Deciding which hair color to choose when you decide to color your hair can be a very tricky decision. If you choose the wrong color, you can instantly look from fabulous to catastrophic. So the big question is: how do you know which colour is right for you? If you want to know the answer, read on.
Man has a pigment called melanin in his body. This pigment is responsible for the colour of your hair, eyes and skin. It also determines the colour change your skin experiences under different climatic conditions. Variations of melanin in your body, its distribution, shape and size lead to different skin colors.
Your skin colour is the most important factor you should consider before colouring your hair. A poor match of skin and hair colour can make you look unnatural and clumsy. This article is intended as a guide to safe hair colours that you can try out depending on your skin colour and tone.
Determine your skin tone
Use the following methods to check whether you are a warm-toned or cool-toned person:
1- To check if your skin tone tends to be warm or cold, check your wrist in normal sunlight. If the veins in your wrists look green, you have a warm skin tone. If they look blue, you have a cool tone.
If you cannot tell whether they are blue or green, you may have a neutral skin tone, which gives you an olive complexion.
If your skin has yellowish undertones, then a hair colour with warm overtones suits you. The copper-blonde colour is one such colour.
If your skin has pink undertones, you have a cool shade, and cool colours like ash blonde look good on you.
Best hair colours for your skin tone
Hair dye for warm skin tones
Warm tones of blonde and brown go well with warm skin tones. Choose your tones according to your skin colour. For example, if you have light skin with warm tones, colours like honey blonde and rose gold will suit you. If you have darker skin, choose darker brown tones like chocolate.
Hair Color For Cool Skin Tones
Cool tones such as ash blond, platinum, white blond and ash brown are ideal for cool skin tones. But you can also use softer warm tones such as golden blonde and light chestnut brown.
Best hair colour for light skin
Avoid too dark hair on light skin. Fine highlights do much to improve your appearance. If you already have a brown tone in your hair, as some girls have from birth, and a light complexion, then you should choose red highlights in your hair. You will look fantastic.
Go for dark colours with vibrant undertones.
A good way to colour your hair if you fall into this category is to use highlights. Nuances of blonde, red and light brown or chocolate go best with this skin tone.
Best hair colour for medium skin
Avoid too light colours. Stick to blondes and brown tones. The warmer the better. Stay away from colours like ginger. You can go for dark plum tones and browns. Alternatively, you can choose the low lights. Get a haircut that makes the low lights of your hair visible.
The ideal colours for you would be chocolate brown, dull shades of red, chestnuts and dark, cool colours like blue or violet.
Hair colour for dark skin
For people with a darker skin tone, it may not be the best idea to get cooler tones like ash blonde. Opt for warm colours like honey or dark red stripes. For people with a darker skin tone, it’s safer to stick to darker colours with warm highlights. If you want to colour most of your hair, choose a balayage that gives you a soft transition.
If you already have dark hair and want a change, choose a shade that is close to your natural hair colour. Maroons and dark brown tones go well with darker tones.
Hair colour for light skin
Tones that are at the cool end of the spectrum, such as white blonde, Californian blonde, dirty bronze and ash brown, look amazing on pale skin. Warm tones of light brown also look good on this skin type. Cool tones are preferred, however.
Best hair colour for olive skin
Warm dark blonde tones, dark brown tones, and light brown tones look amazing on an olive skin tone. Warm tones go very well with this skin tone. Ash tones also look good on olive skin because it is a neutral skin tone.
Best hair colour for caramel coloured skin
Dark blonde tones and dark brown tones look good on caramelized skin. Warm highlights that mix well with dark hair are a good idea for a hair colour.
Best hair colour for wheat coloured skin
Warm dark brown tones and cool light brown tones look good on wheat-like skin. Since wheat-like skin falls into the category of medium-dark skin, the same rules apply to depend on how dark or light your skin is.
Tips for choosing the hair colour for your skin tone
Determine which colours from your wardrobe match your skin tone
If you look good in the colours red, orange, gold, yellow, green – golden blonde, golden brown, strawberry blonde and chestnut brown are the colours that suit you.
If you look good in chestnut brown, fuchsia, black, royal blue – platinum, ash blonde, ash brown, burgundy and deep black are the colours that suit you.
If you look good in red, violet, anthracite grey, turquoise – sand blonde, beige blonde, chocolate brown and mahogany will look good on you.
Your eye colour also plays an important role in determining the hair colour that suits you.
People with hazel, green and brown eyes can opt for warm overtones in the colours. Gold blond, gold brown and burgundy are some of them.
People with blue or grey eyes may prefer cool overtones in the hair colour. Platinum, ash blonde, ash brown and blonde colours are more suited to these people.
If you have a dark skin colour and still prefer a full colour hair colour, or let’s say you have grey hair and want a full colour hair colour, then choose a subtle blonde that is between brown and blonde, also known as bronde.
Going full blonde if you have a wheat colored complexion can be really difficult and you may end up looking like Amisha Patel. Instead, you can play around with reds, browns, light browns and burgundies.
If you choose an unnatural colour like purple, blue or green, think about how this might conflict with your wardrobe and whether it works with your dress code at work or school.
Avoid dark colors on an extremely light skin tone, as the contrast will make you look paler than you are. Dark hair on light skin can also make you look older than you are.
How To Choose Hair Highlights – Hair Highlight Ideas
1. Medium Brown With Gold
For all those beauties with hair that is not too brown or not too black, gold is the perfect colour to set highlights. Golden highlights scream confidence and show that you are not afraid to take risks.
2. Ombre
This is a trend that has taken the fashion world by storm in 2013 and seems set to continue. Graduated colour fading from bottom to top is a perfect way to highlight your shiny mane.
3. Black With Red
Do you belong to the happy women with long and shiny deep black hair? Are you still not happy with it? How about some deep red highlights to make the statement you want?
4. Dark Brown With Caramel
If you thought nothing good would come out of caramel, just imagine a delicious, moist walnut brownie dripping with golden melted caramel. This is what your hair will look like. Yummy!
5. Black With Chocolate
There is no truer love than that of chocolate. Any sensible woman will testify to that. What if you can’t eat it as much as you’d like? Declare your love for cocoa by highlighting your black hair in this colour!
6. Dark Brown With Light Brown
Let two long lost souls experience a less tearing reunion. Mate dark brown hair with light brown highlights and you will see that they are a heavenly couple.
7. Black With Honey
Oh, honey! The rich and delicious nectar that makes our lives so sweet! Watch how it unfolds its effect in your black hair as you highlight it in its golden goodness.
8. Black Or Deep Brown With Burgundy
For the uninitiated, Burgundy is a shade between deep red and chestnut brown. It is neither here nor there, but it is one of the most popular colours for women with dark brown or black hair to set highlights, so imagine.
9. Black With Coffee
Looks like we’re not done with our drink and food dedications yet. Exquisite coffee highlights are just what the doctor prescribed for midnight black hair. Sigh!
10. Black With Copper
Be warned! Copper highlights are not for the faint of heart, although your daily encounters with women who seem to get them may tell you otherwise. They need to be considered; they need consideration, but most of all they need a beautiful head with deep black hair, worn with verve.
11. Balayage
A balayage is perfect for those who are looking for a smooth transition from dark to light hair. Unlike an ombre, it contains highlights from the medium-length hair strands. With a balayage you can also opt for unnatural colours, as the colour of your hair roots remains the same.
What is permanent hair colour?
Permanent hair colours are the box hair colours that you often find in pharmacies and supermarkets. They stay in your hair forever, although the vibrancy of the colour fades. The only way to remove permanent hair color would be to let it grow out and cut it off or fade it.
How does permanent hair color work?
Permanent hair color can make your hair up to 2 shades lighter or darker than your current hair color, as opposed to semi-permanent hair color, which can only darken it.
The colour penetrates your cuticles and colours your hair from the inside.
A permanent hair colour will stay permanently in your hair, but you will see that it will start to lighten after 4-6 weeks of use.
What are the advantages of permanent hair colouring?
First of all, it helps women to hide their grey hair roots, which threaten to make you look much older than you are.
It is also useful when you are in the middle of an existential crisis and are thinking about where you want your life to go, so dye your hair in pretty colours and put a smile on your face. What? You haven’t done that yet?
A more serious comment: If you dye your hair at home with a box dye, you can save the big money you would spend in a salon. However, it’s always better to consult a colorist if you don’t know what you’re doing or if you don’t have experience in coloring your hair.
How to use permanent hair color?
Here is the part that shows you how easy it is to dye your hair without having to go to the salon. You need to go hair colour shopping. So go to a drugstore or beauty shop of your choice and pick a colour you like. Take advice and suggestions from friends or staff if you have to. The colour will stay with you for quite some time, so it’s worth getting a second opinion.
Make sure that your hair is not washed before application (for at least 12 hours). The natural oils in the scalp will support the colouring process as the chemicals will dry out your hair severely.
According to the instructions on the box you will receive, you must mix the developer and the colorant. Make sure you wear the gloves provided in the box to avoid staining, irritation or allergies.
Remember to always perform a strand test first. This is a must! Take a tiny section of your hair (hold it up to see if you can see through it).
Using the applicator, apply a little of the solution you have prepared to this part of your hair. Wait about twenty minutes to see if you have any reactions such as tingling or burning. If this is the case, hair coloring may not be a viable option for you.
If nothing like this happens, continue to divide your hair into fine sections and color each of these sections completely.
Take your time (as indicated in the box) once you have finished applying the colour, then wash and condition it with the conditioner supplied in the box.
Dry your hair and style it as usual.
Voilà! It really is that simple. From blah to wow in just 1 hour! Remember that permanent hair color cannot be completely washed out. Your hair must grow out of it. So when you see this little growth of your natural hair colour, you know it’s time for a touch-up or a new shade if you have to!
A word of advice: even if highlights seem to be following the trend, remember that the colour you choose will determine your appearance for the next six months or so. So make an informed decision to avoid a big faux pas.
