Or, you can try a tinted hair gloss at home, which will wash out gradually.
If you're already blessed with deep brunette hair, going back to your roots is a great way to reset your hair health too if you're used to dying your hair or using a lot of hair tools. Plus, darker brunettes also benefit from enhanced gloss and shine compared to blonde and highlighted hair, so it will always look rich, glossy and healthy-looking.
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I use this colour-depositing hair mask once a fortnight to keep my hair colour looking cool-toned in between salon glossing treatments. It makes my hair feel so soft and shiny, too.
A good hair gloss will make your hair colour look even more rich and glossy—this one has icy, cool tones to make your brunette look deeper.
When you want to keep your hair cool-toned, warm and red tones are your worst enemy. Adding a couple of these blue-toned drops into your regular condition helps to counteract orange and red tones and keep your deep brunette icy.
4. Raffia Brunette
Vittoria Ceretti's hair colour was pinned to my Pinterest board so fast. Like the multi-dimensional tones you see in a raffia basket bag, this look sees finely woven highlights that are expertly blended into her brunette base. The result? Natural-looking, dimensional brunette hair colour that looks like you're lengths are naturally sun-kissed after spending two weeks on the French Riviera.
In fact, Smith predicted the trend for raffia bronde earlier this year, so it was only natural that we saw this finely woven hair colour trend reach brunettes too. "Unlike the monochromatic looks we had in 2024, or the super high contrast of 2023, this time bronde is a melted and subtly multitonal offering that has a woven texture and an intricate nature," he says. "You might call it quite an ‘expensive bronde’, thanks to its fine attention to detail."
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Hard water in our shower can distort hair colour over time by causing build-up on the hair. This shower filter removes impurities from the water to help coloured hair looking fresher for longer—it also leaves your hair and scalp feeling softer and calmer too.
If you have coloured or highlighted hair, then Olaplex's shampoo and conditioner makes a great investment for your hair.
If you notice highlighted hair going brassy quickly, then try this. You saturate your hair in it prior to shampooing and it helps to stop hard water leaching your colour.
5. Cinnamon Gloss
Craving a warm-toned brunette shade for summer? Then you might want to add Kaia Gerber's hair colour to your Pinterest board, too. I love the subtle cinnamon tones that give her hair a luxurious yet glossy warmth, while remaining rich and expensive-looking (and as for that blowout—I'm digging out my hot brush immediately).
If you're already brunette, this is a great colour to try if you want to switch things up without going too far into auburn territory. You can refresh your current brunette shade with a hair gloss or colour-depositing hair mask to enjoy the warmer tones through your lengths.
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Add warmer, chocolatey tones to your hair with this colour-depositing hair mask.
Similarly, this hair gloss has an auburn tint to give your brunette lengths a warm glow.
Glaze's hair glosses are brilliant for semi-permanent colour—try Auburn Spice if you want to go warmer for summer.
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