What color hair is chestnut?

Chestnut is a rich, dimensional shade of brown hair. It's typically a warm shade, with golden or red undertones. It's more of a subtle reddish-brown that looks redder in direct sunlight.

How do you achieve chestnut brown hair at home?

For at-home maintenance, try Bryant's trick: "I'm always a fan of making my own shade using a regular white conditioner that's your favorite and buying a semi-permanent color like Manic Panic and adding enough color into the conditioner and/or shampoo to create a customized color staining shampoo or conditioner you can leave in your shower for an extra color tint each time you wash."

What undertone does chestnut hair have?

As the warmest of brown hues, chestnut hair usually has red or gold undertones.

Is chestnut hair the same as auburn or red hair?

Though they both can have red undertones, auburn is typically much redder and richer overall than chestnut hair. Auburn can range from coppery brown to bright cherry red, while chestnut hair is primarily a brunette shade with warm or red undertones.

33 Chestnut Brown Hair Color Ideas to Achieve the Perfect Brunette Glow

high angle portrait of mixed femme with dreadlocs — Rochelle Brock / Refinery29 for Getty Images / Getty

When we think of hair that glows, buttery blondes and radiant redheads come to mind. But brunettes needn't be left out of the equation. Rich brown tresses have every bit the warm, luminous essence of lighter hues. Chestnut hair is a rich brown color with red undertones that come through in natural sunlight. The shade, which is flattering at any length and on every skin tone, can be combined with caramel, honey, and deeper shades of brown in the form of highlights, lowlights, or balayage.

Although dying your hair chestnut brown may seem like an easy transition, it can be tricky to nail, which is why seeing a pro is a good option if you're new to the shade. We asked the experts for their advice on this it-color and how to best rock it, no matter our hair texture.

Meet the Experts

• George Papanikolas is a Matrix brand ambassador and celebrity colorist who divides his time between salons in Los Angeles, New York, and Dubai.

• Jafra Bryant is a celebrity colorist based in Los Angeles whose clients include Julia Garner and Porter Robinson.

Before you schedule an appointment, check out our favorite A-list sources of inspiration.

Chestnut Hair

Choosing a Shade: Make sure you consider skin tone before taking the plunge— take inspiration from your fave celeb if you can't decide.

Maintenance Level: Low. Color should fade seamlessly but highlights might need some upkeep. "Maintenance can be pretty low with this hair color, luckily! The bit of copper and or golden warmth this color has is easier and lasts longer in the hair," Bryant says, adding that cold rinses and extra trips to the salon are usually not required to maintain chestnut brown hair.

Goes Great With: Most skin tones and undertones.

Similar Shades: Try out the illuminated brunette trend, or enhance a dark brunette hue with highlights.

Price: Varies per salon. Your base color will also impact the cost.

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Dimensional Chestnut-Auburn Blend

Chloe Bailey with glam old hollywood hairstyle at the 66th GRAMMY Awards — Lester Cohen / Getty

From braids to sleek siren waves, Chloe Bailey is one celeb who's truly showcased the versatility of this color. We love how these particular waves show off the depth and dimension in chestnut hues.

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Chocolate-Cherry Chestnut

Halle Bailey attends The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty" with chestnut auburn hair — Cindy Ord / MG23 / Getty

Speaking of sirens, Halley Bailey is no stranger to playing auburn-haired heroines on the big screen. But it's this chocolate-cherry chestnut transition that truly took our breath away.

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Dark Chestnut

Camila Morrone's color is a little bit chocolate and a little bit chestnut, but the peeps of warmth towards the layered ends are what really shine here. A winning color combination in our books.

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Chestnut Balayage

Winnie Harlow's sweeping updo starts with a deep chocolate base and slowly descends to warm chestnut waves. We love how this particular hairstyle emphasizes the glorious color blend.

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Coppery Chestnut

Elizabeth Olsen copper chestnut hair — Getty

"Starting with a gloss in the salon or at home is a great way to test the shade out and see how your hair wants to take the color whether you’re blonde, brunette, or darker shades of hair color," says Bryant. "Since this color has a very soft coppery hue to it starting lighter with a gloss or tinted conditioner can be a nice way to step into chestnut or warm soft tones."

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Chestnut Curls

Issa Rae's stunning chestnut curls are a masterclass in allover color. The texture of her spirals give natural dimension to the hue, forgoing highlights for uniform richness.

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A Touch of Red

Storm Reid with auburn chestnut hair — @stormreid / Instagram

Storm Reid's red-tinged tresses are as gorgeous as they are long. Try adding a temporary dye if you want to try out another tint, like Reid's red hue, without the commitment.

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Liquid Chestnut

Megan Thee Stallion has built quite a portfolio of iconic hair moments, but this cascade of dark chestnut curls may take the cake. The glossy waves are so polished they transcend matter and keratin altogether, taking on an entirely new, liquid form.

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Golden Chestnut

While she maintains darker roots, Jessica Alba's chestnut locks are a little bit lighter and a bit more golden in tone, sort of like the "Tiger Eye" trend.

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Deep Chestnut

Olivia Culpo's deep chestnut shade is sure to look stunning on similar olive skin tones, especially if you have dark features to match.

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Chestnut Glow

Janet Mock's Old Hollywood waves are practically aglow with all those warm undertones. The brown base color may be deep, but this hair seems to be illuminated from within.

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Soft Chestnut Balayage

Lucy Liu soft chestnut updo — Daniele Venturelli / Getty

Lucy Liu usually rocks nearly black hair, but here she takes on chestnut with dark roots fading into a softer brunette.

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Auburn Balayage

Gabrielle Union with chestnut balayage — Getty

Gabrielle Union sported big chestnut curls at the CFDA Fashion Awards, and we fell in love. The transition from dark chestnut to auburn is stunning with her skin tone, too.

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Chestnut With Sun-kissed Highlights

Kate Beckinsale with chestnut hair and sunkissed highlights — Getty

For the most natural look, you'll want to ask your colorist to add dimension with highlights placed where the sun would hit. "One solid color can look flat and inky," Papanikolas says. "It’s always best to have richer roots and glaze the ends about two shades lighter. This is not only more flattering, but it’s also what brunette hair would naturally do in the sun."

The look is illustrated by Kate Beckinsale, our OG celeb hair inspiration. Here she sports a dimensional chestnut hair color with dark roots and lighter ends at the GQ awards.

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Mahogany Chestnut

Felicity Jones's hair is right on the edge of the chestnut spectrum, nearing a deep mahogany shade. We love how her curtain bangs blend effortlessly into soft, medium-length waves.

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Vibrant Auburn

Rachel McAdams has rocked nearly every hair color. But can we petition her to always keep this vibrant mix of chestnut and auburn?

Byrdie Tip

To keep your color vibrant, incorporate hydrating masques and gloss-enhancing treatments into your weekly routine.

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Face-framing Highlights

Maya Rudolph Chestnut Brown Hair — Getty

Comedy queen Maya Rudolph maintains luscious mahogany waves with two subtle streaks of chestnut that play wonderfully off of her freckles and dark eyes. The oh-so subtle money-piece is an iteration of the trend that works on everyone.

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Chestnut Ombré

Jamie Chung gives us further proof that ombré chestnut hair is alive and well (and extremely flattering). The warm colors play off her olive skin tone beautifully.

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Reddish-Brown Waves

Julia Roberts with reddish chesnut brown hair — Getty

Julia Roberts's vivid hue is reminiscent of the red-brown hair she made famous in Pretty Woman. And we've been trying to replicate it ever since.

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Cinnamon-Spiked Chestnut

Lizzo with cinnamon chestnut coils — @lizzobeeating / Instagram

Lizzo's chestnut spirals couldn't be more complementary to her skin's natural undertones. Where most chestnut shades can come across as too warm, verging on brassy if done incorrectly, here they're toned to a cooler cinnamon hue.

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Chocolate Chestnut

Mila Kunis with chestnut brown hair — Getty

While Mila Kunis's chestnut strands border on a darker chocolate brown, the light-catching highlights have a tinge of gold to them that warms up her complexion.

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Golden Curls

Halle Berry blonde-highlighted chestnut curls — Amy Graves / Getty

We love when Halle Berry wears her hair curly. You can really see the way her golden highlights add both depth and levity to an otherwise very dark shade of chestnut.

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Warm Chestnut

Lucy Hale with chestnut hair and blonde highlights — Jason Merritt / TERM / Getty

This Pretty Little Liars star is known for her brunette lob, which usually skirts just past her chin. Here, you can see dimensional chestnut tones applied to the very ends to add movement and warmth to the overall look.

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Strawberry Chestnut

Serena Williams looks incredible as always, but her chestnut-toned coils truly steal the show. Here, a blend of strawberry blonde and chestnut highlights frame the tennis champ's face, while darker roots add intensity.

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Blended Brunette

Lily Aldridge with chestnut hair — Getty

Model Lily Aldridge is serving serious brunette inspo with this subtle ombré that moves from raven to chestnut to mahogany and complements her golden olive skin tone perfectly.

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Chestnut Bronde

Chrissy Teigen chic wavy blunt chestnut hair — Jon Kopaloff / WireImage / Getty

Chrissy Teigen's blunt wavy cut is mainly bronde, however, it has undertones of chestnut that add to the warmth of her overall color.

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Classic Chestnut Blowout

kate middleton with chestnut hair — Getty

While she may currently be the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton is the Queen of the chestnut blowout. She may switch up her highlights from golden caramel to slight red tones, but here, she shows off a warm chestnut with hints of light auburn highlights.

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Golden Balayage

Rashida Jones with chestnut hair and balayage — Getty

Rashida Jones's hair reminds us of a roasted chestnut: with deep, rich coloring at the roots that flows down to golden undulating waves.

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Caramel Highlights

Years before she transitioned to a chic bob, Kaia Gerber sported long chestnut waves that seriously look so fresh with caramel-colored highlights.

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Red-tinged Afro

Solange Knowles with red-toned chestnut afro — Getty

Gorgeous hair certainly runs in the Knowles family. Solange is yet another amazing example of a red-tinged chestnut, seen here, rocking her amazing natural curls in a fabulous afro.

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A Drop of Honey

Ashley Benson with honey-toned Chestnut Hair — Getty

We're used to her as a blonde, but we love this chestnut and honey ombré-inspired look on Ashley Benson.

"A warm chestnut gloss with a demi-permanent color is a great way for blondes to richen up their blonde/light brunette hair," says Papanikolas. "If your hair is darker and virgin, then lightening it 1-2 shades to a chestnut tone will bring out natural underlying warm pigments. If your hair is not virgin, then it will be necessary to highlight the hair and glaze with the lighter chestnut tone."

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Soft Highlights

Mandy Moore with soft chestnut highlights — Getty

"Most of my clients I love to softly highlight and go over everything with a color that's not too far off from the root color since it will always be a bit lighter on the highlighted bits and creates a beautiful movement in the hair via hair color," Bryant says. This photo of Mandy Moore with chestnut hair and warm caramel highlights showcases just that.

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Chestnut Brown to Blonde Gradient

Zendaya with curly chestnut brown to blonde ombre hair — Alessandra Benedetti / Corbis / Getty

Zendaya can do no wrong, especially when it comes to a hair choice. This lived-in, natural look that transitions from chestnut brown to blonde is proof.

FAQ

What color hair is chestnut?

Chestnut is a rich, dimensional shade of brown hair. It's typically a warm shade, with golden or red undertones. It's more of a subtle reddish-brown that looks redder in direct sunlight.
How do you achieve chestnut brown hair at home?

For at-home maintenance, try Bryant's trick: "I'm always a fan of making my own shade using a regular white conditioner that's your favorite and buying a semi-permanent color like Manic Panic and adding enough color into the conditioner and/or shampoo to create a customized color staining shampoo or conditioner you can leave in your shower for an extra color tint each time you wash."
What undertone does chestnut hair have?

As the warmest of brown hues, chestnut hair usually has red or gold undertones.
Is chestnut hair the same as auburn or red hair?

Though they both can have red undertones, auburn is typically much redder and richer overall than chestnut hair. Auburn can range from coppery brown to bright cherry red, while chestnut hair is primarily a brunette shade with warm or red undertones.