18 Chestnut Brown Hair Color Ideas You'll Want to Try

Adding a chestnut hue to already brown hair is a great way to amp up your hair’s warmth and dimension — and it’s the perfect transitional color for blondes looking to go brunette without fully committing to truly deep shade. 

Aside from how gorgeous this warm, rich shade is, we love it because of how versatile it can be. There are many ways to sport the color, and it looks stunning on just about everyone. If you’re looking to give it a try, keep reading to see 18 of the best chestnut brown hair color ideas. 

1. Classic Chestnut Brown 

If you like sporting a solid hair color, you can’t go wrong with a classic chestnut shade. It’s inherently bright and dimensional, meaning that it won’t look flat or dull. Try it at home with the L’Oréal Paris Excellence Créme Permanent Triple Protection Hair Color in Medium Chestnut Brown.  

2. Light Chestnut 

If you want to play with chestnut tones while sticking with an overall light color, you’ll love a light chestnut shade. If you want to DIY at home, use the L’Oréal Paris Féria in Dark Gold Blonde, which is a deep blonde shade with warm chestnut undertones. 

3. Chestnut Brown Ombré

If you’re looking for a low maintenance option, chestnut brown ombré hair is perfect for you. Going this route keeps your base color intact at your roots and gradually fades into a warm chestnut color towards the end of your hair. 

4. Chestnut Brown With Auburn Highlights 

If you want to up the ante with your chestnut hair color, a chestnut base with auburn highlights will do the trick. Auburn looks gorgeous against chestnut brown because its red tones provide contrast, while its warm undertones will blend in beautifully. 

5. Chestnut Brown Balayage

Another highlighting option — but perhaps one that’s easier to maintain — is chestnut brown balayage. It allows you to keep your base color, but add some light and dimension that you won't have to worry too much about maintaining with touch-ups. This option also looks flattering in combination with tons of different base hair colors. 

6. Chestnut Brown With Copper Highlights 

Add a little something special to a standard chestnut brown hair color by incorporating copper highlights into your look. This color features a reddish tone that pairs beautifully with brown hair and will spice up your ‘do for an ultra-warm color.

7. Bronzed Chestnut Brown

If you want to maintain a dark brunette hair color but add some warmth to it, opting for a bronze chestnut hue is a great choice. You can easily get the color at home with the L’Oréal Paris Féria in Deep Bronzed Brown. 

8. Chestnut Brown Lowlights 

If you have light blonde hair that you want to add some depth to, give chestnut lowlights a try. This will give your hair a slightly darker feel without taking away from the brightness of your color. 

9. Chestnut Brown Sombré

Chestnut brown sombré features a highlighting technique that takes a softer approach on the ombré trend, making for a hair color that’s equal parts subtle and stunning. Just ask your colorist to gradually transition your base color into chestnut brown ends for subtle transformation. 

10. Chestnut Brown Money Piece 

If you want to experiment with chestnut hair without embracing a drastic transformation, the money piece may be just what you need. This trend focuses on coloring the front pieces of hair for face-framing strands that bring brightness to a look. 

11. Caramel Chestnut Brown 

If you want to take your vibrant brown hair color up a few notches, caramel chestnut hair will rise to the occasion. This hair color option allows you to beautifully weave dimension into your brown base, helping brighten up your complexion and highlight your features with ease. This is also a great option for people with warm or golden undertones in their skin.

12. Golden Chestnut Brown 

If you’re looking for a sun-kissed hair color, this is for you. It’s a hybrid between dark blonde and light brown hair with stunning warm undertones that don’t lean copper or amber. 

13. Chestnut Brown With Chunky Blonde Highlights 

Consider trying out chunky blonde highlights for a bold look. When done right, this technique can provide your mane with the right amount of contrast to really emphasize your chestnut brown hair color and provide tons of dimension.

14. Chunky Chestnut Brown Highlights

If you want to spice up a brown base, consider giving chunky chestnut brown highlights a try. These thick, high-contrast highlights will add both dimension and warmth to your mane while keeping an overall darker appearance as compared to blonde highlights. Plus, they can also be added to a blonde base color to add depth. 

15. Cherry Chestnut Brown 

We’ve already shared the wonders of pairing your chestnut color with reddish tones, but if you’re game to take the look a step further, cherry chestnut brown hair is the way to go. This pick gives you the option of customizing this red-meets-brown shade to take on a warmer look or cool things down just a bit.

16. Chocolate Chestnut 

If you want to maintain a deep brunette shade, but give it a very subtle hint of warmth, try out a chocolate hair color with faint golden undertones. This is a great option for people with cool undertones in their skin because the slight warmth in the hair color won’t create too much of a contrast. 

17. Ash Brown With Chestnut Balayage 

If you like a strong contrast in your hair color, try going for an ash brown base color, like the L’Oréal Paris Excellence Créme Permanent Triple Protection Hair Color in Mocha Ash Brown, and adding medium chestnut balayage. This will give you the contrast you crave without requiring a whole lot of maintenance. 

18. Peek-a-Boo Chestnut Hair 

Those that love to play with color but want to keep bold hues camouflaged will love the idea of peek-a-boo chestnut hair. The top layer of your mane will be a beautiful chestnut brown, while the underneath will feature a pop of color, like pink or a mahogany shade. When you put your hair up, you can show off the color. When you wear it down, it will be camouflaged.  

How to Take Care Of Chestnut Brown Hair 

Once you’ve successfully transformed your hair into a pretty chestnut brown hue, you’ll want to care for it properly to keep it looking its best. 

1. Use Products for Color-Treated Hair 

When you dye your hair, it’s important to use products that are safe for color-treated hair. We love the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Bond Strengthening Color Care Shampoo and the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Bond Strengthening Color Care Conditioner. In addition to being gentle on color, they work to strengthen the hair from the inside out by reinforcing weak hair bonds. This is especially important when going lighter with your color because bleaching can cause serious damage. 

2. Protect Your Hair Before Heat-Styling 

If you’re planning on using heat on your chestnut brown hair, make sure to use a heat protectant, like the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Weightless Blow Dry Primer, first. It will help to protect your strands from the damaging effects of the heat as well as condition your hair and tame frizz. 

3. Tone Your Color With a Hair Gloss 

If you find that your hair is looking dull in color and tone, you don’t need to run back to the salon for a touch-up. Use an at-home hair color gloss, like the L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss One Step In-Shower Toning Gloss. It’s an in-shower toning gloss that works to deeply condition your hair while enhancing shine and toning your color. 

Next: How to Get a Strawberry Brunette Hair Color

Edited by: Alyssa Kaplan, Photo Credit: iStock