On trial... Colour care for brunettes

Every month, we'll put your favourite hair-saving and styling goodies to the test. This time, colour saving shampoos and conditioners for brunettes are put to the test...

Rumour has it; summer may be hitting British shores any day now! Good news for the spirit, bad news for coloured hair. With this in mind, we challenged handbagger Natalie Bartlett, 26, an Admin Officer from Kent, to try and test five of the best colour care systems on the shelves, to see which would keep her dark brown locks radiant all summer and beyond...

John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shampoo and Conditioner
£4.49
'This smelt of sweet chocolate and I could still smell it on my hair the day after - mmm! It didn't lather up all that well and I had to use a lot of both to ensure all my hair was coated. However, it did detangle and soften, and the colour really shone. I would use this again if I ran out of my favourite although I do think I'd get through the bottles very quickly.'
Boots 

TIGI Brunette Goddess Shampoo and Conditioner
£9.90
'This was absolutely wonderful. The scent was deliciously sweet, like honey and caramel. Unfortunately the smell didn't last for very long after washing, but the shampoo lathered very well and my hair was detangled and softened immediately. The conditioner was very easy to rinse out and didn't leave a heavy coating or residue. My hair looked healthy and shiny for days after and also felt incredibly soft. I noticed the colour was more vibrant and it was even a lot easier to straighten my hair. Would definitely use again!'
TIGI

Pantene Colour Expressions Brunette Shampoo and Conditioner
£2.99
'Lathered up very nicely and after using the conditioner my hair felt really soft. My locks stayed soft and super-shiny for days afterwards. The colour also seemed lightened like I'd been in the sun. I would use again. Great value for money.'
Boots

Umberto Giannini Colour Care Brunette Shampoo and Conditioner
£3.99
'I wasn't too keen on this! The smell was pleasant, but I had to use a lot of shampoo and conditioner and my hair still didn't feel very clean or soft. The conditioner seemed to make my hair very heavy and it felt liked it needed rinsing again although I had done it thoroughly. Didn't notice much of a difference colour-wise, but it might be better suited to finer hair.'
Boots

Andrew Collinge Mocha Brunette Shampoo and Conditioner
£4.49
'This smelt lovely and lathered up nicely. The conditioner made my hair soft straight away and it rinsed out well to leave my locks squeaky clean. It looked shiny and healthy for a couple of days afterwards and the colour also seemed boosted, more vibrant and much healthier. Good value for money too.'
Boots