There’s something hugely comforting about the colour brown – think steaming mugs of hot chocolate, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, conker hunting in the park as a child or unwrapping your favourite chocolate bar….and it would seem this has translated into a fondness for rich brunette as a hair colour!

Our Colour of the Month for March is 5N Light Chestnut Brown, which has been our best-selling colour for three of the last four years! And in 2021, the year it was toppled off the top spot, it was to a slightly darker shade of the same colour – 4N Natural Chestnut.

What kind of colour is it really?

As the name suggests, the Light Chestnut Brown is a natural-looking, rich brown which depending on your base shade, will leave a mid-brown tone that works with your natural highlights and lowlights. The code, 5N, tells us that it’s a mid-range shade (for more information on how the code works, see our handy guide) and doesn’t have any added colour tones, so it’s perfect if you’re looking for a classic brown.

Can anybody wear this colour?

With close to eight billion people on the planet, it’s estimated that 20 percent of the human population has some variation of brown hair. And, while that may seem like a low percentage, brown hair is the second most-common colour in the world, right behind black.

Although some may deem light brown hair basic, we see it as a universally flattering hair colour, that’s why we’ve made it March’s hair colour of the month. It’s a shade that suits most skin tones and because it’s a dark, pigmented colour it reflects light beautifully with a deep, intense sheen.

How do I care for it?

Unlike last month’s colour (6.66 for those of you who missed it!) that is prone to colour fading, if you look after your 5N hair and use products designed for coloured hair, you can keep it looking rich and glossy between colouring. Try the Naturtint Colour Fixing Shampoo & Protective Conditioner when you wash it and once a week or so, treat it to a more intense conditioning with the Naturtint Anti-Ageing CC Cream or the Naturtint Hair Food Quinoa Mask, to deeply hydrate and reinvigorate that shine.

When you do come to top up your colour, try to just apply to the root regrowth to avoid overprocessing your hair, which will dull its shine and reduce its intensity. Naturtint’s Root Retouch Crème in shade Light Brown is the perfect match and provides you with everything you need for a quick and easy root application!

And if you want a 5N colour but without the commitment, take a look at the Reflex Henna Cream in 5.0 Light Chestnut Brown – all the same naturally beautiful tones, but in a semi-permanent colour which will just hide those first few greys and gently fade away in around 10 washes.