Colour Me Beautiful

The colour myth

One of the biggest myths about hair colour is that you have to be a of a certain skin tone to pull off lighter colours. Because of this myth, many people are trepidatious about experimenting with colour. What’s more, there aren’t hair colours that you need to avoid, rather, it’s about choosing the right shade and undertone that’s going to flatter your skin tone, and accentuate your natural features.

The colour of our hair is something we are born with. But it may change over time due to several reasons like lifestyle and genes. Not everyone feels satisfied with their God-given hair colour, many turn to dyes to get a different look, while others use opt to use it to cover grey strands.

Undertones and how to determine yours

Hair colour is commonly grouped into ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ tones. Warm tones are shades with a yellowish pinkish undertone while cool refers to anything with a blueish purpleish undertone. However, there is another color – neutral, which is a combination of both warm and cool colours.

To help you find out what your undertone is, here are some tips:

Having trouble deciding? You may have a neutral skin tone. Lucky you! You will look dazzling in any of the colours mentioned.

Blondes

If you’re blessed with dark skin with warm undertones, you should try a soft honey blonde with dark roots; balayage and ombré hair colours are a great option. This offers a beautiful gradient to the hair which flatter deeper skin tones. Ash and platinum blondes work better on dark skin with cool undertones. Rooted or balayage are always a good option for a more natural result.

For blondes who have a medium skin tone with cool undertones, sandy or beige blondes work especially well; similarly, those with warm undertones should go for a more natural look. Basically, when it comes to medium complexions, brondes (or brownish-blondes) just wanna have fun. When in doubt, just ask, what would Beyoncé do?

If you’ve got fair skin with cool undertones, an icy platinum blonde or a softer baby blonde will flatter your porcelain complexion. Ash tones work really well; you should avoid warmer blonde shades like copper, gold or caramel, since they can add a pink tinge to the skin (making you look more pink). Conversely, if you’ve got fair skin with warm undertones, these warmer shades are going to make your skin glow.

Dark/Brunettes

Those with dark skin are typically blessed with beautiful, brunette tresses worth coveting. Deep, cool complexions are bomb with inky black or blue-black shades. Think Duckie Thot and Naomi Campbell, their sexy deep tones contrast their blueish black long middle part straight sleek hair (get in my veins!!). You can add depth to naturally dark hair with tonal highlights in bronzes and lighter or ashy browns. For warmer undertones, like olive skin tones, most browns are dynamite with your complexion.

If you’re a brunette that has a medium skin tone with cool undertones, opt for a glossy chocolate brown. Alternatively, a tone with a purplish tinge, or even a blue-black colour will compliment your complexion. Those with a warmer undertone should keep clear of brunette colours that have a bluish tint, but apart from that, any and everything goes; dark mahogany browns are especially flattering. If you want to go lighter, honey or almond colours are amazing on those with warm undertones.

Brunettes who have fair skin with cool undertones can go anywhere between light and dark, though blue-based, taupe or neutral browns will work better than those with a reddish tint to them. If you’re fair-skinned with warm undertones, go for a richer, deeper brunette.

Reds

If you have dark skin with warm undertones and fancy going red, take a tip from Rihanna 2009 and opt for a bold, fire engine red, or keep things a little more understated with a coppery base. If you’ve got cool undertones, you should go for a purplish-red; a beautiful blackberry shade perfectly balances deep, cool complexions.

If you’ve got a medium skin tone with cool undertones, you should go for a burgundy or purplish-blue red colour; orange shades run the risk making you look washed out. For warmer undertones, the opposite is true; reds that have a slightly orange tint are going to look better than cool-toned reds on you; copper or rust reds are a fail-safe option.

Porcelain skin and naturally red hair often go together like Gin and Tonic; this more neutral shade is one that works best on fair skin with cool undertones (mother nature knows what she’s doing!), so if you’re looking to dye your hair red, you should veer towards a more natural-looking auburn colour. It’s also quite typical for natural redheads with fair skin to have warm undertones. Think Emma Stone; her gorgeous copper red hair colour is the perfect example of how flattering this shade can be.

Non-natural colours

I bet you thought we forgot to mention unicorn hair colours, didn’t you?

It’s all about non-natural hues these days; from pretty pastels to bold neons, technicolour hair is where it’s at hunny. However, the skin tone/skin undertone rule still applies; the colour of your hair can lift your skin or leave it looking washed out – no matter how bright it may be.

Dark skin with cool undertones can really pull off colour-popping purples; vivid violets, bright purple-pinks and even slightly blue hues are perfect for making a statement. Icy/cool tones can be mixed for a really show stopping look. Those with warmer undertones will find purples like plum and ruby more flattering, since they’ll enhance the natural radiance of your skin.

Vibrant jewel colours like fuchsia or magenta enhance the depth and natural glow of medium to dark skin tones (especially those with cool undertones). Compliment a medium skin tone that’s got warm undertones with jewel-hued blues and aqua colours; if you’re really into the idea of lighter non-natural colours, consider an ombré pastel hair colour with natural-looking roots.

Pastel pink shades are ideal for those with fair, cool complexions. If you’ve got warm undertones, pastel blue-hues will reveal your inner glow; think pastels like lavender, baby blue or aqua (after all, everyone secretly wants to be a mermaid!).

Now that we’ve gone through some colour theory, it is important to understand that this is a guide and not the hair commandments. You shall abide by your own hair rules but we hope these tips have made it easier for those who were unsure.

Larin