Blondes and brunettes are often pitched against each other.
Blondes are said to be more airheaded, while brunettes are intellectually uptight.
There is no truth to this, and we are here to end the blonde vs. brunette debate. Your hair color does not define who you are. Brunettes are a blast to be around, and blondes are incredibly intelligent. Apart from their personalities, the only difference between blondes and brunettes is their hair color.
Discover the science behind your hair color and determine if you are a blonde or brunette.
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Eumelanin is a pigment found in hair follicles. The concentration level of eumelanin in your hair decides the darkness of your hair color. There are two types of eumelanin, namely brown and black eumelanin. If you have a high level of brown eumelanin, you have brunette hair. But a low level of this pigment gives you blonde hair. If you have low black eumelanin, there’s more white color in your hair than black.
Pheomelanin is another pigment that gives yellow and orange tints to your hair. It also determines whether you end up with ginger hair.
Before You Get Started
- Using purple shampoo or toner can reduce the brassiness of blonde hair.
- Massage your hair with natural oils like coconut or olive oils to improve the radiance of brunette hair.
- Use a shower filter while washing your hair to prevent hard water from fading away your blonde hair color.
- Use a blue shampoo and conditioner to remove brassy orange tones from brunette hair.
In This Article
What Is Brunette Hair?
Brunette hair is brown or black hair and any shade in between those colors. Brunette hair is a result of high levels of eumelanin and low levels of pheomelanin.
StyleCraze Trivia The word ‘brunette’ is from the Proto-Indo-European word ‘bher,’ meaning ‘bright brown’ and may be related to bear, beaver, or burnish.
What Is Blonde Hair?
Blonde hair is golden or yellowish. It is a result of low brown eumelanin, high black eumelanin, and high pheomelanin.
Shades Of Blonde And Brunette Hair
There are many shades of brunette and blonde hair. You can find light, medium, dark and mixed shades of both colors.
StyleCraze Trivia Strawberry blonde, a mixture of red and blonde hair, is the rarest blonde hair shade that occurs naturally.
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You may think that the only difference between blonde and brunette hair lies in their color. However, your natural hair color also determines a few key characteristics of your hair. Let’s take a look.
Major Differences Between Blonde And Brunette Hair
- Natural blondes have more hair than natural brunettes.
- Darker hair contains more melanin than lighter hair. Therefore, it naturally provides a better protective barrier.
- Blonde hair hides grays easily.
- With blonde hair, your scalp is not very visible if you have thin, fine textured hair.
- Brunette hair doesn’t catch color easily.
- Brunette hair is shinier than blonde hair.
Does this make you want to color your hair brown? Well, we’ve got you covered! Just keep reading.
How To Go From Blonde To Brunette
Since blonde is a light color, coloring it brunette is easy. Depending on the shade of blonde your hair is, you’ll need to pick the right shade of brown hair color.
- Put on some old clothes. Apply a little petroleum jelly to the skin around your hairline to prevent it from getting stained by the hair color.
- Apply the color to your hair and leave it on for some time. The time depends on the shade of brown you want. Keep checking your hair to see if the color has reached the shade that you want.
- Wash off the color from your hair. Some coloring kits come with shampoo and conditioner, so use those instead of your regular shampoo and conditioner.
- Let your hair air dry.
And that’s how you color your blonde hair brunette. Curious to know how you can go the other way round and color your brunette tresses blonde? Here’s how you can do it.
How To Go From Brunette To Blonde
As brunette is a dark shade and blonde a light one, you’ll need to bleach your hair.
- Put on some old clothes. Apply a little petroleum jelly to the skin around your hairline to prevent it from getting stained by bleach, color, and toner. Use gloves to apply the bleach.
- Apply bleach thoroughly to your hair to lighten it. You need to check your hair every 10 minutes to see if it has lightened to your desired shade. Just rub off a little bleach on the side to see if it is the right color.
- If your scalp is burning and you can’t handle it, wash off the bleach immediately.
- Rinse the bleach out and dry your hair.
- If your hair is dark, you might need to go for a second round of bleach.
- Finally, apply toner as it eliminates the yellow tint and brassy tones from your hair. Wash it off after the prescribed duration. Don’t keep the toner in for too long as it can add color to your hair.
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Now that you know how to color your hair brown or blonde, let’s check out the best of these hair colors sported by celebrities!
Blonde Versus Brunette
Actresses constantly have to change their hair color for the roles they play. Let’s see which one worked best for them – blonde or brunette.
1. Gigi Hadid
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Beauty lovers swear by her looks! Gigi Hadid can effortlessly rock anything from golden blonde to brunette. But what fairly remains common is her love for center-parted loose waves and subtle yet edgy makeup.
2. Kendall Jenner
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The supermodel casts a mesmerizing spell in center-parted waves, accentuated with brown shades on her black hair. In my opinion, she slays in both looks.
3. Miranda Kerr
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Miranda Kerr is a brunette goddess. While she does look great with blonde hair, her brown locks make her eyes pop. While both colors define her jawline, brunette hair shows off her cheekbones as well.
4. Angelina Jolie
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Angelina Jolie has a facial structure that can pull off dirty blonde and brunette hair. Both colors look incredible with her eye color and skin tone.
Related: 15 Angelina Jolie Tattoos And Their Meanings
5. Jennifer Lawrence
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Jennifer Lawrence looks incredible with champagne blonde and reddish brunette hair. Both colors showcase her eye color and facial structure very well. But, I have to say, I love her blonde look more than the brunette one.
6. Cameron Diaz
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Cameron Diaz is, hands down, a blonde queen! Her blonde locks work gorgeously with her skin tone, eye color, and that excellent nude peach lip color.
7. Elizabeth Olsen
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Clearly, blonde hair wins here. The lighter hair shade helps frame her face well as it makes the lower half of her face appear slender.
8. Jessica Alba
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Bronde (a blend of blonde and brunette shades) looks perfect on Jessica Alba. A dark brown shade can make her face look harsh, but going light blonde could make her look too soft. That is why bronde is the ideal color for showcasing her facial features.
9. Jessica Biel
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Jessica Biel’s brown locks are amazing. She is a natural brunette, and that is the hair color that suits her best as it works well with her skin tone.
10. Miley Cyrus
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Miley Cyrus has been in the blonde versus brunette game ever since she played Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana. Over the years, she’s switched to blonde hair a few times, and she looks great. This is the perfect example of a win-win situation.
11. Margot Robbie
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Margot Robbie clearly is a blonde bombshell. This Aussie actress’s light hair color works well with her fair skin tone and lovely grey eyes.
12. Lucy Hale
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Lucy Hale’s green eyes give brunette hair a win. It highlights her cheekbones and makes her jawline appear slender. Blonde highlights can also look great on her skin tone.
13.Selena Gomez
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Blonde hair with dark roots looks spectacular on Selena Gomez. While we love her natural brunette hair, blonde is the clear winner here.
Related: 27 Luscious Dirty Blonde Hair Shades
14. Carey Mulligan
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Carey Mulligan looks great with both blonde and brown hair. As seen here, her brown hair, paired with red lipstick, can make her face appear quite pale (like a vampire, in this case).
15. Kristen Stewart
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Kristen Stewart looks excellent in bleached blonde hair. The dark roots make her face look longer while the blonde locks make her eyes pop. The brunette locks make her skin appear pale or cool while the blonde tresses add a bit of warmth to it.
16. Leighton Meester
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Leighton Meester won every young adult heart as Blair Waldorf, so we have to side with her iconic hair color. She is a brunette angel.
17. Anne Hathaway
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Anne Hathaway stuns with her thick dark brown hair. Her blond locks make her eyes pop a bit too much, making her look like Vampire Jane from Twilight.
18. Cheryl Cole
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There are no losers here. Cheryl Cole looks terrific with both blonde and brunette hair. Both colors look great with her skin tone.
19. Sandra Bullock
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Sandra’s naturally dark hair color is the clear winner here. She shocked us all with blonde locks, and they grew on us over time, but her brunette hair is just lovely.
20. Demi Lovato
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Brunette hair comes out on top here. Demi Lovato has experimented with many hair colors, blonde hair being the least edgy among them. But her brunette hair is incredible and makes her brown eyes appear lighter.
21. Lauren Conrad
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Lauren Conrad is a blonde bombshell. Her blonde locks look great with her eyes and skin tone.
22. Victoria Beckham
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This dark haired beauty shows us how brown hair can accentuate your chiseled facial structure.
23. Sierra Miller
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Sierra Miller is a blonde deity. Her bluish gray eyes are accentuated by her blonde hair color. The color also suits her warm skin tone.
24. Dakota Johnson
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Dakota Johnson looks incredible with brunette hair. Her cheekbones look soft, and her gray eyes look lovely with this hair color.
25. Amber Heard
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Amber Heard is another beautiful example of how blonde and brunette hair look great on fair warm tones. You can see how light makeup with blonde hair makes her face look soft, but bright makeup and brunette locks give her a warm look.
26. Emilia Clarke
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It’s how you style your hair that decides which color is the winner. Emilia Clarke stunned us as Khaleesi with blonde locks but, at the same time, she looks gorgeous with her brown hair.
Related: 20 Amazing Brown To Blonde Hair Color Ideas
27.Emily Blunt
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Emily Blunt has naturally dark hair, but I have to agree with her kids. Blonde hair suits her better. The blonde hair works well with her gray eyes and skin tone.
Infographic: Identifying Blonde And Brunette Hair
People have different hair colors based on the pigments present in the hair. The two main categories of hair colors are blonde and brunette. While it can be difficult to distinguish between the two, don’t worry. We have rounded up a few key differences that will help you identify one color from another. Check out the infographic below to know more!
We hope this discussion on blonde vs. brunette hair colors has clarified your doubts about these shades. Whether you are blonde or brunette, we believe both are pretty colors. You can dye your hair blonde or brunette as you like but do not forget to invest in good aftercare for your mane. Hair coloring can make your tresses dry, dull, and brittle. You may experience hair fall if you do not oil your hair regularly. Also, drink plenty of water to keep your hair hydrated throughout your day.
