Maria Nila
Colour Refresh Cacao Intense
Dark Brown Masque for Dark Hair
When your dark colour needs level back, not just tone.
The most concentrated brown Maria Nila makes - for level 2-6 hair that needs real depth rebuilt, not just refreshed.
- Hydration
- Colour care
- Shine
- Treat
100% Vegan · Leaping Bunny Approved · Semi-Permanent · No Developer Needed · Made in Sweden
This is probably for you if…
- Ends that have drifted lighter than the root
- Dark colour faded translucent
- Needing depth rebuilt, not just refreshed
- Brunettes who find Cacao not deep enough
In stock + ready to ship
Unopened + unused items may be eligible for exchange or store credit within 14 days. Returns policy
- Free shipping $100+Canada + U.S. · duties included
- Packed by ModaBowmanville, Ontario
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What it does
- The deepest, most concentrated brown in the range
- Rebuilds level, not just tone, in faded dark hair
- Closes the gap between faded ends and darker roots
- Conditions dark hair while it deposits
Perfect for
- Colour-treated dark hair
- Levels 2 to 6
How to use
- Shampoo and towel-dry until damp. Optionally pre-condition the most porous ends and rinse lightly.
- Wearing gloves, section into four and comb the masque through each section evenly.
- Leave 3-10 minutes. Start at the shorter end if your ends are very porous.
- Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear, then follow with conditioner.
Routine step
Why we like it
The Moda Team Review
Standard Cacao refreshes; this one rebuilds. It is the shade for dark brown hair that has genuinely lost depth rather than just shine - ends that have drifted two levels lighter than the root over a year of washing, or a dark colour gone translucent and showing warmth it never used to. On a level 3 or 4 head where the ends sit at a warm level 6, this closes that gap in one ten-minute application.
Moda
What’s inside — and why it’s there
The ingredients worth knowing.
- The same three-dye structure as Cacao carried at higher concentration - this is not a different brown, it is a stronger one. Cationic pigment binds hardest to the most porous hair, and faded ends are the most porous part of the head, so a high-loading dark pigment applied evenly across uneven porosity lands unevenly by definition. Maria Nila specifies levels 2 to 6 and warns that lighter hair may go too intense or stain.
View full ingredient list
Aqua/Water/Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Panthenol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Propanediol, Potassium Sorbate, Trideceth-5, Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Citric Acid, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Quaternium-95, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum/Fragrance, Basic Blue 99, Basic Red 76, Basic Yellow 57
How to use
Use it the way we would.
- Shampoo and towel-dry until damp. Optionally pre-condition the most porous ends and rinse lightly.
- Wearing gloves, section into four and comb the masque through each section evenly.
- Leave 3-10 minutes. Start at the shorter end if your ends are very porous.
- Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear, then follow with conditioner.
Moda stylist tipEven out the porosity before you deposit, not after. Run a plain conditioner or unpigmented masque through your most faded ends for two minutes and rinse lightly before applying - the conditioning agents partially occupy the binding sites on the most porous sections, which slows how fast those areas take a concentrated pigment and lets the rest of the head catch up. It is the same logic a colourist uses when filling porous ends before going darker.
Reviews
Questions? We get them.
Good to know.
The questions we hear most about this product. If yours isn’t here, a real stylist will answer.
Ask ModaWhat does Intense actually change compared with regular Cacao?
Yes, the difference is concentration, not colour. Both use Basic Blue 99, Basic Red 76 and Basic Yellow 57 on the same level 2 to 6 band. Intense carries them at a higher loading, so it deposits deeper, holds longer, and is less forgiving on porous ends.
I'm a level 7. Can I use it briefly without staining?
No, not safely at full strength. Maria Nila caps this shade at level 6 and warns of over-intensity and staining above it. If you want to use it at level 7, dilute it heavily with an unpigmented masque and strand test first - or choose standard Cacao instead.
On level 2 hair, will this look black rather than brown?
No, it will not read black. Level 2 is already very dark, so a brown deposit mainly restores richness and shine rather than dropping the level further. Because there is no lift in the formula it cannot go darker than the pigment itself, which is a deep brown rather than a black.
Can I use it to fill porous ends before a salon appointment to go darker?
Yes, but only with your colourist's agreement. Maria Nila does describe using Colour Refresh pigments for pre-pigmentation at around five minutes. It must never be done before a bleach service, and your stylist needs to know what is on the hair before formulating.
Will a pigment this concentrated wash out evenly, or leave dark patches?
Yes, it washes out evenly if it went on evenly. Patchy fading almost always reflects patchy application on uneven porosity rather than anything in the formula. Pre-condition your most porous ends, section into four, and comb thoroughly - even uptake gives even release.
Returns
Unopened + unused products may be eligible for exchange or Moda store credit within 14 days.
Returns policy
Need help choosing?
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