There's something about a fresh hair color that makes us feel out absolute best. While there is something to be said for vibrant blonde locks in the summer and deep, rich brunette hair in the fall, there is an in between shade that is perfect year-round. Light brown hair color is one of the few shades that can carry you from season to season, and bonus, it's low maintenance, too.
When it comes to finding your ideal light brown shade, Leland Olson, Style/Color Master at Kevin Murphy says there are a few factors to consider, such as your skin tone and undertone.
"Lighter eyes, like blue and pale brown, usually reveal cool undertones, while gold flecks in an eye color usually indicate warm undertones," Olson says. "Looking at the color of the veins on the inside of your wrist helps to determine what shade will suit you best. If you can’t tell if your veins are green or blue, you may have a neutral skin tone. If your veins appear green, you have a warm skin tone. If your veins appear blue or purple, you have a cool skin tone."
Warmer skin tones can look to natural and warm colors to make their eyes pop. Olson suggests "rich golds, radiant auburn coppers, and chocolate brunettes." For cool skin tones, blue-based or ashier brunette shades will help minimize the skin's natural redness. "Cooler skin tones should avoid black, orange/coppers and earth tones as they can wash you out and make you look paler," Olson says. Beige tones are a universal pick for all skin tones.
To avoid brunette hair from getting brassy or orange, Olson recommends an in-salon gloss like Kevin Murphy's Color Me Gloss. A gloss is demi-permanent color or a clear treatment will boost shine and moisturize to help repair the hair. Olson says to think of it like lip gloss for your hair.
At home, treat hair with a shine-boosting, neutralizing treatment that will cut out the unwanted orange and brassy tones. "Using a product like Cool Angel from Kevin Murphy will provide a color-enhancing shine treatment for your hair to maintain coolness in-between your hair color services in the salon," Olson shares. "The pigments in this product help to enhance existing tones, neutralize unwanted tones, and improve color longevity without build up on the hair
Since there's no right or wrong time of year to have light brown hair, we've rounded up our favorite celebrity takes on the color to inspire your next look.
Caramel Brown
Cara Delevingne's decadent caramel brown hair makes her blue eyes pop. It's also the perfect shade to warm up cooler features.
Light Brown Ombré
Jessica Alba's hair is dark at the roots but cascades into a beautiful light brown ombré that highlights her olive skin tone.
Auburn
Issa Rae's rich auburn hair with subtly lighter ends enhances her warm complexion while giving off a less-is-more vibe.
Chestnut
Alexa Chung's dark-to-light chestnut ombré features cool-toned highlights. Her effortless undone waves show off the dimension in her color.
Light Brown With Golden Blonde Highlights
The actress's golden blonde highlights add warmth to her brunette base while her soft '70s curtain bangs play off her features. What's not to love about this combo?
Copper Brown
Gigi Hadid's mini bubble braid hairstyle is fun, but her color is a prime example of copper brown done right.
Expensive Brunette
Now, this is one hair color that lives up to its name. "Expensive brunette refers to hair color that has incredible shine, a liquid like gloss finish, but has intentional lightening and dimension throughout the hair to look like the color cascades and shines with multi-dimensional reflect," Olson explains. "Whether it's a cooler or warmer tone, this trend focuses on having super healthy hair and rich hair color." Here, Hailey Bieber's brown hair is super shiny and vibrant, as the trend intends.
Honey Brown
No one does warm light brown hair like Jennifer Lopez. Here, the star demonstrates how gorgeous bronze highlights can be. The dimension created by the lighter strands creates a pretty honey brown finish.
Bronde
Not quite blonde, not quite brunette, Sofia Richie's in-between color is ideal for those who can't make up their mind.
Mushroom Brown
Laverne Cox's mushroom brown hair steers more towards the light brown side thanks to well-placed caramel highlights and waves that frame her face,