Whether milk chocolate coloured or richly bitter and dark, when cared for, there’s nothing lovelier than Brunette hair.
It reflects light the best, so shines easier than any other hair colour. As a rule, it can take the most styling and heat damage for breaking and is usually very resilient.
However, especially if you have naturally afro or curly hair in a 4c pattern or above, it can break easily. When it’s not cared for well, it loses its shine quickly and can look dull and lifeless.
We get so many questions about nurturing dark hair, so here are our top tips to enhance, protect and shine your brunette hair.
AVOID MAINSTREAM SHAMPOOS AND CONDITIONERS
Mainstream shampoos often contain SLeS and Sulphates which strip the scalp of natural oils, leaving ends dry and removing natural shine.
To compensate you need a heavy conditioner, many of which include silicones which create a ‘slippy’ feeling on the hair. This isn’t making it healthier, it's coating the shaft in a layer of plastic residue that weighs it down and over time, damages it further.
You need harsh shampoo to remove it, and the whole cycle continues.
SWITCH TO NATURAL HAIR CLEANSERS
When you make the switch to an organic, natural shampoo, it can take a wee while for the hair to settle. At first it may look a little oilier or feel a little more ‘tangled’ but this resolves itself in around 14 days (depending on how often you wash).
If you’ve got curly hair, adopting the Curly Girl Method is the very best thing you can do to restore natural shine and curl pattern.
TRY SOME NEW WAYS OF RINSING
There’s more than one way to rinse your hair. Firstly, we often don’t rinse for long enough. Add 20 seconds to your hair rinse as a default and you should see instant results.
Alternatively, you can look at some traditional rinses that instantly transform your hair from dull to glossy:
Cider vinegar rinse
A very old, but very effective shine remedy that we swear by is using an apple cider vinegar solution as a rinse after washing.
Simply add a capful (no more, it’s quite powerful) to around half a glass of warm water, and simply rinse over the hair. Don’t worry, you won’t smell like a chip shop – we often use this method and it smells clean and fresh, often for a little longer than usual
Cold water rinse
After washing your hair, rinse it in cold water. This closes the cuticle, making each hair’s surface smoother, so your style is shinier.
Cold water also has significant benefits for mental health and is a great quick wake up, so we’d advise this one!
Beer rinse
Another old one that particularly benefits Brunettes, mid way through, rinse your hair in a bottle of old fashioned ‘craft’ beer.
Rinse well afterwards (nobody wants to smell like a brewery). The shine factor for this is quite extraordinary.
CONDITION AND TREAT
Your hair can benefit from a variety of conditioning and treatments.
If you really can’t bear to go without the traditional ‘silky’ feeling of a conditioner, look for an organic one with coconut oil or rose.
For a deeper treatment, try Cassia. Often called ‘colourless Henna’, it won’t add colour to your hair, other than some golden lights in the sun. Instead, it offers deep shine and volume, without residue.
CONSIDER A TRIM
Long hair looks lovely, but only if it’s cared for. A tiny trim every 8 – 12 weeks encourages growth.
We don’t believe that the older you get, the shorter you should go, but if you are keeping your hair longer, it’s best to really look after it.
Long hair generally offers more shine then short or layered hair, but if your hair is very fine, you will need some longer layers to avoid it looking ‘flat’/
COLOUR THE NATURAL WAY
We’ve got lots of advice about why all hair colours should make the switch to a natural, organic dye.
Mainstream dyes change the molecular structure of the hair, leaving it porous and more prone to environmental damage.
Natural hair dyes like Its Pure, Logona and Aubrey work with the hair's natural structure, staining it and supporting the Keratin to remain strong and vital.