What do Dua Lipa, Zendaya and Rihanna all have in common? Besides impeccable style, a colossal following and a glittering career, they have all flirted between having brunette and red hair.
Brunettes have a tougher time when it comes to hair colouring. Pigments work better on lighter or bleached hair, so naturally, blondes have a headstart. This also means that brunettes are more restricted in terms of what colour will help their locks pop - and most typically they will reach for red.
Without bleach, red hair dye can tint brunettes with a subtle copper sheen, hence the tone’s popularity. Yet sometimes, we try a new fiery hair colour and it doesn’t work. What to do then?
Brunette hair dye can rectify any redhead situation in a jiffy, making it a practical, inexpensive mode of hair transformation for those with dark tresses.
The red-to-brown transition has even gripped the celebrity sphere. Most recently, Halle Bailey tinted her hair for her role as Ariel for Disney’s blockbuster hit The Little Mermaid. Emily Ratajkowski followed suit, posting a selfie via Instagram alongside the caption ‘gone red’ for all her fans to coo over. She credited Kérastase Chroma Absolu for her glossy tresses.
Fellow model Kendall Jenner caused a social media storm when she debuted her copper hair on the Prada Runway for autumn/winter 2022. All three have since reverted back to brown.
For the natural redheads who simply want a switch-up, brown dye is a straightforward solution. Although we’d encourage all you Jolenes to keep your auburn locks (roughly only two per cent of the British population have red hair) we all develop beauty itches we need to scratch from time to time.
Alex Brownsell, co-founder and creative director of Bleach London, notes: “Going from dark to red is easily achievable as you don’t need to lift the hair light to do so, the same goes for going red to dark as the warm pigments already in the hair help the brunette colour last longer and prevent it washing out to green, dull tone. This makes changing between these two colours seasonally easy and without causing your hair any damage.”
“Our salons have seen more redheads going for a darker tone for the winter months using Emily Ratajkowski's recent red to brunette as inspiration,” she adds.
Some natural redheads who have braved the brunette both on and off set include Nicole Kidman, Bryce Dallas Howard and Laura Prepon. No doubt they had a hairstylist on standby ready to revamp their tresses with coffee-coloured highlights.
If you’re a natural or temporary redhead who’s tempted by the tint, look no further. We’ve rounded up the best chocolate hair dyes to cover red streaks and strands, so you can join a host of stars in their brunette bombshell era.
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Bleach London Super Natural Kit - Dark Brown
Bleach London is the kingpin of the hair colour world. The brand’s Super Natural Kit in Dark Brown is a two-step system that wholly embraces the salon’s unparalleled colour corrective theory. It restores the warmth of coloured strands, while lending a velvet brown finish to your damage-free locks. For the best results, refer to the included instructions guide and follow the step-by-step colouring process.
Buy now £15.00, lookfantastic
Josh Wood Colour 5.5 Deep Mid-Brown Colour Kit
Josh Wood’s mid-brown colour kit is a conditioning option for those after an instant touch-up. An affordable, at-home treatment, the kit promises a darker shine and comes with a protective barrier cream, salon gloves and a stain-removing wipe to help erase any leftover colour on the skin. Apply to clean dry hair and leave on for 30 minutes. Shampoo and condition for gleaming results.
Buy now £15.00, lookfantastic
L'Oréal Paris Casting Crème Gloss Semi-Permanent Hair Dye
Sometimes all we need is a temporary fix, and L’Oréal offers just that. The brand’s Casting Casting Crème Gloss is a quick-fix solution to botched red highlights or natural redheads wanting to experiment with brunette colourways. Taking less than 30 minutes to work its magic, the hair dye is a quick, effective way to revamp any everyday look. Plus it’s ammonia-free and lasts for approximately 28 washes.
Buy now £8.99, lookfantastic
Garnier Olia Permanent Hair Dye (Various Shades)
Revitalise your hair with Garnier’s permanent hair dye. Available in a stream of tempting shades, the product promises to replenish and nourish your hair. The easy-use dye is 60 per cent oil-powered, allowing it to lock in moisture for extra glossiness. Designed to be gentle on your roots, the product also adopts a non-drop formula for practicality and is scented with flower oils. If you’re not sure which colour to pick, download the Garnier Color Match app to try before you buy.
Buy now £10.00, lookfantastic
Glaze Colour Conditioning Gloss
Glaze’s Color Conditioning Gloss in Blazing Brown offers a low-key colour change that is bleach-, peroxide- and paraben-free. Suitable for vegans, the gloss can be applied to clean hair, left in for ten minutes and washed out for the desired result. The easy-to-use formula is also available to shop in chocolate, expresso and liquorice for varying shades of brown.
Buy now £16.00, Glaze
Garnier GOOD Permanent Hair Dye 6.0 Mochaccino Brown
Another notable pick from Garnier, this permanent hair dye see you bid farewell to the red for good. The 90 per cent natural origin formula is enriched with shea butter to deliver healthy-looking locks. Not only does it promise all-over coverage (yes, even greys) but the item boasts a non-drip formula crafted from vegan ingredients.
Make sure to do a pact test 48 hours before use. Mix the colourant and sachets in the pot with the spatula provided and apply from roots to ends. Leave in for 45 minutes and rinse thoroughly.
Buy now £12.00, lookfantastic
It's Pure Organic Herbal Hair Colour Chestnut 110g
A natural alternative to synthetic dyes, this plant-based product is non-invasive and gentle on your hair. Offering a semi-permanent layer of chestnut, It’s Pure’s herbal hair colour merges auburn highlights with brunette undertones - perfect for shoppers wanting a subtle shine. On average the henna-based dye tends to last three to four weeks and changes tone depending on your natural colour. Refer to the instructions for all you need to know.
Buy now £12.00, Holland & Barrett
Christophe Robin Shade Variation Mask - Warm Chestnut
Chestnut is the ultimate shade for redheads wanting to slowly transition to chocolate. A happy medium between the two tones, Christophe Robin’s warm chestnut dye is a nourishing hair mask designed to breathe life back into bleached strands. Coat your hair in the pigmented formula for immediately bold, brighter silky locks.
Buy now £39.00, lookfantastic
dpHUE Gloss+
dpHUE’s Gloss+ is set to infuse your mane with a hit of vibrance. Free from ammonia and peroxide, the semi-permanent dye lasts up to ten washes and promises a deep condition to combat dryness. Available in a range of brown shades, we’d recommend the dark brown for an uber-smooth, silky swish.
Buy now £35.00, Cult Beauty
