Professional guide · Bronsun dye · 8 min

Which Bronsun shade should you choose? A guide to the 8 colors based on the client

Light Brown or Brown, Chestnut or Graphite: how to read the 8 Bronsun shades, choose them according to the client, mix them, and which oxidant to use.

You have the Bronsun dye in front of you, eight numbered tubes, and a client waiting. Light Brown or Brown? Chestnut or Dark Brown? And should we use Graphite on its own or not? If you are hesitating, that is normal: Bronsun is a highly pigmented hybrid dye that colors the skin as much as the hair, and a shade mistake remains visible for seven days.

This guide explains the logic of the range, shade by shade, then tells you what we choose in the salon depending on the client. All the references mentioned are in the Bronsun collection from Brow.X Professionnel, the official distributor in France.

01 — The logic

The 8 shades in the hybrid gel range

The Bronsun Hybrid Brow & Lash Dye comes in eight shades. The number indicates the depth, but it is the undertone that determines the result once the pigment fades from the skin.

Two things to remember. First, the color of the tube is not the final color: Bronsun contains direct pigments that reveal themselves as they dry, and batches may vary slightly. Test each new tube on a strip of paper or on your glove before applying it to the client. Second, the hair darkens less than the skin: with most shades, the skin takes on a defined shape while the hair gains only half a shade. This is what makes Bronsun so comfortable for light eyebrows, and so tricky with No. 1.

02 — Textures

Hybrid gel, cream, or Nude Range: which texture is right for each service?

If your clientele mainly wants “natural and laminated brows,” start with Cream Tint and Nude Range. If they come for a makeup effect that lasts a week, choose the hybrid gel.

03 — According to the client

Which Bronsun shade should you choose for each client?

The rule we follow: we first choose the depth based on the hair roots and eyebrow density, then adjust the undertone based on the skin. Sparse eyebrows require a shade one level lighter than the hair, because the skin will carry the color; dense eyebrows can handle the exact shade.

Blonde client or light eyebrows

Choose No. 5 Light Brown on its own. It creates a clearly defined shape without turning a blonde client into a light brown, even on fine, porous hairs that “drink up” the dye. If the client wants more definition, add a touch of No. 6 Brown (3 parts No. 5 to 1 part No. 6). For a very cool blonde with ash-toned hair, adding a touch of No. 2 Graphite to No. 5 prevents golden undertones. → No. 5 Light Brown

Light Brown Client

This is where No. 6 Brown and No. 4 Chestnut come in. 6 is warm and luminous; 4 is more neutral and adapts to the complexion, making it the tube we open most often. Light to golden brown hair: No. 6. Medium to neutral brown hair: No. 4. Dark brown hair: mix 4 + 7 in equal parts. → No. 4 Chestnut · No. 6 Brown

Brunette or black-haired client

No. 7 Dark Brown pure for a brunette. For black hair, keep 7 as the base and add a small amount of No. 1 Deep Black (1 part 1 to 3 parts 7): pure black on eyebrows creates a harsh, artificial block and darkens the hair more than you want. No. 3 Blue Black, meanwhile, should remain for the lashes: its blue base on the eyebrow skin easily turns gray-purple. → No. 7 Dark Brown · No. 1 Deep Black

Red-haired client

This is exactly who Bronsun created No. 4.1 Auburn for. Used pure on a true redhead, it avoids the “dirty” brown you get with a 6 or a 4. On a strawberry blonde, mix it with No. 5 Light Brown to retain brightness. → No. 4.1 Auburn

Client with gray or white eyebrows

White hair does not take color well, while the skin absorbs all of it: choose a neutral to cool shade to avoid an orange effect on the skin (No. 4 Chestnut with a touch of No. 2 Graphite), leave it on for a time toward the upper end of the recommended range, and apply a thin layer in two passes rather than one thick layer.

Client with cool (pinkish) or warm (golden) skin

On pinkish skin, warm shades (6, 7, 4.1) appear orange after two or three days, when the pigment fades on the skin. Cool it down with Graphite. On golden or tanned skin, pure Graphite may look greenish: keep a warm base (4 or 6) and add 2 only in small amounts. → No. 2 Graphite

04 — Blending

The Bronsun mixes we use every day

Bronsun can be mixed with up to four shades. These proportions are starting points to adjust based on a test:

1. Bright natural blonde: 3 parts No. 5 + 1 part No. 6
2. Cool blonde: 3 parts No. 5 + 1 part No. 2
3. Neutral “go-to” brown: No. 4 pure, or 2 parts No. 4 + 1 part No. 6 to warm it up
4. Dark brown: 1 part No. 4 + 1 part No. 7
5. Cool brown (pinkish skin): 2 parts No. 7 + 1 part No. 2
6. Natural black brows: 3 parts No. 7 + 1 part No. 1
7. Lashes: No. 1 Deep Black or No. 3 Blue Black pure

Salon tip: mix on a non-metallic palette and record the formula in the client’s file. The client returns every 4 to 6 weeks; reproducing it exactly is worth more than any promotion.

05 — The oxidizer

3% or 1.8% oxidizer: which one with which shade?

Bronsun is used exclusively with its own developers, in a 1:1 ratio (for example, 0.5 cm of tint with the same amount of cream). An oxidizer from another brand changes the consistency, development time, and sometimes the final color.

06 — Mistakes

Processing time, proportions, and mistakes that distort the color

07 — What's new

Bleached brows or after a brow lift: the Nude Range and No. 0 Diluter

Two situations cause many Bronsun tints to go wrong: a bleached brow (halal brow, platinum blonde) that absorbs everything and changes tone, and a freshly laminated brow, opened up by the lift, that takes two shades darker than expected.

The Nude Range was formulated for these two cases: encapsulated pigments that activate on contact with the hair, ammonia-free, with an intentionally softer result. Taupe is the shade the range was missing for cool blondes and bleached brows, where a classic Light Brown tends to pull golden.

The No. 0 Tint Diluter (Clear Tint Diluter) mixes with any Bronsun gel or cream shade to lower the intensity by one level, create intermediate shades, and improve the distribution of the mixture through the hairs. With it, your No. 4 becomes a “light 4” for sparse brows, without buying a ninth shade.

08 — Where to start

Which starter palette should you buy?

You don't need all eight tubes on day one. With four shades - No. 2 Graphite, No. 4 Chestnut, No. 5 Light Brown, No. 6 Brown - you cover 90% of clients by mixing. Add No. 7 if you have many brunettes, No. 1 if you do lashes, and No. 4.1 if you have redheads.

If you are just starting out or want everything at hand, the Bronsun Hybrid Tint Kit: 8 shades + 2 developers costs less than buying the tubes individually and lets you test each shade on your clients before restocking the ones that sell.

09 — FAQ

FAQ — your questions about Bronsun shades