Cracking the Chestnut Brown Hair Colour: 10 Facts About the Roasting Hot Trend

The chestnut brown hair colour combines rich, luxurious brown shades with subtle red undertones. In this blog, Chloe Whittle, one of Neäl & Wølf’s Educators answers all your questions about this shade, covering topics including skin tone and eye colour matches, rarity and maintenance.

1. What colour is chestnut hair?

The chestnut hair colour is a medium to dark brown shade with warm, red undertones. The blend of brown and red creates a rich, earthy colour that creates dimension throughout your locks. Chestnut brown hair is versatile as light can alter the appearance, with bright light bringing out more of the red shades. To achieve your ideal look, we would suggest sharing photos and reference pieces with your stylist.

2. How rare is chestnut hair?

Natural chestnut brown hair is quite common in the UK, much more popular than blonde or red hair. However, it is still rarer than standard brown or black hair.

3. How do you get chestnut hair?

If you don’t have naturally chestnut hair, you can achieve this shade with the right colour combination. Dyes in the exact colour you’d like are available, or you can add red to a brown base colour. To get your favoured result we would recommend discussing our Colour Shade Chart with your colourist. Find out more: Colour Shade Chart

4. What skin tone suits chestnut brown hair?

Most people can pull off chestnut hair! The warmth of the brown complements darker skin tones, bringing out golden undertones in olive, tan and medium complexions. The red colouring can also add warmth to cooler skin tones. For more information on skin tone, read our blog: What Hair Colour Suits Me? A Guide to Choosing the Right Shade

5. What eye colour goes with chestnut brown hair?

Chestnut brown hair pairs beautifully with hazel, green and brown eyes. This is because the red undertones of the chestnut bring out the warmth of these eye colours. Chestnut hair can still work well with eye colours like blue and grey, creating a striking contrast.

6. What is the difference between chocolate brown and chestnut brown hair?

Although both chocolate brown and chestnut brown are warm shades, they differ in appearance. Chestnut hair is generally much lighter than chocolate brown, with a pronounced red undertone. Chocolate brown tends to be a deep, richer brown shade. Read more about this colour: 5 Delicious Reasons to Consider the Mocha Chocolate Hair Colour

7. Is chestnut hair ginger?

No, chestnut hair isn’t ginger. Both colours have a different look entirely. The colours share similar warm red hues, but ginger is a bright red coppery shade whereas chestnut hair is more of a deep brown. For more information on red hair, read our blog: Is Strawberry Blonde Hair Ginger? 10 Things You Need to Know About the Sweet New Trend

8. What is the difference between auburn and chestnut hair colour?

Auburn hair can be likened to chestnut in the way that both use a blend of brown and red colours. However, auburn is categorised as red hair, whereas chestnut is a type of brown hair colour. Auburn is an intense red-brown colour, but chestnut uses a more subtle base of brown with a slight red undertone. Learn more about auburn hair: The Allure of Auburn Hair: 10 Things to Know About the Richest Colour Trend

9. Does chestnut brown hair cover grey hair?

Yes! Chestnut brown can effectively cover grey hair. The dimensional tones of chestnut blend well with grey hair to create a lasting full coverage. But, if you choose to instead embrace your grey hair, view our range of solutions that can enhance and maintain the health of your locks: Grey Hair Products

10. Is chestnut brown hair hard to maintain?

As with most red hair tones, chestnut hair can fade overtime. It is therefore important to visit your salon for regular colour touch ups. There are also steps that you can put in place at home to care for your locks - read on to find out more.

Hair washing

Keep your hair looking and feeling healthy and nourished with a specialised shampoo and conditioner duo. Add a hydrating hair mask to the mix and you're good to go! Our HYDRATE products are enriched with luxury ingredients like argan oil and shea butter to lock moisture in your tresses. Browse today: HYDRATE Moisture Collection

Styling and finishing

Once hair is towel dried, spritz our MIRACLE Rapid Blow Dry Mist over your locks to reduce drying time by up to 50%. Next, section hair and use a hair tool like our new HERØ Ionic Hair Dryer for a fast and efficient dry. Finish by spraying our GLOW Super Shine Spray evenly across dry hair to capture the light, bringing out the red in your chestnut shade.

Chestnut hair is a rich, versatile shade that can bring warmth to your look all year round. Need more hairstyle inspiration? Visit our blog page: Hair Care Blog