Brown Hair Color: Dark & Light Brown Shades

Why Brown Hair Should Be Your New Color

Brunettes enjoy the sweet spot of hair color! There are so many brown hair color shades and tones to explore ranging from light brown and ash brown hair color to medium and dark brown hair color. In fact, there are enough brunette hair color ideas to suit every age, skin tone, and lifestyle. Brunettes also tend to have more hairstyle options because brown hair dye is an excellent base for effects like highlights, lowlights, and balayage. Bonus: Brown hair color is usually low-maintenance. Brunettes have all the fun!

How to Get Brunette Hair Color at Home

Garnier offers the biggest brands in at-home brown hair color kits. From Olia enriched with five fruit oils to Nutrisse Ultra Color for bold and vibrant shades, there are hundreds of options for every brown hair need. Also explore our line of nourishing Nutrisse Ultra Crème brown hair colors and expert Nutrisse Ultra Coverage at-home kits for eliminating stubborn grays.

Garnier is a one-stop shop for brunette hair color with tutorials and informative articles, like our step-by-step guide on how to dye hair at home.

Everything You Need to Know About At-Home Brown Hair Color

Before opening your Garnier dye kit, start the brunette hair color journey by reading our comprehensive guide on what to know before dyeing your hair. It’s full of invaluable tips, hacks, and knowledge for both first-time and experienced at-home colorists.

In a nutshell, there are six easy steps to dyeing your hair: test, prep, mix, apply, wait, and rinse. All of the instructions and supplies are in the box, except for hair ties and an old towel. Get every last detail in our step-by-step manual on how to dye hair at home.

Browse All Our Brown Hair Color Shades

On the hair color spectrum, brown hair color is situated between blonde and black. In other words, you have a huge and highly versatile range to choose from! Garnier first categorizes brunette hair colors by tone: light, medium, and dark. Each category contains a “temperature” range from warm (golden tones) to neutral to cool (ash tones), which helps determine how well a shade will complement your skin tone.

To find the perfect brown hair color for your complexion, first determine your skin tone and undertone.

LIGHT BROWN

MEDIUM BROWN

DARK BROWN

NUTRISSE ULTRA CRÈME 60 - Light Natural Brown

NUTRISSE ULTRA CRÈME 61 - Light Extra Ash Brown

NUTRISSE ULTRA CRÈME 63 - Light Golden Brown

NUTRISSE ULTRA CRÈME 535 - Medium Golden Mahogany Brown

OLIA 6.0 - Light Brown

OLIA 6.3 - Light Golden Brown

Brown Hair Color Virtual Try-On

Once you’ve figured out your skin tone and undertone, head straight to Garnier’s online Virtual Try-On Tool. Upload a selfie or opt for a real-time viewing so you can instantly see which shade of brown hair works best for you.

Brown Hair Shade Quiz

Not sure which shade of brunette hair color to try on? Take the Garnier Shade Selector Quiz to narrow down your choices!

Garnier's Expert Tips for Maintaining Brown Hair

So, you’ve found a dreamy brown hair shade and your beautiful at-home color is done. After admiring how great it looks and feels, it’s time to tweak your hair care routine to ensure that color stays vibrant and your tresses remain healthy. It’s not hard to do: just follow these top four expert tips on maintaining your brunette hair color.

Avoid Daily Shampooing

Every time you shampoo, a little bit of your brown hair color will wash out. Avoid the fade by shampooing less often: 2-3 times a week is ideal. And always choose sulfate-free color-safe hair care like the Fructis Color Shield anti-fade line.

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Garnier Fructis

Color Shield Shampoo

Rinse with Cool Water

Permanent hair dye is infused in the inner cortex of each hair. Prevent the pigment from escaping by sealing the outer cuticles: rinse with cool water after shampooing. Lock in the benefits and fight future frizz with Sleek & Shine Leave-In Conditioner formulated with argan and keratin.

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Garnier Fructis

Sleek & Shine Intense Smooth Leave-In Conditioner

Avoid Heat Styling

We often take hot tools for granted, including blow dryers. But they tend to rob hair of moisture, which will dull your brunette hair color. Lay off them as much as you can, and use a heat protectant when you must use heat to style.

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Whole Blends

Hair Honey Milk 450°F Heat Shield Spray

Apply a Hair Mask

Moisture is a dye job’s best ally! Boost the effects of your regular shower conditioner with a weekly hair mask to keep color-treated hair at peak hydration and vibrancy. Try Honey Treasures Hair Mask for expert maintenance and brown hair repair.

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Whole Blends

Honey Treasures Repairing Mask

How to Refresh and Nourish Brunette Hair Color

We cannot stress enough how important nourishment is for color-treated hair. Your hair naturally contains proteins and other substances that keep it healthy and strong, and dyeing your hair can drain some of those much-needed components. Garnier’s brown color kits are formulated with enriching oils that help provide nourishment, but you need to keep up the good work until your next application with products that replenish and refresh.

Make sure you’re using sulfate-free products like Color Shield shampoo and conditioner to protect your color. Color-refreshing glosses are also a great option for prolonging your gorgeous color.

Top Hairstyles for Brown Hair

Make the most of the rich multidimensional depth and shine of your brown hair color by showing it off with the best hairstyles. Beach waves are a sure bet and easy to do, while classic braids bring out the high and low glows of brunette hair color. You can also go freestyle with a messy bun to showcase the allure of darker brown hair. Or why not do a glossy blowout? This trending look enhances volume and softness for a head-turning bounce.

Browse Garnier Brands for Hair Color Ideas

Garnier hair color is a family of brands that are specially formulated for intensity, nourishment, and coverage. From Nutrisse and Olia to Nutrisse Ultra Color and Nutrisse Ultra Coverage, each collection offers a stunning array of color options to suit everyone’s style and needs.