Choosing a Hair Color for Your Skin Tone

Contrasting Hair Color and Skin Color

A starting point with hair and skin color is to realize that there are contrast levels between both, and it's usually best to stay with already existing levels of contrast.

Hair color is usually darker than skin color on most people, even blondes. Few people have naturally occurring light colored hair and darker skin. Therefore, it's usually better to stay within that contrast range.

However, there are cases where there is little contrast between hair and skin -- very fair skin with ash blonde hair, or very dark skin with black hair, for example. In those cases, it's best to look at the undertone and judge the new color from there.

In some cases, it can look interesting to play with a lighter hair/darker skin combination, but the color should be professionally formulated in those cases to avoid an unnatural appearance. Done right, it can look striking.

Colors for Warm Skin Tones

Warm skin tones include Caucasians with flush, pink or ruddy skin, most African Americans and Eastern Indians and some Asians. Warm skin has a lot of pink and red in the skin. If in doubt, check out the veins on the wrist; if they're greenish in tinge, then the person is probably warm.

For warm tones, use colors that will blossom in the heat and add lift to the skin. These shades include strawberry blonde, auburn and chestnut brown. Rich sables are also nice. For highlights, options that include gold and bronze coloring are great touches.

Colors for Cool Skin Tones

Cool people include those with olive skin, pale Caucasian complexions with little to no natural blush and very dark skins. There may be a bluish tinge to their skin, and flaws like dark eye circles may be especially noticeable. Veins will appear blue.

For the cools, blue-tinged blacks, platinums and ashen shades work great. Anything with ash or cinder in the title is probably a good fit. Avoid the warms, because the clash with your bluish tones will create a sallow or greenish effect. When bleaching, be especially careful to avoid brassy toning.

When choosing hair color, it's a very good idea to get qualified help. Talking to a professional or setting up a color consultation before applying any sort of color can save you a lot of headache and a bad dye job.

Resources

• Bella Online: How to Choose the Perfect Hair Color
• eHow: How to Choose a Hair Color That Suits You