Wondering what hair colour suits you? Your ideal shade depends on your skin tone, eye colour, and personal style. In this guide, we’ll help you discover the perfect hair colour that complements your unique features. You will learn how your hair colour complements your overall appearance and offer guidance on how to make the most of your physical traits.
How to Determine Your Skin Tone
Choosing the right hair colour starts with understanding your skin tone, as the colour that complements your complexion will highlight your natural beauty and enhance your overall appearance. Your skin tone falls into one of three categories: warm, cool, or neutral. Identifying your skin tone will help guide you to the shades that suit you best.
One of the popular methods is using the vein test, which is when you look at the veins inside your forearm or on your wrist in natural light. If the veins appear purplish or bluish, you have a cool skin tone, and if they appear greenish, you have a warm skin tone. However, if you cannot identify either of these two colours, you probably have a neutral skin tone. There are several simple methods to figure out your skin tone:
Vein Test: In natural light, check the colour of the veins on the inside of your wrist.
- If your veins appear bluish or purplish, you likely have a cool skin tone.
- If your veins appear greenish, you have a warm skin tone.
- If you can’t quite tell, and your veins seem to be a mix of both, you probably have a neutral skin tone.
Jewellery Test: Observe which type of jewellery looks better on you.
- If silver jewellery enhances your complexion, you likely have a cool tone.
- If gold jewellery makes your skin glow, you’re more likely to have a warm tone.
Reaction to the Sun: Consider how your skin reacts to sunlight.
- If you burn easily in the sun, you likely have a cool skin tone.
- If you tan easily, you’re more likely to have a warm skin tone.
Once you’ve identified your skin tone, you can choose a hair colour that complements it and enhances your natural features.
Choose Hair Colour Based on Your Skin Tone
Your skin tone refers to the natural colour of your skin. The type of hair colour you choose can either complement or clash with your skin tone, affecting your overall appearance. When choosing your hair colour, you want to look for one that brightens your complexion or at least creates a harmonious look.
Best Hair Colors for Warm Skin Tones
If you have warm undertones, your skin has a natural golden or peachy hue. The goal is to choose hair colours that enhance your warmth and create a sun-kissed glow.
- Golden Blonde: This shade complements the warmth in your skin and adds brightness to your overall look.
- Caramel: A rich caramel colour blends seamlessly with warm skin tones, adding depth and vibrancy.
- Honey Highlights: Warm highlights like honey blonde or golden balayage work beautifully with warm skin tones to add dimension without overpowering your complexion.
- Chocolate Brown: Rich brown shades with warm undertones, such as chocolate or chestnut, can add depth and shine to your hair.
Tip: Avoid ashy or platinum tones, which can clash with your natural warmth and make your skin look dull.
Best Hair Colors for Cool Skin Tones
Cool skin tones have hints of pink, red, or blue undertones. The best hair colours for cool skin are those that create a balanced contrast and enhance your natural coolness.
- Ash Blonde: Light, icy blonde tones like ash or platinum work well to complement cool undertones and add brightness to your complexion.
- Cool Brown: Opt for shades like cool brown, mocha, or espresso to add depth and sophistication to your hair.
- Platinum Blonde: For a striking, modern look, platinum blonde offers a bold contrast against cool skin tones.
- Black: Deep black hair adds a dramatic contrast to cool skin, creating a bold and elegant look.
Tip: Avoid overly warm shades like golden blonde or copper red, which can clash with your natural cool undertones.
Best Hair Colors for Neutral Skin Tones
If you have a neutral skin tone, you’re in luck! Neutral tones have a balance of warm and cool undertones, which means you have the flexibility to experiment with a variety of hair colours.
- Golden Blonde: A soft, sun-kissed blonde works beautifully with neutral skin tones, providing a radiant and natural look.
- Rich Chocolate Brown: This timeless shade adds depth and richness to neutral skin without overwhelming your features.
- Soft Balayage: For a modern, low-maintenance look, soft balayage adds subtle dimension and complements the balance in your neutral skin tone.
Tip: The versatility of neutral skin tones allows you to play with both warm and cool hair colours, so feel free to experiment until you find the shade that resonates most with your personal style.
Choose Hair Colour According to Your Eyes Colour
Besides using your skin tone to choose your ideal hair colour, you can also base your decision on your eye colour. But how do you know which hair colour suits you based on your eye colour? Explore some of the general guidelines below:
- Brown Eyes: Bold hair colours with warm undertones, such as red, chestnut brown and golden blonde, can complement brown eyes well. Black hair and deep chocolate browns are the other options, which can create a nice contrast with brown eyes.
- Blue Eyes: People with blue eyes are often rated among the most attractive compared to the majority of the population. Both cool and warm tones can perfectly complement blue eyes. You can choose one from shades such as golden blonde, honey blonde, deep brown or chestnut shades, as long as they provide a subtle contrast that enhances your overall look.
- Green Eyes: It is estimated that approximately 2 percent of the world’s population has green eyes. This makes this eye colour quite rare. Some of the hair colours that suit people with green eyes include red tones, neutral tones, and golden tones. Soft Balayage or highlights in neutral shades can also work fine. The goal is to make the rare green eyes pop with the help of complementary hair colour.
- Amber Eyes: Ranked among the rarest eye colours, amber eyes are a unique combination of pigmentation and genetics. Some of the hair colours that complement amber eyes include those with shades of caramel blonde, golden undertones, and bronze highlights. You can try any of these shades to find the perfect shade that will enhance the natural warmth of your amber eyes.
- Hazel Eyes: People with hazel eyes make up around 5 percent of the world’s population. This eye colour tends to reflect the environment the person is in. Hence, they could appear brown, greener or sometimes blue. Hair colours with multi-dimensional lowlights can perfectly complement the tones present in hazel eyes. If you have hazel eyes, consider cool and warm tones, such as caramel and ash-brown highlights.
- Grey Eyes: If you have grey eyes, it means you have little melanin in your iris but more collagen in the stroma. To complement the natural grey in your eye, opt for a silver grey hair colour or some cool brown tones. Platinum blonde or slate blue hues can also create a harmonious look with your grey eyes.
Consider Personal Style and Lifestyle
Your personal style and lifestyle can influence your hair colour choice just as much as skin tone or eye colour. Here’s how:
- Low-Maintenance Shades: If you have a busy lifestyle, choose colours like soft balayage or natural browns that grow out seamlessly and don’t need frequent touch-ups.
- Bold Choices: For a standout look, try vivid colours like platinum blonde or bright reds. Keep in mind these require more frequent salon visits to maintain.
- Professional Settings: In more conservative environments, opt for subtle tones like rich brunettes or caramel highlights, which add depth without being too bold.
Choose a colour that reflects your personality but also fits into your daily routine for easier maintenance.
Read more: Hairstyles for Different Face Shapes.
Changing Hair Colour App
Now that you know what to consider when choosing the ideal hair colour, you must be wondering, what is the best hair colour for me? Well, you may need to try out several options before finding the hair colour that suits your taste and matches your skin tone and eye colour.
The only challenge with this approach is that you don’t want to waste time and money trying out several hair colours only to pick one. Luckily, there are some hair colour pick-up apps that can help you test out and pick the hair colour via a live camera or photo.
Before committing to a new hair colour, it’s helpful to visualize how it will look on you. Hair colour apps are an excellent way to try out different shades virtually, so you can see how they complement your skin tone, eye colour, and overall style.
Popular Hair Color Apps:
- Garnier Virtual Try-On: This app allows you to upload a photo or use your camera in real time to try different Garnier hair dye shades. It’s easy to use and gives a realistic preview of what each colour will look like on you.
- ModiFace: Another popular app for trying on different hair colours virtually. ModiFace is powered by AI and lets you explore a wide range of colours from various brands.
How to Use a Hair Color App:
- Download the App: Find a hair colour app that you prefer, such as Garnier Virtual Try-On or ModiFace.
- Upload Your Photo or Use the Live Camera: Most apps let you either upload a recent picture or use your phone’s camera to apply hair colour in real-time.
- Choose Your Hair Color: Scroll through the available colours, from blondes to brunettes to bold colours like pink or blue.
- Try Different Shades: Test multiple colours to see which best complements your skin tone, eye colour, and style.
The Bottom Line
Choosing the right hair colour can enhance your overall looks and attractiveness. This can make you feel good and can have a huge impact on your confidence and self-esteem. If you are not sure which hair colour to choose, consult a professional hair stylist and be sure to communicate your goals, personal style and preferences.
FAQs
1. How Often Should I Touch Up My Hair Color?
This depends on the hair colour you choose and how fast your hair grows. Bold or bright colours like red or platinum may need touch-ups every 4-6 weeks, while more natural shades like balayage or soft brunettes can go longer about 6-8 weeks or more.
Tips For Maintain And Care Balayage Colour
2. Can I Color My Hair at Home or Should I Go to a Salon?
If you’re making a dramatic colour change (e.g., from dark to light hair or trying bold colours), it’s best to go to a professional salon. For minor touch-ups or if you’re maintaining a single shade, at-home hair colour kits are a great, budget-friendly option. However, always follow instructions carefully to avoid damage.
3. How Do I Prevent My Hair Color From Fading?
To keep your hair colour vibrant:
- Use sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners designed for colour-treated hair.
- Wash your hair less frequently and use cool water when you do to prevent colour from stripping.
- Consider using a gloss treatment or toner between colour sessions to refresh the shine and colour intensity.
4. How Do I Know Which Hair Color Will Suit My Face Shape?
Hair colour doesn’t directly affect your face shape, but the way it’s applied can create the illusion of a more balanced shape. For example, highlights around the face can brighten your features and soften sharper angles, while darker roots with lighter ends (ombre) can elongate the appearance of your face.
5. What If I Want to Change My Hair Colour Drastically?
Drastic changes, such as going from dark brown to platinum blonde or switching to vivid colours like blue or purple, require careful planning. It’s best to consult a professional to ensure minimal damage and get expert advice on transitioning your colour over time, especially if you have previously colour-treated hair.
