Hair dye is an interesting fashion accessory that’s often underestimated. It’s almost like selecting the perfect outfit; a flattering ensemble will do wonders for your entire look. But how do you select the right hair color? With a kaleidoscope of hues to choose from, the quest to finding the perfect color can be quite baffling. Maybe you’ve admired Rihanna’s trendsetting locks or Jennifer Anniston’s flawless, honey tinted tresses and wondered how to achieve a similar look. Well, look no further –let us give you a quick guide on picking out your perfect color!
Step 1:
The first order of business is determining the undertone of your skin. There are two categories over here, cool undertones and warm undertones. One way to detect the undertone of your skin is to look at the color of your veins – if your veins are blue, it means you have blue undertones. On the other hand, green veins indicate a warm undertone.
When it comes down to pairing your undertone with an appropriate hair dye color, the general formula states that cool skin tones should opt for neutral, cooler and ashier shades whereas warmer tones should draw inspiration from warmer shades of the color palette. Seems straightforward, right? But recently, warmer tones have become incredibly popular since they give your locks more vibrancy, as opposed to cool-toned colors that may wash you out. But, if you have cool-toned skin with lots of redness, it is best to steer clear of shades that have red or gold tones as these can draw attention to the redness. In the case of warmer tones, it is best to explore the golden and red color family and perhaps look at colors such as chestnut, honey and copper and strawberry for blondes.
Neat trick, huh?
Step 2:
Figure out how dramatic you want your hair color to be. Do you want to opt for a rebellious red or a more toned down auburn hue? Or perhaps a deep raven color or a subtle brown would be more fitting. Either way, it’s important to determine how much drama you want in your hair before embarking on a trip to the hair salon – otherwise, a funky hairdresser could convince you to try something ‘exciting’ that you wish you’d never done. For a slight – but still prominent –change, try highlights!
Not all of us can pull this off. Especially not when wearing neon…
Step 3:
The next thing you may be wondering is how many shades lighter or darker you should go. The general rule of thumb indicates that you should only go two shades lighter or two shades darker than your natural hair. However, dark colors are the best at drawing attention to your eyes.
Sexy and sultry: rich, dark hair tends to have this effect
Step 4:
Consult your hair stylist! Almost everyone has a go-to hair stylist they depend on – it’s time to pay them another visit. Talk to your stylist to discover your most face-flattering colors and look at color samples beforehand to get a clear idea.
Talk it out first!
Step 5:
Time to reach a verdict! After taking the aforementioned points into consideration, we hope you’ll be able to make a final decision.
So we’ve laid out the basic rules to achieving the ideal hair color. But as the saying goes, rules are meant to be broken. Sometimes the deepest, darkest black can set off an alabaster skin tone and a bright red can really compliment a deep complexion – either way, have fun with it!