51 Best Hair Color for Dark Skin that Black Women Want

While there are no wrong hair color answers, the best hair color for dark skin are ones that set off the rest of your features and complement your personality.

best hair color for dark skin 2019

For both light and dark skin, there are corresponding hair color shades that work better than others. Whether you are black, African American, Latin American, East Indian, moreno, or just have brown skin or a darker skin tone, we are here to help you decide. In this article, we’ll highlight the best hair color ideas for dark skin to help you choose the best hair color for your dark skin tone.

So, what is the best hair color for dark skin? Over the years, the hair color trend for dark-skinned women has rapidly changed. Black, blonde, brown, white, red, yellow, green—the rest of the colors in the rainbow and more. Dark women have been trying all sorts of hues on their hair to make themselves stand out. Of course, each type of shade has its advantages and disadvantages, so we’ll tackle them all here.

Related: Wedding Hairstyles for Black Women

NOTE: since our skin tones are very diverse and vary across every woman in the world, we will categorize skin color to light brown, medium brown, and dark brown skin tones. We hope you’ll find your favorite shade in one of the pictures below.

Best Hair Color for Dark Skin that Black Women Want

1. Best Hair Color for Light Brown Skin Tone

Mahogany Hair Color for Light Brown Skin Tone

best hair color light brown skin
source: pinterest

For a light brown skin tone, going with a complementary shade of brown is always a safe bet. Going with a light natural brown to light golden brown tone highlights and brightens the face. Large, gentle waves add elegance to the look.

Caramel Hair Color for Light Brown Skin Tone

best hair color light brown skin
source: pinterest

Going with a lighter bleached blonde to caramel blonde creates a casual and fun appearance. If you’re wanting to look younger, this hair color could help do the trick.

Light Brown Hair Color for Light Brown Skin Tone

best hair color light brown skin
source: pinterest

A light brown ombre in dreadlocks makes an elegant presentation for light brown skin tones.

Baby Blue Hair Color for Light Brown Skin Tone

denim hair for dark skin
instagram/nissadadon

Want to show off your playful side? Consider a light blue denim hair color for dark skin. The cool blue and silver tones bring freshness and youth to your look.

Auburn Highlights for Light Brown Skin Tone

Best hair color for dark skin
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2. Best Hair Color for Medium Brown Skin Tone

For medium brown skin, going with a darker hair color helps bring out your facial features by providing a contrasting background. Sometimes less is more.

Burgundy Highlights for Medium Brown Skin Tone

burgundy highlights for medium brown skin tone
instagram/thecutlife

A case in point is burgundy hair color highlights with a short pixie haircut for black women. It’s a contemporary way to add a splash of color without going overboard. Perfect when you want to show off your professional style.

Champagne Blonde Highlights For Medium Brown Skin Tone

champagne blonde highlights for dark skin
instagram/nissadadon

Champagne blonde highlights are the perfect way to offset your medium colored hair. Changing your base color from black to a reddish blonde softens your appearance and enhances your femininity. The frontal highlights give your face a pop to accentuate your beautiful features.

Copper Hair Color For Medium Brown Skin Tone

copper hair color for brown skin tone
instagram/isntthataya

A copper hair color for brown skin can create a somewhat washed-out appearance, more so if the dye is of the same tone as the skin. This is a good look for those seeking a more relaxed and fun look. If that’s you, let your hair down and give this copper shade a try.

Chestnut Hair Color For Medium Brown Skin Tone

best haircolor medium brown skin
source: pinterest

Adding a chestnut brown hair color atop a straightened black hair base brings casual fun to your hairstyle. This combination makes lighter brown eyes pop and is sure to turn heads.

Honey Blonde Highlights For Medium Brown Skin Tone

best haircolor medium brown skin
source: pinterest

Reddish Blonde Highlights For Medium Brown Skin Tone

best haircolor medium brown skin
source: pinterest

3. Best Hair Color for Dark Brown Skin Tone

Sunflower Blonde Hair Color For Dark Skin Tone

Sunflower Blonde Hair For Dark Skin Tone
instagram/gigiperucke

Sunflower blonde is a warm tone of blonde that complements a dark brown skin tone. This might be a match for you if you are looking for an attention grabbing hair color, without the clash of harsher hues.

Mochacchino Blonde Hair Color for Dark Skin Tone

Mochacchino Blonde Hair Color for Dark Skin Tone
instagram/mochacchinohair

Honey Blonde Hair Color for Dark Skin Tone

honey blonde hair color for dark skin
instagram/kingg_zai

One way to showcase your dark skin tone is with a long, warm, honey blonde hair color. Keeping the natural dark brown roots gives you a natural transition to the fabulous colored hair. The contrasting color frames your face and adds a touch of elegance to your look.

Caramel Hair Color for Dark Skin

Caramel hair color for dark skin
instagram/theericaash

Purple Highlights For Dark Skin

purple hair color for dark brown skin tone
instagram/justineskye

If you’re seeking a sexy yet subtle hair color for a dark brown skin tone, check into purple hair paint. The dark brown to black base keeps your hairstyle grounded so you won’t stick out like a sore thumb. But, by adding a touch of purple color, it accents your look and lets your face shine. Be the rockstar of your office with these purple highlights.

Silver Hair Color For Dark Skin

silver hair color for dark skin
instagram/skin

Having dark hair with a dark brown skin tone can make you fade into the background. A silver color ombre brightens the look of women with dark skin while adding needed contrast. If you work in a corporate job, the silver hair color is a good choice if to add style while keeping with a conservative overall appearance.

Gray Hair Color For Dark Skin

Gray Hair for Dark Skin
instagram/bobbeepinns

Lavender Hair Color for Dark Skin

Lavender hair color for dark skin
instagram/misslanishacole

Electrify your look with this bright lavender ombre hair color for dark skin.

Dusty Pink Hair Color For Dark Skin

pink hair color for dark skin tone
instagram/melanin.feed_

Another option for women with dark skin is to go with a soft dusty pink hair color. Blending the pink hair color while keeping the tones muted creates a near-natural look. Tight curls further blend the color tones and add shimmering movement. Complete the package with complementary lipstick shade. Pink hair is a popular choice for black women.

Related: Pink Hair on Dark Skin

Pale Blue Highlights For Dark Skin

denim hair color for dark skin
instagram/motivesalon

If you want a more conservative look but desire a little flare, go with subtle highlights. Here’s an example of denim blue highlights for dark skin.

Dark Brown Hair Color For Dark Skin

best hair color dark brown skin
source: pinterest

Burgundy Hair Color For Dark Skin

best hair color dark brown skin
source: pinterest

A subtle dark red, dark purple, burgundy color looks good on dark brown skin. It has just the right amount of pop to look modern and contemporary.

Let’s look at more examples:

1. Dark Brown Hair Color for Dark Skin

Nowadays, the most popular hair shade for dark-skinned women is dark brown. It is relatively the “safest” color because it doesn’t stand out too much from the color of your skin, but unlike natural black hair, it can complement the glow of your brown skin in a subtle but flattering way.

For light, medium, and dark brown skin categories, dark brown hair will always go well with your skin color. Hair dye shades such as chocolate brown, deep brown, espresso brown, and coffee brown are simple hues that can make your hair blend with your natural skin color.

Beyonce with Chocolate Brown Hair:

Beyonce with chocolate brown hair
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Another advantage of dying your hair dark brown is it requires much lesser treatment compared to other shades, since natural black hair can be dyed the ideal dark brown shade in only 1-2 treatments. Consider this shade if you’re thinking of dying your hair for the first time.

2. Medium to Light Brown Hair Color for Dark Skin

This shade is a notch higher than dark brown, encompassing tones such as honey, caramel brown, milk-chocolate brown, and latte brown, among others. For all dark skin colors, medium to light brown hair is a good recommendation since it suits everyone and is easy to match with almost any fashion.

Caramel Hair Color on Dark Brown Skin Tone:

caramel hair color for dark brown skin tone
instagram/thecutlife

When you have to stay conservative, but can’t stand to be ordinary, look for a hairstyle that sticks to natural color tones. A two-toned hairstyle with a dark brown base and caramel brown tops is a great example. Keeping the hair colors layered and neat adds a level of sophistication to your look. Feel confident at your next outing with this luxurious statement.

Light Brown Hair on Medium Brown Skin Tone:

Light brown hair on medium brown skin tone
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Medium to light brown hair is still not an outrageous hair color, but it does offer a bit more boost to dark skin tones than dark brown hair. For dye shades that are lighter or brighter than your skin, your hair can make you look brighter and give you an additional glow.

On the other hand, for shades darker than your skin, the contrast can also make your skin look lighter than it actually is.

3. Blonde Hair Color for Dark Skin or Black Women

Blonde comes in many shades and can be carried well by any woman with dark skin. Shades such as platinum, strawberry, golden, champagne, and ashen blonde are just some of the colors you can choose from.

Blonde hair for a dark-skinned woman can be a huge change in your look because of the amazing contrast, but when the right shade is chosen for your skin color, you can achieve the Tyra Banks-Naomi Campbell look.

For light brown skin, lighter shades of blonde such as light ash blonde, light strawberry blonde, and buttery blonde have lots of potential to look amazing. You can also get away with platinum blonde, as your skin won’t have much contrast to the color and look too unnatural.

Buttery Blonde for Light Brown Skin

Buttery Blonde for Light Brown Skin
instagram/malaikalue

Light Blonde Hair Color for Light Brown Skin Tone

blonde hair for dark skin
source: pinterest

Shades that go well with medium brown skin are also light blonde colors (mentioned above) and in-between hues such as beige, summer blonde, creamy blonde, dirty blonde, and honey blonde. Depending on the color, your hair can accentuate your skin to make it look more outstanding, as seen in this example below.

Platinum Blonde for Medium Brown Skin

blonde hair for dark skin
source: pinterest
Platinum blonde on medium brown skin
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For dark brown skin, every shade of blonde from light to dark will look great (ashen blonde, brownish blonde, caramel blonde, chestnut, and sandy blonde especially). With darker skin comes greater contrast to blonde hair, and can result to a more incredible, head-turning look.

Light Blonde Frosted Tips on Dark Brown Skin:

light blonde frosted tips on dark skin tone
instagram/makeupartisttay

Frosted tips are not just for guys stuck in the 90’s. It’s also a way for women with dark skin tone to showcase blonde hair. A cropped short afro can be colored with any shade of blonde. The short length reins in the color and keeps it from getting out of control. If you’re looking for a contrasting hair color for black women with very short hair, check this out.

Light Ash Blonde on Dark Brown Skin:

Light Ash Blonde on Dark Brown Skin
instagram/circebarbosaa

However, blonde shades that have overpowering orange and yellow tints are not recommended, since you don’t want to ruin the contrast with a too-bright hue.

4. Red and Purple Hair Color for Women with Dark Skin

Want to be a little bit more playful? Red dye is a strong, vibrant color that adds a lot of character to your look. Scarlet, red wine, light red, dark red, and bright red colors go well with light to medium brown skin tones, while more burgundy hues match with darker skin tone.

We recommend that the darker the skin tone, the more intense the shade—to make your hair color pop.

Red Hair Color on Dark Skin:

Let your red hair color for dark skin shine by highlighting your luscious locks. Red is the perfect accent color if you are seeking the spotlight. At the same time, keeping a dark black base to your hairstyle anchors the look and helps the red sparkle. Don’t be shy, give this a try!

Candy apple red hair color for dark skin

Candy Apple Red Hair Color For Light Brown Skin Tone

instagram/laluxurylocksNothing sets off the fire alarm bells like candy apple red hair. Wear this hair color when you want to command all the attention.

Purple Hair Color on Light Brown Skin Tone

burgundy red hair color for dark skin
instagram/khayaangel
red hair for dark skin
source: pinterest
Red curls on light skin
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Purple Hair Color for Light Brown Skin Tone

Purple hair is another story. If you’re feeling a little bit more playful and bold, go for violet, lilac, or purple hues. It doesn’t contrast excessively with brown skin and being a cool color, purple and violet hair blends well with dark-skinned women.

purple hair color for dark skin
instagram/blackhairideas

Violet Hair Color for Dark Skin

Violet hair for dark skin
instagram/misslanishacole

Violet has a more bluish hue and less saturated than purple. It’s a more conservative choice for women who don’t want to be so outlandish.

Purple Hair Color For Medium Brown Skin Tone

purple hair color for dark skin
source: pinterest
purple hair color for dark skin
source: pinterest

Mauve Hair Color For Light Brown Skin Tone

Lilac hair color for black women
source

To elevate the drama, go with a lighter purple shade for light brown skin.

5. Green, Blue, and Other Outrageous Hair Colors  for Dark Skin

If you want to try unusual hair colors like green, blue, indigo, silver, pink and many others, consider getting yourself an ombre. An ombre of any color looks amazing on every shade of skin. It’s a style that would not go out of trend for many years to come, you can rest assured that your hair wills always turn heads and garner those Instagram likes.

Azure Highlights for Dark Skin

Azure highlights for dark skin
instagram/melas.goddess

Dark Blue Hair Color for Medium Brown Skin Tone

dark blue hair color for medium brown skin tone
instagram/glamluxxe

Looking for an elegant twist for hair color? Check out this dark blue base dye with lighter blue highlights for brown skin tones. A muted shade of blue adds a touch of uniqueness for women who want to stand apart from their friends.

Blue Green Shades on Light Brown Skin Tone

black woman blue green hair
source: pinterest

If you’re daring enough, take a peek into blue-green hair colors. Only women with big personalities need apply.

Blue green shades on light skin
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On the other hand, when you feel confident enough, rock the solid color look. Keep in mind to choose a color that you can commit too, and one that matches your style and skin shade well.

However, both ombre and solid color hairstyles can inflict great damage on your hair due to bleaching and extensive styling (plus possible straightening/curling) so make sure to choose the color you want and provide good aftercare for your hair.

Peach Hair Color for Dark Skin

Peach hair color for dark skin
instagram/kingg_zai

Lilac Hair Color for Dark Skin

lilac hair for dark skin
source: pinterest

Cotton Candy Blue for Medium Brown Skin Tone

Cotton candy blue on medium brown skin
source

6. Mermaid Hair Color for Dark Skin

When you want to sparkle under the sea, mermaid hair color is the go-to choice for transforming into an iridescent pearl.

Mermaid Hair for Light Brown Skin Tone

mermaid hair for medium dark skin
instagram/hairfascinatioon

Mermaid Hair for Medium Brown Skin Tone

mermaid hair for dark skin
instagram/hairfascinatioon

Mermaid Ponytail for Dark Brown Skin Tone

mermaid ponytail for dark skin
instagram/looksby_chez

It’s no secret that ladies want to stand out, and what better way to do that by coloring your hair into a beautiful, flattering color that complements your natural dark skin. Your skin tone is an asset, and you should flaunt all of your assets and emphasize them with the right hair color.

In this article, we highlighted the best hair colors for dark skin. If this article helped you find the right hue for you, then leave a comment below. Also, share this with your friends to help them know what color is best for them, as well. Thanks for reading!

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23 Comments

  1. The title is a bit misleading, perhaps Hair colors for black, brown, and people of color would’ve been a better description.

  2. Some of these comments are so dumb! When i seen “dark skin” I assumed women who are not WHITE! No matter our many beautiful skin tones we are ALL dark skinned when compared to WHITE!

  3. I absolutely love the way you showcased our Black women. There will always be people you cannot please no matter if you’d used dark skin Africans in your shoot. As the saying goes “You can’t please everybody all the time”, so baby gurl don’t try. Keep doing your thing 2 the best of your ability & if “YOU’RE” pleased at the end of the day, then that is all that matters. Keep up the good work. Very talented.

  4. Ok… so its clear that you a good idea of what “dark-skinned” black women really look like. The pics are nice, and you did your research to match the true content of the article.

  5. Another idea article meant for the young and or movie star that can truly do whatever they want to do. No depiction of a true dark skinned woman that is living a everyday life in a dress code profession.

  6. This is a pretty good representation of dark skin.. It covered the different shades of the beautiful black woman.

  7. Hi… Do you know how to tell the difference between POC’s DIFFERENT skin tones? Many of these pictures are of lighter skin toned women. Nice attempt though!

  8. After looking thru all of these photos, it’s obvious the person who wrote this article and matched the pics have no clue what women of the global majority really are. You have women who are light skin marked as dark. Women who are medium as dark. Women who are celebrities that we know that aren’t dark are listed as dark. Then there are no truly dark skin women represented here. We are wide ranging skin tones and colors that run the gamut from Zoe to Lupita. Sad.

  9. Thanks for all the ideas, I really like all the hair colors for brown and black women. I’m thinking of that denim blue highlights myself. Probably a little more color than shown on the model though. We’ll see.

  10. Best list ever! Pictures are very helpful in figuring out the shade of a color needed for skin tone and all of these women truly do look great with the color (although some are more my style than others). Definitely saved some pics and the page for future reference when i wanna change things up

  11. i look at all these girls and theres only one really dark women on the photos and she doesn’t even have her hair dyed this gives me no reference as to what colors look good on me this summer.

    1. I was thinking the same thing at first, but I did find a few hairstyles for myself. The list was helpful after all.

    2. Keep in mind some of these women took the photo in bright lighting. For some of them i can tell the woman is actually darker than appears in photo

  12. these girls look attractive. dying your hair dark brown requires much lesser treatment compared to other shades. i should tell my wife to dye hair for the first time.

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