Update Your Brunette Shade With These 39 Balayage Ideas

Layered Hues

"This is something you could ask for if you’re getting balayage for the first time and would like to test how it would look and make you feel," hairstylist Abby Haliti says of a classic chocolate brown balayage. The technique works to bring warmth to your natural color.

Balayage Braids

Simone Biles always takes the gold, and her hair does, too. We love her long braids that transition from dark brown to caramel and then ashy blonde.

Sun-Kissed Balayage Lob

Natural brunettes can perk up their color with the addition of painted-on balayage highlights, as seen here, which offer a sun-kissed look without being overly blonde. Just take it from Chrissy Teigen.

Hint of Balayage

This gorgeous, shiny brunette balayage on Camila Cabello is perfect for enhancing shine, adding texture, and creating a natural-looking effect.

Curly Balayage

Va-va-volume! Zendaya's curly balayage is a lesson in laid-back glam. Bodt notes how her warm cinnamon tones aren't super subtle but are placed thicker, adding much-needed pops of boldness.

Caramel Balayage

Warm caramel balayage gives texture and life to the dark brown color, as shown on Gina Rodriguez here. It's a perfect example of how color can transition throughout long hair and still look natural.

Balayage Locs

Vivid, fun, and full of life and dimension—those are just a few words to describe Kerry Washington's summer locs style that transitions from dark brown to rich copper.

Bronde Balayage

Jessica Biel's balayage look is equal parts brown and blonde, aka bronde. Her 'do also takes on the tortoiseshell effect—highlights that are perfectly placed, natural-looking, and well-blended.

Dark Brown Base

Ciara's beauty looks are always on point, including this beautiful balayage, which uses dark brown as a base to make honey highlights pop. "This balayage works to brighten up her skin tone without clashing with her natural hair color," says Haliti. "The bold color at the front is achievable by requesting a face frame, too."

Cool Brunette Balayage

The transformation of Ashley Park's color is jaw-dropping, and the cool tones of balayage prove that using colors that aren't so warm for brunettes can still be extremely flattering.

Mahogany Balayage

Keke Palmer's mahogany highlights scream "It-girl." If you prefer soft balayage looks over more contrasted ones, this look is for you.

To replicate Palmer's hair color, keep the dark brown or black roots before expertly painting subtle highlights down through the mid-lengths and ends.

California Brunette

Kaia Gerber's super-subtle brunette balayage is exactly what comes to mind when you hear the words "Cali style." She went just a "few shades lighter and focused just on a face frame to make it look subtle but dimensional," notes Bodt.

Cream Soda Balayage

Rihanna's ashy blonde balayage tones work together to bring soft, lighter brown hues to naturally dark hair. A stunning example of how multi-tones can enhance brunettes.

Short Balayage

Shoulder-grazing hair can suit every hair texture, and balayage suits almost any hair length. For proof, just look at Gemma Chan. How perfect are those undulating highlights?

Money Piece Balayage

"This is a classic face frame on Beyoncé," notes Haliti of the star's caramel money piece. "I always say [the money piece] is a natural accessory that perfectly brightens up your hair and makes a bold statement." We love how the rest of her brunette hair subtly becomes lighter, too.

Two-Toned Balayage

We adore Lucy Hale's summery blonde balayage. It combines brunette and blonde that feels both obvious and natural at the same time, which makes it feel fresh.

Balayage can also "create seemingly natural, sun-kissed highlights," explains Haliti. Like Hale, balayage highlights "appear soft and gradual because they utilize a more freehand hair coloring technique."

Multi-Dimensional Balayage

Here, you can clearly see the overall effect of balayage on the hair. Taraji P. Henson's hairgoes from dark chocolate to golden brown and ends with a cool, sandy blonde.

Balayage suits just about all hair textures. No matter what hair type your strands fall under, a few well-placed highlights will do the trick.

Honey-Toned Balayage

Honey-toned balayage with wispy bangs looks so good on Nicole Ari Parker. The blend of hues perfectly flatters her natural base colors and adds warmth to her overall look.

Light Brown Balayage

Anyone who has naturally light brown hair, take note. Sophia Bush's effortless ombré was created by Los Angeles-based celebrity hairstylist Nikki Lee, who interspersed golden blonde highlights throughout Bush's loose waves.

Box Braids Balayage

Play up your ombré and add dimension to your hair by throwing your box braids up into a high bun à la Storm Reid. We love how her natural shade blends with ashy blonde.

Dark on Dark

Another take on the trend is Abigail Spencer's dark brunette look. The addition of waves helps add depth to her hues.

Sun-Kissed Balayage

Sun-kissed balayage is the best on this brunette beauty. Maddie Ziegler's faded color is so subtle yet natural.

Cool Contrast

Cool, blonde tones mixed with deep brunette color to give a different take on balayage—just ask Jamie Chung. This color combo makes for the perfect beauty statement.

Ribbons and Curls

Since the base shade is usually in the brunette or dark blonde family, you shouldn't worry too much about grow-out. See how gorgeous it looks on Adria Arjona?

Rich Brown Balayage

We've taken a special liking to Priyanka Chopra's rich brown gradient. It's so glossy and natural-looking that it almost appears to emit light. 

Copper Balayage

For brunettes who don't want to go the high-contrast route with blonde highlights, there's always the option to go with copper or auburn streaks, as seen here on Joan Smalls.

Highlights and Lowlights

If you want a bolder color contrast between the lowlights and highlights in your hair, take heed of this look created by Lee for Mandy Moore. A base of dark brown accentuates the golden-blonde streaks.

Balayage Twists

We love Naomie Harris' rich brown-to-mahogany balayage style. Her rich brunette hair is accented with mahogany tips and accentuated with thick twists.

Dark With Baby Balayage

Here is Jennifer Lopez's take on the look, which features a deep, rich base and slightly lighter and ashier balayage toward the tips.

Classic Brunette Balayage

One of the best things about hair that has been balayag-ed is how effortless it looks while still providing a luxe effect—just look to Hailey Bieber for proof.

Blended Balayage

Balayage has the power to help hair look healthy and naturally voluminous, as demonstrated by Lea Michelle. Her colorist, Lee, flawlessly blended brown and blonde tones for this beautiful look.

Highlighted Balayage

For natural brunettes looking to drastically lighten their color while still keeping their brown base, take note. Bodt says that Rocky Barnes' strong face-framing highlights and golden strands throughout make this balayage look extra beachy.

Blonde and Brown Balayage Blend

Lily Aldridge's look was achieved by mixing bronde and light brunette highlights. Styling hair in waves like this draws further attention to the dimensional color, too.

Blended Blonde Streaks

Daisy Edgar-Jones has recently joined our best balayage list for a reason. Hints of caramel and blonde blend together so perfectly with her chestnut locks that you'd almost think she was born with it.

Cool Blonde Highlights

Madelyn Cline's red carpet-ready balayage is achieved with cool-toned blonde highlights that give the Outer Banks star an effortless, grown-out effect.

Top to Bottom Highlights

Not all balayage starts from below—sometimes, face-framing pieces are necessary for creating some much-desired dimension. Look at how Maria Menounos uses caramel browns to zhuzh up her natural brown hair.

All-Over Chocolate

Not all gradient hair needs to incorporate blonde. In 2012, Tyra Banks left very little room for her ultra-dark roots and instead, let a chocolate brown hue dominate. Imagine this low-maintenance look after a few months of growing out (!).

Braided Blonde

Shay Mitchell has rocked the brown-to-gold balayage look since her Pretty Little Liars days. Here, her brunette hair was embellished with golden blonde and styled in a messy low braid.

Golden Retro Bob

Remember when we said that balayage works for all lengths? Penélope Cruz's retro gradient bob is the perfect example of how a few copper highlights can liven up a short brown 'do.