How to Choose Hair Color That Compliments Skin Tone
Choosing the right hair color entails more than simply finding a shade you like. You should also consider how the color works with your skin tone and opt for a shade that brings out the best in your natural coloring. A well-chosen hair color can help camouflage flaws while brightening or balancing your complexion. First-time hair dyers should work with a professional stylist to select the most complimentary color for their skin tone. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Determine whether your skin tone is warm or cool. People with warm skin tones generally have reddish hair or golden blond, golden brown or deep brown tresses. Often, those with warm skin tones have pale skin with gold, caramel or pink undertones, sometimes with freckles. Women with cool skin tones tend to have pale skin with pink undertones and a dark brown, black, ash or golden blond natural hair color. A good way to gauge your skin tone is by looking at the veins in your arm. If they're blue, you probably have a cool undertone, while those with greenish veins are likely warm.
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Select a base hair color similar to your natural eyebrow color, as this tends to be the most complimentary shade for your complexion. Don't go more than two shades lighter or darker that this, or you'll risk looking washed out. (Keep in mind that dyeing your brows won't change this relationship between skin tone and hair color). Alternately, use your natural base hair color to decide which color best flatters your complexion, then dye hair up to two shades darker or lighter.
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Add highlights to your base dye color to bring out the best in your complexion and illuminate skin. Women with a cool skin tone should try blond, caramel or golden brown highlights to counteract the bluish undertones in their skin, making for a flattering skin booster that gives the illusion of glowing skin. If you have a warm complexion, opt for highlights in reddish or cinnamon hues to balance out yellow undertones and add a rosy depth to your face.
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Tips & Warnings
In a segment on CBS' "The Early Show," celebrity stylist David Evangelista lists off the base hair colors that make each skin tone shine. For women with warm, yellowish complexions, he advises choosing a rich hue such as dark golden brown or chestnut, while he encourages those with a cool skin tone to select deep shades of blond, red or brown, depending on their natural color. Evangelista says people with reddish or ruddy complexions should cool their skin tone with base shades in beige, light coffee or honey brown.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Close-up portrait of red-haired woman, focus on hair image by Olga Ekaterincheva from Fotolia.com
