Chestnut brown hair 2025: 33 Ideas with Balayage and Highlights Perfect for Short and Long Styles
Chestnut brown hair 2025 brings a new level of elegance and warmth with its versatile shades. This color is ideal for all skin tones, from brown skin to lighter shades, and is particularly striking with highlights or lowlights. Whether you’re interested in balayage, curly, short, or shoulder length styles, these 33 ideas offer endless possibilities to customize and elevate your look with golden and chocolate undertones.
Chestnut Brown with Soft Highlights
This chestnut brown style is all about warmth with a hint of dimension. Soft highlights blend seamlessly with the base color, adding depth and a sun-kissed glow. It’s ideal for formal occasions and casual outings alike, enhancing face shapes with rounder features by creating vertical lines that elongate. This look particularly complements brown and hazel eyes, making them pop against the rich, golden tones.
Achieving this style involves a balayage technique for a natural fade between highlights and the base. To maintain vibrancy, use a color-safe shampoo like Joico’s Color Infuse Brown, which enhances the chestnut hue. Regular gloss treatments will help preserve the sheen, making your color look freshly done every day.
Curly Chestnut Brown for Black Women
Curly chestnut brown hair on black women adds a stunning contrast that elevates natural curls with rich, earthy tones. This style is perfect for those looking to celebrate their curls with a refined color touch that shines in both professional settings and casual gatherings. It works wonderfully with oval face shapes and can accentuate brown and green eyes, adding warmth and a soft glow to brown skin.
The color application usually involves a curl-safe, semi-permanent dye to avoid drying out natural curls. Opt for moisturizing products like SheaMoisture’s Curl & Shine Shampoo and Conditioner to keep curls hydrated and bouncy. Use a curl-defining cream to maintain shape and prevent frizz, especially in humid weather.
Chestnut Brown Balayage
A chestnut brown balayage blends medium brown and light chestnut tones, creating a gradient effect that gives hair a natural, sun-kissed look. This style is perfect for anyone wanting a low-maintenance color that can be dressed up or down. Ideal for heart-shaped faces, this look enhances green or hazel eyes and adds warmth to light and medium skin tones.
The balayage technique requires skillful hand-painting of highlights to create a seamless blend. To maintain the softness of the color, use a sulfate-free, color-protecting shampoo. Regular touch-ups every eight weeks will keep the balayage fresh, while a leave-in conditioner helps prevent dryness and maintain shine.
Chestnut Brown with Red Highlights
Infuse vibrancy into your look with chestnut brown hair enhanced by red highlights. The reddish tones add a unique flair, creating a fiery yet sophisticated look that’s perfect for evening events or a night out. This color combination looks great on long hair and complements round and square face shapes, bringing out blue or green eyes beautifully.
This style requires sectioning and precise placement of red highlights to achieve the desired intensity. A color-protecting shampoo like Pureology’s Hydrate Shampoo is recommended to keep the red from fading too quickly. Using a heat protectant is also essential if you frequently use hot tools to style your hair.
Rich Chestnut Brown with Golden Lowlights
Golden lowlights on a chestnut brown base give a warm, multi-dimensional look that’s sophisticated yet effortless. This style works well for both day and evening occasions, complementing oval and square face shapes. Golden lowlights highlight blue and hazel eyes, making them stand out against the rich backdrop of chestnut brown.
A stylist usually applies the golden lowlights with a foiling technique for precise placement. To keep the color vibrant, use a deep-conditioning mask once a week and avoid over-washing. A shine spray can add an extra layer of glow, keeping the golden hues looking fresh and lively.
Chestnut Brown with Ash Undertones
Cool and chic, chestnut brown with ash undertones is a modern twist that gives hair a smoky, sophisticated edge. This look is ideal for formal settings or minimalist styles, suiting heart-shaped faces and enhancing blue or gray eyes. The ash tones blend beautifully with chestnut, creating a subtle, earthy elegance.
Achieving this color requires a blend of ash toner over a chestnut base. Use a purple shampoo, like Amika’s Bust Your Brass, once a week to maintain the ashy undertones and prevent brassiness. Regular touch-ups and hydration masks will help keep the hair color from fading while preserving the smoky effect.
Medium Chestnut Brown with Honey Highlights
Honey highlights add a sweet, golden touch to medium chestnut brown hair, creating a youthful, radiant effect.
This style is perfect for summer outings or daytime events, flattering diamond and heart-shaped faces. It pairs wonderfully with warm brown or hazel eyes, enhancing the overall warmth of the look.
The honey highlights are usually applied using a balayage technique to keep the look soft and natural. To maintain the vibrancy of the honey tones, use a shampoo with UV protection, like Redken’s Color Extend. A weekly hydration mask will prevent the highlights from turning brassy and keep the hair soft and shiny.
Short Chestnut Brown with Caramel Highlights
Short chestnut brown hair with caramel highlights offers a chic, modern vibe. The caramel tones add brightness to the chestnut base, making it a great choice for oval and square face shapes. This look is versatile enough for work or casual events, particularly complementing light brown or green eyes.
The highlights are typically hand-painted for a soft blend, and the style requires regular trims to maintain its shape. Use a leave-in conditioner and heat protectant to prevent color fading and keep hair looking polished. A color-enhancing shampoo can help maintain the caramel tone, keeping it fresh and vibrant.
Long Chestnut Brown with Cool Chocolate Highlights
For a rich, layered look, long chestnut brown hair with cool chocolate highlights offers depth and elegance. It’s ideal for weddings or formal events, especially when styled in loose waves. This look complements heart and round face shapes and pairs beautifully with brown and hazel eyes, enhancing the richness of brown skin tones.
Chocolate highlights are usually applied with a balayage method for a smooth gradient. Use a hydrating conditioner to keep hair soft and a shine serum to add a glossy finish. Regular trims will help maintain the health of long hair, keeping the style looking sleek and sophisticated.
Chestnut Brown with Soft Ash Lowlights
Chestnut brown with ash lowlights is perfect for those who love a subdued yet refined look. The ash lowlights add depth to the chestnut base without overwhelming it, making this style ideal for professional settings or casual gatherings. This look suits round and oval faces and enhances light and medium skin tones with a subtle contrast.
The lowlights are typically added with a foiling technique for precision. To prevent brassiness, incorporate a purple shampoo into your routine, and use a moisturizing conditioner to keep hair soft. For added gloss, a light hair serum works wonders, ensuring the ashy tones stay muted and sophisticated.
Chestnut Brown with Subtle Face-Framing Highlights
Face-framing highlights in chestnut brown add a soft, glowing effect that brings out your facial features without a full head of color. Perfect for oval and round faces, these highlights suit brown and hazel eyes, making them pop for both casual and formal settings.
The highlights are strategically placed around the front to frame the face, often applied with a foiling technique. To maintain the subtle look, use a color-safe shampoo and a lightweight conditioner, like L’Oréal’s EverPure Moisture Conditioner, which won’t weigh down fine hair.
Chestnut Brown Ombre for Long Hair
The chestnut brown ombre is a trendy choice that transitions from a deep chestnut at the roots to a lighter brown at the ends. It’s ideal for those with longer hair who want a gradual, natural-looking color change. This style works well with heart and square face shapes and enhances brown or green eyes.
Achieving this look requires an ombre technique, often using balayage for a seamless fade. Use a heat protectant if you style with hot tools, and opt for a hydrating shampoo to keep the ends from drying out, as they are more prone to color fade.
Chestnut Brown with Copper Undertones
Copper undertones add a warm, fiery hint to chestnut brown hair, creating a dynamic look that’s perfect for those with warm skin tones. This color pairs beautifully with medium skin tones and is ideal for those with green or hazel eyes.
The copper tones are blended using a lowlighting technique to achieve depth without overwhelming the base. To keep the copper vibrant, use a sulfate-free color-protecting shampoo and apply a leave-in conditioner to prevent dryness and frizz.
Medium Chestnut Brown with Dark Lowlights
Adding dark lowlights to medium chestnut brown hair enhances depth, creating a look that’s polished and refined. This style works well for professional settings, especially for round and square face shapes, and accentuates dark brown or hazel eyes.
The lowlights are often applied using a foiling method for precise placement. To maintain the rich color, avoid frequent washing and use a dry shampoo between washes. A gloss treatment every six weeks will keep the color vibrant and the hair shiny.
Chestnut Brown with Caramel Balayage
A caramel balayage on chestnut brown hair adds a warm, honeyed effect that’s perfect for shoulder-length or longer styles. This look is suitable for any face shape and complements brown and green eyes beautifully, adding a sun-kissed glow.
The balayage technique involves hand-painting caramel highlights for a natural blend. Use a sulfate-free, hydrating shampoo and conditioner to keep the hair moisturized, and apply a color-safe hair mask every two weeks to maintain the vibrancy of the caramel tones.
Chestnut Brown Pixie with Soft Lowlights
A pixie cut in chestnut brown with soft lowlights brings dimension and texture to short hair. This style is edgy yet chic, making it ideal for professional and casual occasions. It complements oval and heart-shaped faces and highlights dark or green eyes.
The lowlights are usually applied with a foiling technique, enhancing the natural texture of a pixie cut. Use a lightweight styling cream to add definition, and opt for a shine spray to keep the color looking fresh and polished.
Long Chestnut Brown with Golden Babylights
Golden babylights add a delicate touch of brightness to long chestnut brown hair, creating a natural, radiant effect. This look is ideal for all face shapes and works well with warm skin tones and brown or hazel eyes.
The babylights are applied using a fine-tooth comb for a soft, subtle effect. To maintain the golden hue, use a UV-protective leave-in spray and a moisturizing conditioner to keep the hair from drying out. Regular trims will also help maintain the health of long hair.
Chestnut Brown with Burgundy Lowlights
For a bold and dramatic look, burgundy lowlights on a chestnut brown base create an eye-catching contrast. This style suits medium to long hair and is ideal for evening events, enhancing both cool and warm skin tones and pairing well with brown or blue eyes.
The burgundy lowlights are added using a lowlighting technique, typically focusing on the lower layers for a peek-a-boo effect. To keep the burgundy vibrant, use a color-enhancing shampoo like Biolage ColorLast, and avoid washing hair too frequently to prevent fading.
Chestnut Brown with Honey Blonde Highlights
Honey blonde highlights on chestnut brown hair bring a warm, inviting glow that’s perfect for both casual outings and special occasions. This style works well with all face shapes and is especially flattering on medium to dark skin tones, enhancing brown or green eyes.
The highlights are applied with a balayage or foiling technique, creating a soft, sunlit effect. Use a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner to keep the honey tones vibrant, and apply a leave-in serum to maintain shine and prevent dryness.
Chestnut brown hair in 2025 brings an array of options for every style preference, hair length, and personal taste. Whether you prefer warm highlights, cool lowlights, or something in between, there’s a chestnut brown style to suit your personality and lifestyle. We’d love to hear which of these looks resonates most with you. Share your thoughts in the comments, or tell us your own chestnut brown hair ideas for the new year!
