Thinking of going brunette? Read this before you visit the salon

1. It's a great excuse to take a break from the bleach.
2. It's an easier shade to experiment with than blonde. If you're fair, ask for a semi-permanent or vegetable dye, at least for a start.
3. Watch out if your hair is in very poor condition - it could grab an extra colour and turn quite different colour,  than the tone you were after. If you want more neutral brown, you might end up with a green tinge.
4. Going darker? Take baby steps - go no more than two shades darker first-time round and keep any changes subtle, in order to avoid unexpected colour surprises. The shade you are after may turn out to be too dark for your complexion.
5. One person's chocolate is another person's espresso - show your colourist pictures of what you do and don't want.
6. Don't go for a block colour. Dark hair with pale skin can look more Cher than Angelina Jolie, so make sure you ask your colourist to add warm brown highlights around your face.
7. Medium and olive skins look best with cool, ashy brown (think Jennifer Lopez). Too much warmth in both your skin and your hair will clash.
8. Use shampoo for colour treated hair to keep your colour lovely and rich.
9. Brown hair reflects shine the best. So keep your hair cuticles smoothed down with a little serum.
10. You can afford to be bolder with your makeup - lashings of mascara and warm shadows like brown copper or bottle green. Also swap glosses and sheers for pure plum or burgundy lipsticks.