Leah LOVES hair. So much so, she dedicated an entire website to it! One of the founders of Hair Everyday and Chief Editor, Leah enjoys reviewing all the hair products and showcasing the best. She believes her most underrated articles are her hair care tips!
I have reviewed the top brown hair colors for black women and also detailed below how to use dye on natural hair without causing damage.
I have always been someone who loved the color brown, especially how beautiful it looks on the hair. But I did have my apprehensions whether it would suit my skin tone or not.
Nevertheless, I have tried out different shades of brown on my hair over the years and well, I have to admit that the color brown really suited my skin tone well.
The color brown has so many different shades from lighter shades like tortilla brown, peanut brown, caramel brown etc., to darker shades like coffee, chestnut, hazelnut, chocolate and many more.
I have tried out quite a few shades of brown having dyed my hair several times and in this article I have chosen the top five best brown hair colors that I liked the most and reviewed them.
Best Brown Hair Colors for Black Women
| Best Brown Hair Colors for Black Women | Item Form | Shade |
| Garnier Nutrisse Permanent Hair Dye | Cream, Gel | 415 Soft Mahogany Brown |
| L’Oreal Paris Superior Preference Hair Color | Gel | 7A Dark Ash Blonde |
| Herbatint Permanent Hair Color | Gel | 4N Chestnut |
| Light Mountain Natural Hair Color | Cream | Dark Chocolate |
| Schwarzkopf Permanent Hair Color | Cream | 6.68Hazelnut Brown |
How I tested these brown hair colors
I rated these products on a scale of 1 – 5, based on three parameters that I chose. I hope this can give you guys a better idea of these hair colors.
Here are the three parameters:
Dyeing effect:
This parameter will look into the dyeing power of the product and how effectively it works on my naturally black hair.
Ingredients:
Some hair dyes contain harsh ingredients like ammonia, hydrogen peroxide etc. So here, I will look into the ingredients used in the product.
Fade-resistance:
Here I will rate the hair dye on how long the color lasted on my hair before it began to fade.
Garnier Nutrisse Permanent Hair Dye
I was quite hyped about trying out this hair dye because of its rather rare shade of brown, mahogany. All I wanted is to let my black hair have just a tinge of color and this dye did a perfect job at that.
The best part of using this hair dye is that it actually gives you results as shown by the product (which is rare).
In terms of its fade-resistance, well, this color lasted on my hair for around six weeks, wherein it was bright and rich and thereafter it started to fade gradually which I felt was expected.
Also, this product is formulated with five different natural oils which is something that I liked, but what I didn’t like is that it also contained the ingredient ammonium hydroxide, which I felt made my hair a little frizzy.
I paid $7.96 for this product and I would say that I got my money’s worth for sure.
Pros:
- Gives the hair a very rich mahogany brown color.
- Contains five different naturally-derived oils.
- Results shown on the product are actuals.
- Product is worth the price paid.
Cons:
- Contains ammonium hydroxide which makes the hair a little frizzy.
Ratings:
Dyeing effect: 4.4/5
Ingredients: 4/5
Fade-resistance: 4.3/5
L’Oreal Paris Superior Preference Hair Color
Before using this product I bleached my hair a few tones lighter until I got my hair to a medium blonde color so that I can get the most of this hair color with actual results, because this color wasn’t suitable for black hair.
This shade is a dark ash blonde shade of brown and it looked very nice on my hair.
The dye contains ammonium hydroxide, which is something I didn’t like, but the fact that this product comes with a conditioner that makes the hair soft and it also smells really good, kind of compensated for it in my opinion.
What really got me was the horrible smell of this dye. It was really unpleasant and took me quite a few washes until I got rid of it completely.
But overall, for $9.97, I got salon-like results which were much more than I expected, so it was a good and worth it buy.
The dye lasted on my hair for around five weeks before it faded gradually.
Pros:
- The dye delivers salon-like results.
- It comes with a conditioner that makes the hair soft and smooth.
- It is worth the price paid.
- Lasts around five weeks on the hair.
Cons:
- The dye contains ammonium hydroxide.
- It has an unpleasant smell.
- Darker hair shades will require bleaching their hair for the best results.
Ratings:
Dyeing effect: 4.2/5
Ingredients: 4/5
Fade-resistance: 4.1/5
Herbatint Permanent Hair Color
Product Price: $15.99
Shade: 4N Chestnut
I was trying out this brand for the very first time, so I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of its results. Well, it did a pretty great job at dyeing my black hair.
The reason I gave this dye a try was because it was the only brand that had the color chestnut brown (when I wanted it) and it also was an ammonia-free dye which would benefit my hair.
The shade chestnut brown is absolutely beautiful and I love that it even covered my grays too!
I was wondering whether this color would show up on my black hair and to my surprise it did. Also, it didn’t fade at all for around five weeks as well.
What I didn’t like is that the color bleeds for the next couple of hair washes and it also stains the skin and countertop while being applied. So you will require gloves.
Also, it is priced at $15.99 which I personally felt was quite expensive. But overall, quite a good product.
Pros:
- Works on even black hair and gives a rich color.
- Remains fresh and fade-free for around five weeks.
- It is ammonia-free and doesn’t damage the hair.
- This color even covers up grays well.
Cons:
- The dye can stain the skin and the countertop, gloves are a must.
- It is relatively quite expensive.
- The color bleeds for a couple of washes after the hair is dyed.
Ratings:
Dyeing effect: 4.4/5
Ingredients: 4.4/5
Fade-resistance: 4.4/5
Light Mountain Natural Hair Color
One of the main reasons I wanted to try out this brand was not just because it had the shade of brown I wanted – dark chocolate, but mainly because it was a permanent hair dye made from only four botanical powders! Yes, no ammonia, parabens or peroxide either!
Well, as for the color, I dyed my black hair using this product and I can definitely say my hair got a tinge of dark chocolate, but it was a very subtle tinge which was almost close to black. So it wasn’t superb, but it was just okay.
What I really liked is that the hair dye washes off very easily once applied, but the fact that this dye does have an unpleasant smell is what I didn’t like.
I paid $16.83, which was really pricey as compared to other such hair dyes. As for its fade-resistance, I’d say it lasted around four months before it began to fade gradually.
Pros:
- It is made completely from botanical ingredients.
- Contains no ammonia, parabens and peroxide.
- Washes off well after application.
- Gives dark hair a subtle chocolate brown tinge.
Cons:
- Doesn’t show very well on darker hair colors (like black, dark brown).
- The dye has an unpleasant smell.
- Relatively quite expensive.
Ratings:
Dyeing effect: 4.2/5
Ingredients: 4.5/5
Fade-resistance: 4.2/5
Schwarzkopf Simply Color Permanent Hair Color
If I had to dye my hair with this color, I had to bleach my hair before that to a medium blonde shade for the results to show up. So that’s exactly what I did and I was very satisfied with the lovely hazelnut brown hair color that I got.
I really liked that this product contained no alcohol, ammonia or silicones. But it does contain sodium laureth sulfate, but luckily it didn’t do any damage to my hair.
What I found extremely hard was to use the tube with the color that needs to be mixed with the mixer. It was very hard and I didn’t get all the contents out.
But overall, a good product and worth the price paid $11.97, as the product doesn’t fade for at least five months.
Pros:
- Contains no ammonia, silicones or alcohol.
- Gives lighter hair shades a lovely hazelnut color.
- Worth the price paid.
Cons:
- Contains sodium laureth sulfate but doesn’t damage the hair.
- The tube with the contents is hard to use.
Ratings:
Dyeing effect: 4.2/5
Ingredients: 4.6/5
Fade-resistance: 4.4/5
Takeaway
The best part about dyeing your hair brown is the fact that there are so many different shades of brown that you get to choose from. Brown is a versatile color for the hair and suits every skin tone.
These five were a few of the best brown colored hair dyes I used on my hair and they are definitely worth trying out!
Why You Should Trust Haireveryday?
The author of this article, Leah Marie Priest has a degree in Cosmetology with years of experience in dealing with hair care, scalp care, and hairstyling. As someone who extensively deals with all kinds of hair textures, products, styling methods and more, hair Leah Marie knows what kind of products and procedures suit each hair type and person. We have also tested these hair products and processes ourselves to provide you an unbiased review about every product. Each of our articles are also reviewed by a team of medical professionals so that you get the most accurate and expert-reviewed information.
Also Read:
Best Black Hair Colors for European Women
Powerful Blonde Hair Colors for Asian Women
To Summarize
