Brown hair, also referred to asbrunette (when female), is the second-most commonhuman hair color, afterblack hair. It varies from light to darkbrown. It is characterized by higher levels of the darkpigmenteumelanin and lower levels of the pale pigmentpheomelanin.
Brown hair is common among populations in theWestern world, especially among those fromNorthwestern Europe and theUnited States, as well as populations inCentral Europe,Southeastern Europe,Eastern Europe,Southern Europe,Southern Cone,Brazil,Colombia,Costa Rica,Puerto Rico, and also some populations in theMiddle East,Central Asia,Afghanistan andSouth Asia where it transitions smoothly into black hair.[1][2] Additionally, brown hair is common amongAustralian Aboriginals andMelanesians.[3]
The termbrunette is the feminine form of the French wordbrunet, which is a diminutive form ofbrun meaning "brown/brown-haired", the feminine of which isbrune. All of these terms ultimately derive from theProto-Indo-European root *bhrūn- "brown, grey". The form "brun" (pronounced/bruːn/) is still commonly used in Scotland, particularly in rural areas, and is also the word for "brown" in theScandinavian languages. In modern English usage, however, it has lost the diminutive meaning and usually refers to any brown-haired girl or woman, or the associated hair color.Merriam-Webster defines "brunet" as "a person having brown hair"—with which they may have "a relatively dark complexion—spelled brunet when used of a boy or man and usually brunette when used of a girl or woman".[4] Althoughbrunet is the masculine version of the popular diminutive form used to describe a little boy or young man with brown hair, the use of "brunet" is uncommon in English. One is more likely to say about a man or boy, "He has brown hair" or "He is brown-haired" than to say, "He is a brunette" (or brunet).
Lighter or darker shades of brown hair may be referred to as "light brunette" or "dark brunette", though in such cases one is generally referring only to the hair color, not using the term as a descriptor for the person; one would be unlikely to say, "She is a light brunette." Rather, one would say, "She has light-brown hair."
Brown-haired individuals predominate in most parts ofEurope. In northern and central Europe medium to light brown shades are the most common, while darker shades prevail in the rest of the continent. Brown hair, mostly medium to light brown shades, are also dominant inAustralia,Canada,South Africa amongWhite South Africans and theUnited States amongEuropean Americans (fromNorthern,Central andEastern Europe),British,Irish,Baltic,Dutch/Flemish,German (includingSwiss-German andAustrian),Slovenian,Polish,Ukrainian andRussian people, as well as Southern (Italian,Spanish,Greek,Portuguese) and Southeastern Europe (Bulgarian,Croatian,Serbian).[1]
Similarly toblond hair, brown hair occurs commonly amongAustralian Aboriginal andMelanesian populations.[3]
Dark brown hair is predominant in the Mediterranean parts of Europe and occasionally in theMiddle East,North Africa,Central Asia, andSouth Asia. Very dark brown hair, easily mistaken forblack hair, can be found occasionally in parts ofEast Asia.[5] This is also true ofSouthern Cone of South America (Chile,Argentina,Uruguay,Paraguay, central-southernBrazil),Colombia,Andean Region ofVenezuela,Costa Rican Central Valley andPuerto Rico.[2][6][7]
A study of 1,023 students inChile found that the most common eye color was brown-black: 71 to 89.4% and the most common hair color was brown from 65.8% to 66.8%.[8]
InSpain, 57% are brown (7% of Spaniards are naturally blonde, 26% brunette, 3% redhead and the remaining 10% dark and light brown).[9]
Dark brown hair also may occasionally be found amongIndigenous Americans and Siberians; (formerly) especially for mostly populations inSoutheast Asia due to pigment changes (such asthe Philippines,Malaysia andVietnam) for example particularly when they are young, as well as in many other groups.
The pigmenteumelanin gives brown hair its distinctive color. Brown hair has more eumelanin thanblond hair but also has far less than black. There are two different types of eumelanin, which are distinguished from each other by their pattern ofpolymer bonds. The two types are black eumelanin and brown eumelanin. Black eumelanin is the darkest; brown eumelanin is much lighter than black. A small amount of black eumelanin in the absence of other pigments causesgrey hair. A small amount of brown eumelanin without any other pigments causes yellow (blond) color hair. Often, natural blond or red hair will darken to a brown color over time. Brown-haired people have medium-thick strands of hair.
Brown-haired people are thought to produce more skin-protecting eumelanin and are associated with having a more even skin tone. The range of skin colors associated with brown hair is vast, ranging from the palest of skin tones to a darkolive complexion.
Brown hair comes in a wide variety of shades from the very darkest of brown (almost black) to lightest brown (almost blond) showing small signs ofblondism.[10] Shades of brown hair include:
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In Western popular culture, a common stereotype is that brunettes are stable, serious, smart and sophisticated. According toAllure magazine, in 2005, 76 percent of American women believed that the first female president of the United States will have brown hair.[12]
Anita Loos, the author of the novel and playGentlemen Prefer Blondes, wrote a sequel entitledBut Gentlemen Marry Brunettes. A film of this was made,Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, starringJane Russell andJeanne Crain.
The Lady of Shalott fromAlfred, Lord Tennyson's poem is depicted as a brunette in most paintings. The woman portrayed inLeonardo da Vinci's most well-known painting,Mona Lisa, is brunette. In the French folk song "Au clair de la lune", the likable Lubin visits his brunette neighbor at Pierrot's suggestion. In the Irish song "The Star of the County Down" the narrator falls in love with a woman with "nut-brown" hair, called Rose McCann.
In popular culture, brunettes are sometimes portrayed as being in a rivalry or competition with blonde women.[13]
