How To Keep Brunette Hair Looking Shiny and Healthy

Though it may be the world’s most prevalent natural hair color, brunette hair is anything but boring. From sunkissed golden brown to velvety chocolate brown, there are a plethora of brunette colors to choose from, making this among the most versatile shades to try. No matter which you choose, though, maintaining your color requires a thoughtful haircare routine—just like any color, brunette hair colors can fade over time and become one-dimensional. If you’re hoping to learn how to prevent your new hue from falling flat, keep reading. Ahead, we’ll share our top tips for maintaining (and enhancing) dyed brown hair and introduce you to some of our favorite products for keeping your color fresh.

Understanding Brunette Hair Tones

Brown isn’t one color—brunette hair can span a range of tones, from ashy brondes to deep black-browns. Understanding the characteristics of your color can help you create a personalized haircare routine that suits your specific needs. For example, if you have a cool brown hair color, you may want to incorporate a blue shampoo into your routine once or twice a week to help neutralize unwanted brassy tones. Those with warmer brown hair colors, meanwhile, can enhance the brilliance of their color with a clear hair gloss or color-depositing conditioner. If you’re not sure whether your color is cool or warm, here’s a quick rundown:

• Cool brunette hair: Cool brown hair colors have ashy or silver undertones. Shades such as mushroom brown, espresso, and ash brown fall under this umbrella.
• Warm brunette hair: Warm brown hair boasts distinct golden or reddish undertones. Mahogany, caramel, and chestnut brown all fall into this category.
• Neutral brunette hair: These shades have an even mix of warm and cool tones. Soft light brown and chocolate brown are prime examples of neutral brunette hair colors.

Don’t: Fight Natural Growth Without a Plan

Trying to force your cowlick into submission without a clear strategy can lead to frustration and uneven results. Instead of battling against your cowlick hairline blindly, take time to learn its pattern and use targeted techniques, like strategic parting or directed blow-drying, to work with it effectively.

How To Take Care of Dyed Hair: Protecting Color-Treated Strands

All hair color (even permanent hair dye) will lose some of its vibrancy with time. However, there are steps you can take to help minimize fading. Limiting exposure to heat (both from hot water and heat-styling tools) is among the best things that you can do to help preserve your hue, as heat is notoriously harsh on color. It’s also a good idea to shield your strands from the sun, as UV exposure can dry out your hair and affect its ability to hold on to color. If you plan on spending lots of time outdoors, don a hat to help protect your hair from the sun’s damaging rays. Chlorine is also notoriously harsh on color. Though it’s most commonly known for its frustrating tendency to turn blonde hair green, exposure to chlorine can also affect brunette hair, causing it to become unusually warm or even reddish. If you’re a frequent swimmer, don a swim cap before going for a dip. It might not be the most flattering accessory, but it can help keep your color from oxidizing due to chlorine exposure.

How To Enhance Your Brunette Hair Color

Knowing how to keep dyed hair from fading only goes so far—even with the best haircare routine, your hue may lose its just-dyed luster eventually. Fortunately, it is possible to revive your color without scheduling a pricey salon visit. Here are three options to consider.

Use a color-depositing conditioner

Color-depositing conditioners do pretty much exactly what the name suggests: deposit color while conditioning your hair. They’re often used to tint the hair in place of a standard hair dye, but can also be used to refresh fading color. If you have warm brown hair, look for a color-depositing conditioner with golden undertones to help add warmth and dimension to your strands. For cool brown hair colors, an ash brown or even blue conditioner may be best—blue conditioners can help neutralize orange tones in your hair, allowing your color to stay true-to-tone without any unwanted brassiness.

Try a hair gloss or glaze

Hair glosses and glazes both help enhance your hair color, boost shine, and smooth the hair. Glazes are primarily in-salon treatments, but there are plenty of hair glosses you can use at home. To boost shine and leave your hair silky-smooth, we suggest using the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Glossing System two to three times per week. The three-piece system (which contains a gentle shampoo, a nourishing conditioner, and a five-minute mask) gently cleanses and conditions the hair, smoothing the hair fibers and adding glass-like shine. The system is specifically designed for dull, color-treated hair and is a great option for reviving your color between touch-ups.

Add dimension with a semi-permanent dye

If you’re rocking faded brown hair dye but don’t have time to completely redo your color, consider tinting your strands with a semi-permanent dye. These formulas don’t contain ammonia or bleach, so they won’t lighten or significantly alter your color. Instead, they deposit pigment onto your strands to boost vibrancy, with the pigment gradually fading over the course of a few weeks.

When (and How) To Refresh Faded Brown Hair

How long your hair color lasts before you need to touch it up depends largely on the type of hair dye you used. Demi-permanent and semi-permanent dyes can last up to a month, while permanent hair color can maintain its vibrancy for several months with the right haircare routine. That being said, there will come a time when you need to refresh your color, either because it’s begun to fade or because your natural roots are growing in.

If visible roots are your main concern, you can temporarily conceal them with a root touch-up spray until you’re ready to color your hair. The L’Oréal Paris Magic Root Cover-Up is among our favorites for a quick refresh. The fast-drying formula comes in eight shades to match a wide range of hair colors and applies easily, with results lasting until your next shampoo. To use it, simply shake the can, spritz the pigment onto your roots, and brush your hair to help blend the dye with your lengths.

For a longer-lasting refresh, you’ll want to dye your hair with a permanent hair dye. To restore faded dark brown hair dye, consider the L’Oréal Paris Excellence Creme Universal Nudes in Natural Dark Brown—the ammonia-free formula is designed for use on dark hair, so you won’t need to pre-lighten your strands to achieve your desired results. For a medium brown, we love the L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference Fade-Defying Shine Permanent Hair Color in Medium Brown. And if you’re looking to embrace a slightly lighter brown hair color—either to touch up your existing hue or as a first-time transformation—the L’Oréal Paris Excellence Creme Crème Permanent Triple Care Hair Color in Light Golden Brown is a great choice (plus, it covers up to 100% of grays). If you’re not quite sure how to dye your hair yourself, our article How To Dye Hair at Home in 8 Easy Steps breaks down all the need-to-knows.

Next Up: 10 Honey Brown Hair Color Ideas for 2025

Photo courtesy of L’Oréal Paris