10 Photos of Dark Brown Hair With Caramel Highlights to Inspire Your Summer Hair Color

By Erin Lukas and Victoria Moorhouse
Updated Mar 19, 2020 @ 10:15 am
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If you want to go lighter for summer without going full-on blonde, you can keep your status as a brunette by asking your colorist for caramel highlights. 

Caramel highlights on dark brown hair can be done with a couple of techniques like hand-painted balayage, or with foils, to lighten up the base in a subtle way. When the creamy color is evenly distributed and placed on the right areas, it should mimic what the sun does naturally: give the hair a more dimensional look. 

Warm caramel also happens to be one of the most flattering (and popular) highlight shades for deep brunette hair. The proof is in these 10 celebrity hairstyle pics. Keep scrolling to see how stars like Eva Longoria, Jasmine Tookes, and even Jennifer Lopez have given this trend a shot. 

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Taraji P. Henson

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Taraji P. Henson added caramel higlights to her dark brown curls to create an ombréd look.

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Jasmine Tookes

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Jasmine Tookes's caramel highlights begin a few inches away from her hair line, growing lighter as they reach the tips.

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Eva Longoria

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Eva Longoria's face-framing caramel highlights draw attention to her facial features. 

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Jennifer Lopez

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You don't have to stick with a subtle use of the color. Over time, you can ask your colorist to add in more and more caramel highlights until you reach a light blonde shade similar to Jennifer Lopez.

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Kate Beckinsale

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Kate Beckinsale's caramel highlights on her dark brown hair stand out even more when styled in loose, cascading waves.

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Priyanka Chopra

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A darker caramel highlight warms up a deep brunette base like Priyanka Chopra's. 

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Olivia Munn

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Olivia Munn's subtle, sun-kissed highlights are really only visible from the middle to the tip of her hair.

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Natalie Portman

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Natalie Portman brightened up her brunette bob with a set of caramel highlights.

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Sofia Vergara

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Sofia Vergara's highlights are focused towards the ends of her hair, but there isn't a harsh line of demarcation. Bring this photo to the salon if you want a super, super natural look.

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Selena Gomez

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Selena Gomez is bringing '90s chunky highlights into 2020. To create the look, her colorist added thick streaks throughout the lower half of her bob. 

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By Erin Lukas and Victoria Moorhouse