From “bronde” to mahogony to deep chocolate, brown hair is anything but boring. Being on the dark side is not only trendy, it’s downright sexy. All it takes is a little know-how on perfecting your shade. That starts with matching your brown hue with your skintone (get tips in our story, Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone). And check out these celebrity brown-haired girls.
1Mandy Moore
Hair color: Rich Mahogany
Skintone: Light
Undertones: Cool
Why it works: Warm red tones like Moore’s look great with pale skin.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
2Scarlett Johansson
Hair color: Amber Chestnut
Skintone: Light golden
Undertones: cool
Why it works: Though Johansson’s skin is light, it has enough pigment to handle this darker shade. You can find a brunette shade that will flatter a pale complexion.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
3Natalie Portman
Hair color: Honey Brown
Skintone: Light golden
Undertones: Warm
Why it works: Quite often, the light skin requires a light shade of brown, a look that Portman aced.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
4Anne Hathaway
Hair color: Luminous Coffee
Skintone: Medium golden
Undertones: Cool
Why it works: Medium skintones like Hathaway’s have a ton of versatility as far as brunette hair colors go. Here, the warm undertones in her skin pick up her caramel highlights perfectly.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
5Sofia Vergara
Hair color: Chocolate Toffee
Skintone: Medium tan
Undertones: Warm
Why it works: Here, Vergara is rocking a neutral brown shade—not too warm, not too cool—that perfectly complements her medium skintone.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
6Sarah Michelle Gellar
Hair color: Golden Acorn
Skintone: Medium golden
Undertones: Warm
Why it works: Though most of us know Gellar as a blonde, her brunette color is equally flattering, thanks to her neutral brown shade and face-framing highlights.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
7Selena Gomez
Hair color: Subtle Russet
Skintone: Medium
Undertones: Cool
Why it works: Gomez’s rich auburn tone is the perfect complement to her golden complexion.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
8Jessica Alba
Hair color: Caramel Cola
Skintone: Medium tan
Undertones: Warm
Why it works: Alba’s skintone is medium bordering on dark, so this richer, darker hue suits her.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
9Jordin Sparks
Hair color: Sepia Cocoa
Skintone: Dark golden
Undertones: Warm
Why it works: The subtle, deep red highlights in Spark’s hair flatter her darker skintone.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
10Beyonce Knowles
Hair color: Tawny Caramel
Skintone: Dark golden
Undertones: Warm
Why it works: Though light hair colors can be risky with dark complexions, Beyonce makes hers work by matching her caramel tresses to the golden tones in her skin.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
11Jennifer Hudson
Hair color: Black Coffee
Skintone: Dark
Undertones: Warm
Why it works: Hudon’s dark skin looks great with this almost-black shade, and the subtle brunette highlights in her hair color compliment her skin’s warm undertones.
The science: Read about it in Brown Hair Color for Your Skintone.
