Not quite brown, definitely not blonde… bronde is the in-betweeny hair shade that everyone is swishing about. Top hair colourists like Christophe Robin have been honing this look for the red carpet and now this trend is hitting the high street.
Not to be confused with mouse brown, soft highlights are fused with a toffee or brunette base to give bronde the golden lift that ensures it stands out. It’s the perfect hue to give hair an expensive sheen when light ombré ends look tired post summer. If you haven’t tried it, now’s the time, but first read our tips for getting it right…
1. Don’t go more than two to three shades darker or lighter than your natural colour to find a shade that flatters your skin tone.
2. If you’re pale stick to sandier shades that won’t exaggerate any redness in the skin. Those with a tan can go for more golden tones.
3. Because this is an in-betweeny shade there is no one ‘bronde’, but a host of variations. To get the shade you want show your colourists pictures as a description of the colour is more subject to interpretation.
4. Choose a colourist who is trained in balayage, a technique where colour is painted directly onto hair with a freestyle approach. This relatively new technique creates a natural-looking fusion of colour compared to traditional highlights.
5. For DIY bronde, L’Oréal Préférence Glam Bronde, £6 is a brush-on balayage kit in four shades to enhance your existing base colour.
6. Bronde requires the TLC you’d give any other colour. Invest in colour enhancing shampoos, conditioners and masks to lock in colour and stop mercurial changes occurring when it comes into contact with the minerals in tap water. We love Maria Nila Luminous Colour Masque, £18.95, which adds shine to all hair types and keeps colour true.
7. Every five to six weeks book a glossing salon treatment to enrich your colour and give renewed shine. This is especially important in the winter months when dull light can leave most hair colour looking flat.
