The difference between morena y castaña

Question

What is the difference between morena and castaña? Can I call myself morena because I am a brunette? Or do I have to have a darker complexion to be considered morena?

great question! - Silvia, Dec 31, 2009

Answer 1

"Morena" is dark hair or dark skin.

"Castaña" is chestnut, which is dark with a red tone. This is not used for skin color.

Answer 2

Have a look at this thread. (visual aid)

Answer 3

We use "Morena" more to refer to skin color, a little dark but not so extreme like black, it;s really a denomination for a wide degrees of skin darkness.

"Castaña" is used more to describe the color of the hair in this case "brown" (like the color of the chesnut).

We can use "castaño claro" (light brown), "castaño medio" (only brown) or "castaño oscuro" (dark brown), to describe the color of a hair.