This striking colour trend will make brunette hair look so expensive this winter

Offering a deep, dramatic tone and plenty of gloss, monobrown is set to be a must-have hair colour, say the pros

On the left, Anne Hathaway is pictured with dark brunette hair at the 2024 National Board of Review Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 11, 2024 in New York City, alongside a picture of Lily Collins with a dark, 'Monobrown' style brunette bob at the "Emily In Paris" Netflix Photocall at La Samaritaine on September 12, 2024 in Paris, France. And finally, on the right, Sandra Oh is seen with dark brown curls at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards at Edison Ballroom on April 14, 2024 in New York City in a pink watercolour paint-style template
(Image credit: Getty Images (L to R) Taylor Hill/FilmMagic | Stephane Cardinale - Corbis | Theo Wargo)

While blonde hair trends have been plentiful, 2024 has also ushered in several luxe-looking brunette looks, all centring around cooler tones and shine. Winter is set to take this one step further, with a minimalistic but striking hue that goes by the name of 'monobrown'...

If you've stayed across this year's hair trends, you'll know that brunettes have been having a whole lot of fun, with several glossy and multi-dimensional hues gaining popularity - from taupe brown to cinder toffee brunette. This season is set to be a very similar story but instead of boasting a blend of cool or radiant golden tones, winter's trending brown shades will have one very interesting thing in common - a completely monochromatic finish. According to Tom Smith, trend forecaster, international artist in residence at Billi Currie and International Creative Colour Director at evo, they will all share, "a clean, even and high-shine base colour, with no obvious contrast."

Dubbed the monobrown hair trend, these minimalistic colours afford an elevated and bold effect, making them the perfect option for those seeking to refresh their natural, dark brown strands - or wanting a complete hair transformation. Here's everything you need to know...

What is the Monobrown hair trend?

Mononbrown effectively refers to block brunette shades that are rich and deep but do not feature any shifts in tone or highlights running throughout. They are solid and offer a refreshing departure from balayage and other multi-dimensional looks. However, these tones aren't flat or dull-looking thanks to a healthy gleam, which is accentuated by the tone's uniform colour.

Having coined the term, Smith elaborates, describing these block shades as very glossy and striking in look and says they are ideal for those, "with naturally deeper hair." That said, Smith also notes that they're suitable for those with fairer hair if you can also dye your eyebrows to match - to achieve cohesion and fully embrace the bold finish. Picture Emily In Paris star, Lily Collins' dark brown bob - her hair colour is very rich but completely uniform, with no obvious highlights.

Lily Collins is pictured with a dark brunette bob on the red carpet of the Netflix series Emily in Paris 4 at The Space Cinema Moderno. Rome (Italy), September 10th, 2024

(Image credit: Getty Images/Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio)

"It can be a beautifully striking look in either case," says Smith: "Just be sure you’re willing to use the correct products to maximise the shine and gloss in your hair, which is needed when reducing contrast or dimension in the colour technique."

How to request and maintain the colour

To request this rich and expensive-looking trend yourself, Smith advises to, "ask your stylist for a simple uniform brunette shade with an additional layer of a matching gloss for the required intensity and shine."

In terms of maintenance, Smith notes that this all comes down to the natural starting colour of your hair: "The less contrast, the less maintenance. If you’re naturally deeper-haired then shifting tone to go for this monochromatic shade, whether warm, cool or neutral will be easy and low maintenance. If you’re lightening much darker hair to get a rich shade you’ll need to do the roots every two months or so, but If you happen to be blonder naturally, the roots will be quite obvious and may require monthly top-ups."

As for achieving the signature glossiness that enhances this style of monotone colour, Smith recommends evo's line of treatments: "Evo Fabuloso colour boosting treatments come in a variety of shades which can be used to add tone and richness to deeper hair. In the salon, I custom mix a pigmented conditioner based on the same concept that is your very own custom home toner to keep the tone and shine topped up."

6 celebrity monobrown hair looks to consider for winter

If you're looking to ditch your highlights and instead embrace this monochromatic brunette trend, we've rounded up a few famous faces who sport this one-shade style...

1. Anne Hathaway's dark chocolate hair

Anne Hathaway is pictured with dark brunette hair pulled up into a ponytail at the Prime Video's "The Idea Of You" New York premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 29, 2024 in New York City.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Cindy Ord)

Anne Hathaway's hair is the perfect example of this look and is a shade to consider for the winter months. It's dark but rich and boasts a healthy and very natural-looking shine.

2. Ciara's dark brown curls

Ciara is pictured with dark brunette curls at the BBR - Black Beauty Excellence Luncheon at Virgin Hotels New York City on September 06, 2024 in New York City.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Rob Kim)

Smith cites Ciara's hair from the Black Beauty Excellence Luncheon in September as another point of reference for this deep and monochromatic look. Ciara's hair is dark but has a hint of warmth that adds to the depth.

3. Sofia Vergara's chestnut hair

Sofía Vergara is pictured with long, chestnut brown hair at the "Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration", Andrea Bocelli celebrates his 30th anniversary in music with three star-studded concerts at Teatro Del Silenzio on July 19, 2024 in Lajatico, Italy.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Vittorio Zunino Celotto)

If you find the idea of going a dark brunette shade a tad daunting or perhaps have lighter brown strands naturally, Sofia Vergara proves that you can still achieve this uniform, glossy look to great effect.

4. Zoe Saldana's warm-brown hair

Zoe Saldana is pictured with a dark brunette ponytail at Variety's 2024 Power of Women: Los Angeles Event Presented By Lifetime at Mother Wolf on October 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Momodu Mansaray/FilmMagic)

If you prefer warmer tones over cooler ones, Zoe Saldana's brunette hair boasts a very flattering reddish undertone which helps to accentuate the glossy shine of her strands.

5. Lily Collin's dark brunette bob

Lily Collins is seen with a monobrown-style bob at the Premiere Of Netflix's "Emily In Paris" Season 4 Part 1 at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on August 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

If you're tempted by one of this year's short crops - like the Bell-bottom bob - Lily Collin's cool, dark brunette bob is all the inspiration you'll need. Again, her hair is one, all-over colour but it doesn't look flat or dull, thanks to its depth and shine.

6. Sandra Oh's rich brown curls

Sandra Oh is pictured with warm brown curls at The Fourth Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Amy Sussman)

Sandra Oh's warm brunette hair demonstrates how this trend can elevate your natural shade with the help of a toning gloss. Here we can see that Oh's hair is all one, warm colour, which creates a very flattering and striking look that still has dimension, especially where her strands catch the light - revealing that warm, reddish undertone.

Naomi Jamieson
Digital Beauty Writer

Naomi is a Digital Beauty Writer from woman&home, where she covers everything from skincare to fragrance but specialises, particularly, in makeup and nail trends. Through her work, Naomi gets to share her trend expertise and share her own shopping recommendations and product reviews. Previously, she worked as a Lifestyle News Writer for My Imperfect Life magazine, where she used her savvy for TikTok to bring readers the latest beauty buzzwords, fashion movements and must-have products. 

Before that, Naomi split her time between both GoodTo and My Imperfect Life, whilst training for her Gold Standard diploma in Journalism with the NCTJ, for which she earned a Distinction. Interestingly though, Naomi actually has a background in design, having studied illustration at Plymouth University but leapt into the media world in 2020, after always having a passion for writing. Now, when she isn’t reporting on the best perfumes and latest beauty releases, you can find her drinking copious cups of coffee, drawing and probably online shopping...