How to Find the Right Hair Color

Want to change your appearance but fear ending up with a disaster? Whether you're aiming for a natural, strong, or unique look, you can still find the right hair color. The perfect shade will complement your skin tone, facial features, and especially make your hair look even more stunning.

Understand the importance of skin tone. Determining your skin tone is key to choosing a hair color that works well with your complexion. A hair color that doesn't match your skin will not suit your facial features either, making it appear unnatural. Before selecting a hair color, you should determine if your skin tone is cool or warm.

Determine if your skin tone is warm. People with warm skin tones tend to have a yellowish hue. Their skin tans easily when exposed to the sun but doesn’t burn. Those with this skin tone look great in earth-toned clothing like browns, yellows, oranges, and creams. Gold jewelry also complements this skin tone well.

• Look at the veins on your arms. People with warm skin tones typically have greenish veins.
• People with warm skin tones usually have dark eyes, like black, brown, or hazel. Their hair may be black, brown, blonde, red, or golden red.
• Place a white piece of paper next to your bare face, and your skin will appear yellow or golden if you have a warm tone.
• Another way to identify this is by placing yellow or red paper next to your face. If your skin pops next to those colors, you have a warm skin tone.

Determine if your skin tone is cool. People with cool skin tones have a pinkish or purple hue. They burn easily in the sun and don’t tan as easily. Those with this skin tone look great in clothing with shades of blue, red, and purple. Silver jewelry also pairs beautifully with cool skin tones.

• People with cool skin tones have blue veins under their arms.
• Those with cool skin tones often have light-colored eyes, such as blue, green, or gray. Their hair tends to be blonde, black, or brown.
• If you place a white piece of paper next to your bare face, your skin will appear to have a bluish undertone.
• Another test is to compare your skin to blue, silver, or green paper. If it makes your skin stand out, you have a cool skin tone. You can also compare it to yellow/red paper to see the contrast.

Consider if your skin tone is neutral. Some people have a neutral skin tone that isn’t distinctly cool or warm. Their skin doesn’t clearly show pink or yellow undertones. Their veins aren’t solely green or blue either. People with neutral skin tones can usually pull off almost any color.

Pick a hair color based on your skin tone. After identifying your skin tone, choose a hair color that best complements it. If you have a neutral skin tone, almost any color will work.

• For warm skin tones, hair colors like dark brown, deep brown, hazel, warm blonde, auburn, golden blonde with red highlights, and golden hues will suit you. Avoid shades with blue, purple, or ash undertones, as they can make your skin look pale.
• For cool skin tones, try jet black, cool ash brown, icy blonde, platinum, and white. Avoid golden blonde, yellow, red, and copper hues, as they can make your complexion look sallow. You can also experiment with bold, unnatural hair colors like bright red, cherry red, navy blue, and burgundy.

Consider Your Skin Tone. Do you have fair, tan, or dark skin? This factor plays a significant role in determining which hair colors will suit you best.

• If you have pale skin, lighter shades will usually complement it. For warm-toned fair skin, try shades like light brown, reddish-gold, or honey blonde. For cool-toned fair skin, go for platinum, light blonde, or champagne blonde (a very light pinkish blonde).
• Tanned skin offers more flexibility. For warm undertones, you can experiment with colors like auburn, caramel, or copper blonde. If you have a cool undertone with tan skin, try ash tones like sand, wheat blonde, or walnut brown.
• For dark tan skin with cool undertones, espresso brown or black are great choices. If your tan skin has a warm undertone, consider trying shades like maple, chestnut, or toffee brown.

Consider Your Eye Color. Your eye color also influences the hair color choice. Do you want your eyes to stand out more? For green or blue eyes, shades like red, brown, or yellow will look fantastic, while darker eyes pair well with contrasting shades.

Decide Whether You Want a Natural or Bold Look. How far are you willing to go with your hair color? Do you prefer a more natural look, or are you aiming for something more striking? If you’re seeking a vibrant or unusual shade, make sure it matches both your personality and lifestyle.

• If you prefer a natural style, dye your hair 2-3 shades lighter or darker than your natural color.
• It's essential that it complements your appearance. You might love red hair, but does it suit your complexion? If you're drawn to blue but have warm undertones, consider another striking hair color.

Choose Between Permanent, Semi-Permanent, or Temporary Dye. If you're unsure about a color, start with temporary hair dye. Permanent and semi-permanent dyes last longer, and you'll need to maintain the color for a while.

• Permanent dye doesn't fade easily and can lighten your hair. Sometimes lightening requires bleaching. It’s tough to undo permanent dye, and you’ll need to touch up your roots frequently as they grow.
• Semi-permanent dyes may fade with washing. They’re ideal for highlights, changing shades, adding depth, and covering gray hair. This type doesn’t alter your natural hair color.
• Temporary dyes wash out after 25-30 washes. They give vibrant, shiny colors in both dark and light tones, and you can change the shade of your current color. Temporary dyes don’t affect your natural hair color.

Don’t Rush into a Bold Hair Color. Before completely changing your look, think about the reasons behind the change. Are you just following a trend? Or have you recently gone through something emotional, like the loss of a loved one or a breakup? Making a dramatic change based on emotion might not be the best choice.

Browse online to find the right hair color. Many websites allow you to virtually try on different hairstyles to see how you would look. Some even let you upload a picture and specify your preferred style to help determine the best hair color for you.

Try dyeing a small section first. Pin a portion of hair from the lower layers, where it’s less noticeable. Dye this small section to see how the color turns out on your hair. This gives you a preview of how your whole head would look before you commit to dyeing everything, preventing any potential disasters.

Wear a wig. If you want to try out a hair color before fully committing, consider using a wig. A wig will give you a clear view of how the color would look on your face without any permanent risk. Be sure to choose a high-quality wig for a better representation.

Visit a salon. This is the best option if you’re dyeing your hair for the first time or making a major change. A hair expert can help you find the perfect color without any fashion disasters.

• Be sure to bring a picture of the color you want. This helps avoid confusion. Terms like brown, red, or blonde don’t describe the many shades adequately, so be careful when using terms like ash, honey, caramel, or espresso unless you understand their meanings.

Try highlighting first. Highlights are a great way to add warm or cool tones to your hair. If you have warm-toned skin, go for golden, copper, or honey brown highlights. If you have cool-toned skin, consider wheat blonde, honey, dark brown, or ash highlights.

• Lowlighting (using darker shades) is also a great way to add dimension to your hair while achieving a more subtle change in your look.

Don't forget about your eyebrows. When dyeing your hair, don’t overlook your eyebrows. If you’re going from dark hair to blonde, consider dyeing your eyebrows as well. Having a bold hair color that contrasts with your eyebrows can look odd and out of place, so make sure to take this into account.

• Permanent dye is ideal for darkening your hair without causing damage.
• Remember that hair grows out, and the roots will need touching up to maintain the color.
• Even if a hair color theoretically suits your skin tone, it may not perfectly match all your other features. Everyone’s different.
• If you don't have time to touch up your roots with the new color, dye the roots with a shade that blends well with the rest of your hair, without needing a full color change.
• If you want to dye your hair in two or more shades, it’s best to visit a salon.

• Remember to use conditioner and trim your hair regularly, avoiding heat styling to prevent further damage. Dyeing your hair is fun but it can also cause damage. Take good care of it to keep it healthy.
• If you want to dye your hair from black to blonde, it’s best to visit a salon, otherwise, you’ll likely end up with an orange shade.