What is the right hair color for you?
With so many options on the market today, it can be hard to
decide what hair color is right for you. Often we see a celebrity with a certain
hairstyle and color and want to emulate that look on ourselves, but usually the
results are less than anticipated and we don’t know why. This is because there
are many factors to consider before altering your hair color
to determine what
will flatter your face and what will not. Here is a list of guidelines to follow
when thinking of hair color ideas.
Part 1- Skin tone analysis
Everyone has either a warm or cool skin tone. Here are some
methods to determine what tone you are:
-
Hold a gold object by your freshly washed face, then a
silver object. This is the easiest way to see what metal harmonizes with your
skin tone - gold harmonizes with warm tones and silver is for cool-toned
complexions.
-
Look at the veins on your forearm. In natural light, cool
tones will have blue veins, and warm toned skin will give veins a greenish
tint.
Part 2- Eye color analysis
Just like your skin, your eye color will be flattered by the
correct color choice. See below for hints:
-
Blue, black and green eyes are considered cool.
-
Hazel, brown and honey colored eyes are warm.
Honey colored flecks in the eyes will add warmth to otherwise
cool tones.
Part 3- Natural color analysis
The natural color of hair should be taken into consideration
when choosing a new shade. If you have a lot of grey, then use your natural
shade before you went grey for this part of the analysis.
-
Determine if your natural shade is cool or warm. Warm tones
will have red, gold, yellow or orange tones underneath. For example: honey
blond, caramel brown, deep red and chocolate brown are all warm shades.
Cool-toned hair is based on ash or ‘blue’ colors. For example: platinum blond,
wheat blond, cool ash brown and blue-black.
-
Once you have determined your undertones, compare your
natural color to a numbered hair color chart. Many can be found online or in
the shop with 1 being black and 10 being platinum blond.
-
Hair color is the most flattering when kept with 2 shades
of the natural color. If you are a brunette with a level 5 hair color, then
the lightest you should go is a 7, the darkest a 3.
Part 4 – Color Selection
After you have chosen how dramatic you want the results to
be, you can now start looking for a shade by number. For subtle richness to your
natural shade, stay at the same number level but add a secondary color. For
something more dramatic, go 2 shades higher or lower and add a secondary tone.
Here is a list of the secondary tones that you will find on all commercial hair
colors:
Warm:
G - Gold
B - Brown
R - Red
W - Warm
Cool:
A - Ash
C - Cool
With this simple guide, it’s easy to choose the best hair color for your face
and skin tone. Whether you color at home or visit a professional, a patch test
should always be done before applying a new color in case of an allergic
reaction.
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