Stop scaring yourself away from highlighting your dark brown hair! We’ve got the sweetest way for you to get that rich dimension with a bit of added warmth—all without being too bright and looking tacky or distracting from your beautiful, deep, luscious brunette locks. This deeper, smoother golden brown-blonde blend is perfect for giving dark brown hair everything it needs (without overshadowing what you already love about it).
Caramel is also toned to suit almost any brown shade, from light brown to deep espresso and beyond, so you can bet that you’ll find your favorite among our list of 40 radiant ways to wear dark brown hair with caramel highlights. So, without further ado, let’s jump in!
#1. Dark Brown Bob with Caramel Streaks
Give your dark brown bob a soft and subtle lift with gentle caramel streaks. These sweet streaks bring just a hint of lightness for rich definition and a warm glow to any skin tone. And even better, this cut and color combo works on any hair type!
#2. Caramel Swirls on Chocolate Brown Waves
Give your chocolate brown waves a level-up with caramel swirls. These luxe swirls are perfectly toned and placed to add just enough illumination to give your hair maximum definition and make your waves look better than ever!
#3. Soft Caramel Highlights on Walnut Brown Curls
If you’re looking for something to lighten up your walnut-brown curls, soft caramel highlights are just the thing for you! These hushed highlights add subtle brilliance, which doesn’t just brighten up your whole look but also adds definition to your curls, making them stand out better against the walnut brown.
#4. Honey Caramel Ribbons on Deep Brown Hair
Want a sweet, summer-ready style for your deep brown hair? Go for honey caramel ribbons. These thicker highlights are perfect for wavy or curly hair. They illuminate your curl pattern and create warm depth and dimension from the contrast with your deep brown color while also adding a subtle sunny glow.
#5. Toffee Caramel Glaze on Sleek Espresso Hair
Indulge in a lighter, more elegant look, like a toffee-caramel glaze on sleek espresso. The blend of toffee and caramel tones creates a neutralized color, making for a refined upgrade for sleek espresso hair. It’s a low-contrast style, but the depth creates a high-class aesthetic.
#6. Golden Caramel Accents on Brown Layered Hair
Revive your look in one simple step by adding golden caramel accents to your brown layered hair. Golden caramel accents level up brunette layers with renewed definition and brightness for that luxuriously dignified look, with a touch of sun-kissed bliss.
#7. Caramel Ombre on Dark Brunette Hair
Go for a natural take on trendy with caramel ombre on dark brunette hair. This transition brings massive depth and a warm glow to your face while looking effortlessly stylish. Plus, this is a great way to go a bit lighter without taking the full plunge.
#8. Subtle Caramel Babylights on Mocha Brown Hair
If you’re afraid of highlights outshining your mocha-brown hair, we’ve got just the solution for you: subtle caramel babylights! These highlights won’t steal the show. They’re just there to add a pinch of light for a shiner look that accentuates your marvelous mocha brown but doesn’t overtake it.
#9. Rich Caramel Twirls on Brunette Lob
Looking for a stylish and sophisticated upgrade? Luxurize your brunette lob with rich caramel twirls! These warm caramel tones bring rich dimension to dark brown hair, adding more movement to your lob cut and an elegant twist to the whole look.
#10. Dark Chestnut Curls with a Splash of Caramel
Bring some vibrancy and vivaciousness back to your dark chestnut curls with a splash of caramel. The splash pattern uses those caramel tones to illuminate right where you need it. Caramel tones are the perfect thing to give dark chestnut hair a lively spark, adding depth and dimension, which makes your curls look better.
#11. Burnt Caramel Highlights on a Dark Brown Shag
The shag cut is a retro-inspired game-changer. The shaggy layers revive even the finest and flattest hair with volume and texture. You can capture that vibe and add a tasteful twist with burnt caramel highlights on a dark brown shag. This style features all that classic body and movement, but the color pairing tones it down and refines it for a more sophisticated aesthetic.
#12. Caramel Kisses on Ash Brown Tresses
We love ash brown for its all-natural aesthetic. And now, you can give it a gentle lift with some caramel kisses. These soft touches of caramel warm up this cool-toned brown and bring subtle light that acts more as a glimmer than anything for that extra lustrous look.
#13. Dark Brown Hair with Chunky Caramel Balayage
If you want something a bit bolder and more modern, add some chunky caramel balayage to your dark brown har. This standout style features chunky caramel balayage to give a bolder contrast for deeper definition and an all-around brighter look, adding a trendy twist to your normal dark brown hair.
#14. Sandy Caramel Wavylights on Light Brown Hair
Who said beachy hairstyles had to all be blonde? Not us! With sandy caramel wavylights on light brown hair. This highlighting technique is designed just for waves, with sandy caramel bringing a natural beachy flair to your light brown base for brighter, better-looking waves and an effortless summer-ready aesthetic.
#15. Molten Caramel on Dark Brown Pixie Cut
Think highlights will ruin the sleek look of a dark brown pixie? Try molten caramel, and you’ll never be so glad you were wrong. The warm tones of this caramel shade bring just enough richness and light to your hair for an illuminated dimension, then melt back into the dark brown for an ultra-seamless blend.
#16. Amber Caramel Highlights in Chocolate Hair
Are the yellow undertones of caramel not warm enough for your chocolate brown tresses? Try a different shade, like amber caramel that incorporates deeper, warmer orange and red tones to intensify the richness of the caramel without overshadowing it (or your chocolate brown).
#17. Caramel Ribbons on Mahogany Brown Hair
If you’re looking for a neck-breaking makeover for your brunette locks, you need to try caramel ribbons on mahogany brown hair. Mahogany is already dual-toned, but adding caramel to the mix creates a gorgeous multi-tonal dimension you won’t be able to look away from (and neither will anyone else).
#18. Caramel Sunbursts on Brunette Waves
If you’re looking to get your look ready for summer but you’re not interested in going blonde, you need to try caramel sunbursts on brunette waves. These bursts of caramel tones are placed perfectly to look natural, giving your brown hair that subtle sun-kissed vibe and brightening up your waves with a little more definition.
#19. Caramel Drizzle on Mid-Length Brown Hair
There’s nothing classier than mid-length brown hair. But you can give that look a modern and trendy twist with a cute caramel drizzle. This sweetens up the style, adding a kiss of depth and dimension that gives your mid-length cut a little more movement.
#20. Caramel-Infused Dark Brown Bob
Sweeten up your chic dark brown bob with some caramel infusions. This subtle introduction of rich, lighter-toned caramel really creates that decadent look, with dimension and brilliance for a soft glow that brings your high-class bob to the next level.
#21. Caramel Stripes on Long Brown Hair
Revive your long, luscious dark brown locks with some caramel stripes! These extra-defined caramel highlights bring a higher contrast for intensified dimension without being too bright, still creating an all-around livelier look for any hair type.
#22. Chestnut Brown Waves with Caramel Slices
Indulge yourself and your sophisticated side with a graceful style like chestnut brown waves with caramel slices. The chestnut brown brings natural elegance, with the golden-toned sliced highlights bringing an effortless upgrade with just a hint of brightness in all the right places.
#23. Butterscotch-Caramel Highlights on Dark Brown Layers
Looking for a softer and more subtle way to lighten your dark brown layers? Go for butterscotch caramel highlights! This toned-down caramel shade brings a richer, multi-tonal definition that amplifies your layers for a lively yet luxurious look.
#24. Caramel Flecks on Short Brown Hair
If you love the look of gold flecks but think it’s too bright for your short, dark tresses, try caramel instead. Caramel is the perfect complementary lift for dark brown hair, with tiny flecks weaving through your hair for brightness and dimension that livens up any hair type.
#25. Dark Brown Curls with a Caramel Glow
Show some love to your natural curls, and give them a sweet and indulgent style, like dark brown curls with a caramel glow. The contrast between the caramel and dark brown creates a luminous and luxurious aesthetic while also giving your curls better definition so they can be as radiant as you!
#26. Caramel Veil on Straight Walnut-Brown Hair
Looking to give your straight hair a tuneup? Go for deep walnut brown with a rich caramel veil! Instead of traditional highlights, the caramel tones are underneath the walnut-brown, like a warm, glowing veil acting as a frame for your face. They shine through the darker walnut-brown top layers for the perfect amount of dimension to give straight, long hair a zap of energy.
#27. Caramel Streaks on a Brunette Fringe Cut
If you thought the fringe cut couldn’t get more fab and fashion-forward, guess again! Caramel streaks are a fresh take on this chic cut, bringing desperately needed life back into this clean and tidy look for something a little more unique and youthful.
#28. Caramel Embers on Deep Brown Hair
Bring some flicker and flair to your style with caramel embers on deep brown hair. These deepened, warmed-up caramel tones bring the heat to deep brown hair, creating a gentle contrast that creates dimension for any hair type and a nice cozy glow for your skin, too!
#29. Caramel Whirls in Long Brown Tresses
There’s nothing more luxurious than long brown tresses. But if you want to take that up a notch, add some captivating caramel swirls. These sweet, swirling highlights bring dreamy brilliance to long brown hair, giving it new life without losing an inch!
#30. Caramel Mirage on Soft Brown Curls
Need a soft and subtle way to level up your soft brown curls? Try a caramel mirage! These delicate caramel tones are melted right into your curls for depth and enhanced definition, which makes your curls look better—and that’s no trick!
#31. Caramel Streamers in Rich Brown Hair
Give your rich brown hair a dose of playful pizazz with caramel streamers! These are thicker highlights with a little more brilliance for that party-ready shine and an elegant contrast between the caramel and rich brown tones. This color combo is great for thick, wavy hair that needs a little extra help with movement.
#32. Dreamy Caramel on Dark Brunette Waves
Give your deep, dark brunette waves a pinch of fairytale flair with dreamy caramel highlights. These soft and subtle tones give gentle definition, so your dark brunette stays front and center. But the caramel tones add some movement to your natural waves and a slight sunny glow to your face.
#33. Brown Blunt Cut with Caramel Tints
A brown blunt cut with caramel tints is the epitome of contemporary class, with a clean and tidy shape with gentle tints of caramel to create just a little bit of life for your hair without having to go crazy with layering, keeping this cut classy as ever.
#34. Caramel Rush in Shoulder Length Brown Hair
The gold rush may be over, but the caramel rush is just beginning for you! Gain all the warm, rich, and luxe vibes you can handle with a caramel rush on shoulder-length brown hair. This flowing dose of caramel gives your stylish shoulder-length cut all the definition and dimension that caramel is known and loved for, for a double dose of dignified.
#35. Dark Brown Mane with Caramel Sprinkles
Sweet and sultry—that’s how we describe a dark brown mane with caramel sprinkles. This style features long, dark locks sprinkled with caramel notes to help your texture in the dimension department while creating a well-blended aesthetic of two very different styles.
#36. Caramel Cascade on Wavy Brown Hair
Give your waves some natural flow and flair with caramel cascades. These caramel highlights fall perfectly and contrast with your natural brown to define your natural texture, making your waves look better than before with an added sunny glow.
#37. Caramel Fantasy in Lush Brown Locks
Ethereal meets elegant, in a style like lush brown locks with a caramel fantasy. This highlighting technique interlaces delicate caramel tones into your lush brown locks for a natural-esque contrast that creates an instant dreamy vibe, even better than a fairy godmother could.
#38. Caramel Twists on a Brown Pixie Cut
Want a simpler look but also want to keep the chic edge of your pixie cut? We’ve got just the thing! Caramel twists on a brown pixie cut are a fine blend of stylish, sophisticated, and simple. The caramel twists bring a natural contrast to your brown color, which also defines the layers of the cut but keeps the look much more inviting.
#39. Deep Brown Bob with a Caramel Essence
Go for a blend of radiant and refined with a deep brown bob with a caramel essence. This slight touch of caramel lets you keep the clean and chic look of your bob but give it a summery twist while adding a little illumination, helping to define any hair type.
#40. Caramel Harmony in Long Wavy Brown Hair
If you’re looking for a low-key but high-impact change for your long brown waves. These serene caramel tones are so well blended that you barely know they’re there. But the natural contrast brings your long hair back from the depths, giving a bit of dimension and a natural flow.