So you’ve made your decision, and you want to have your hair dyed. Perfect! But then raises the question of which colour to choose? There are number of reasons why you should or should not change the colour of your hair with a particular hair dye and it is important to know them before you actually go to salon or buy a dye. Now is time to ask a truly vital question, “What hair colour suits me?” Read our guide to discover which hairstyle would fit your skin and eyes.
LOOKING FOR AN INSPIRATION
You have been probably thinking about your dreamed colour for a while already and maybe searched the web trying to find a muse – Charlize Theron’s blond, or Gal Gadot’s brunette, Ciara’s ombre, Tiffany Haddish’s chocolate brown, or maybe Emma Stone’s red? Yup, we all have been there. But to be honest, finding you future hair colour based on the fact that some famous women wore it, is not a good idea. Looking for an inspiration in chosen celebrity’s style and current trends may be helpful, but you should definitely focus on yourself, not on what media promotes as trendy in fashion. There are different skin tones and four-season colour types that determine which hair dye you should use. If you’re thinking about best hair colour for you, you should consider which colour matches your skin and eyes and complement your beauty. So, continue to read to learn how to find the most suitable colour for you.
WOULD BLONDE HAIR SUIT ME?
If you have blue or grey eyes, then yes, it would suit you, especially if you choose bright colours like golden tones, slightly ash-infused or silver shades. Another thing is your complexion. Blonde is also good hair colour for an owner of the pale type of skin. If your skin is sallow then start with some highlights or balayage to see which tone suits you best, since it may turn out that with for example light blonde your whole image becomes a little lifeless and flat, and thus you should avoid cool shades and pink hints. However, if you have fair or medium complexion, go for honey-like or golden blonde, as well as strawberry blonde.
Yet, if you really want to try blonde with rose undertones, or any other for that matter, opt for semi permanent dye that will eventually fade away after couple of washes. You can also try out a spray-on that last for one day only. This solution is best for people that are not sure which colour they should get. After all, it will naturally go away without even going to the hair stylist to get rid of it.
Colours like sun kissed or caramel blonde perfectly complement olive skin or darker complexion – the darker your skin, the darker the tone of caramel (or toffee? Whichever delicious version you prefer) blonde will be best. Last, but not least, the important factor in choosing blonde dye is considering your natural hair colour. If you’re blonde already, then experiment with other shades as much as you want, but if you have dark blonde, or brown, not to mention almost black, keep in mind, that darker hair demands more time and more… bleach to make your hair blonde and to make this shade nice and durable. Unfortunately, bleaching is detrimental for your hair health and may damage your hair structure.
WOULD BRUNETTE HAIR SUIT ME?
Green, brown and hazel eyes look amazing (and simply natural) with a crown of brown hair. When it comes to complexion, dark brown suits fair skin only if you’re careful with the choice of the shade – not too dark, but at the same time rather lively, for example with warm, soft reddish tones. It will warm up and enhance your snowy look. Medium skin, on the contrary, should opt for medium brown colours like chocolate like or caramel brownish (lucky ones!) dye or add a little gold hints, but should rather forgo too light colours. Owners of the olive and darker skin, however, can go big with rich brunette, almost dark chocolate tones, but shouldn’t experiment excessively with shades lighter than their own, unless it is a colour close to their natural one of course. But if you really want to try out the lighter version of your hair colour, do it gradually to see if it fits you. Acquiring brunette hair definitely pose fewer worries – golden brown, chestnut or tawny, or darker, is quite easy to get and to remove, it doesn’t require much bleaching and thus, doesn’t do much harm to your hair condition, no matter your natural hair colour.
WOULD BLACK HAIR SUIT ME?
Well, that’s reserved only for few. Although you may have thought that black hair is exclusive for Goths or fictional characters, the truth is quite contrary and black dye can look really beautiful. Remember black coloured phase of hair of Rihanna or Katy Perry? Now is your turn. But there’s one condition, namely you have to choose a proper undertone to match your complexion. The colour of your eyes is almost a neutral issue here: if your eyes are green or brown, you can easily pull black hair off, but blue eyes can also look fantastic with the mane of black hair, however, it all depends on your complexion.
Thus, when it comes to your skin, we’ve got bad information for fair-skinned ones of you – if your skin is really pale (or even worse, a bit yellow), black hair may intensify the contrast between your light complexion and dark hair, and create an unhealthy look, like you’ve just got up from a grave. It is definitely reserved for more like Snow White type of pale skin with a little healthy blush on cheeks. The same is for medium fair skin – for most of you, black will probably look a bit ghostly; it might also underline dark circles under your eyes. (Unless you’re feeling that Addams’ family vibe, then go ahead, Morticia!).The lucky ones of you, who have fair complexion with healthy glow, should give red or burgundy undertones a go. Otherwise, opt for brunette shades.
Total raven black hair is a treat for olive and darker skin, because the lucky owners of these skin types can even try blue hues. Black dye looks super chic, alluring and healthy hair have this unique gloss finish we all love, but there is one downside, namely black dye can be hard to get rid of, therefore you ought to think twice before changing your natural light hair colour into that contrasting shade, since it may not come off that easily, or even worse, you may never go back to your natural shade. And to lighten it, you may need to use a lot of bleach, which, as you already know, may damage your natural hair.
WOULD RED HAIR SUIT ME?
If you thought about green eyes immediately – you’re right. Green and red hair complements each other in the perfect harmony. People usually think that red hair typically comes with fair skin with freckles on one’s nose and cheeks, and they’re not wrong, but surprisingly ginger hair can suit almost every skin tone. We’ve already talked about fair skin with green eyes looking great with red hair, but hazel and brown eyes will also be a perfect match. Fair skin will look better in lighter shades like strawberry blond, which is also suitable for less pale skin. Olive skin can try darker shades of red, and dark skin will look amazing with deep red. What is true for both olive and darker skin types is to avoid too light tones – strawberry or copper blond is undeniably not for you. Ginger hair, however, looks best when it is freshly dyed and after some time it definitely needs refreshing. A dry shampoo should become your best friend if you choose to dye your hair red. This trick is actually advisable for all hair colours, since washing your hair may cause faster fading of the colour away, especially if you wash your hair daily.
WOULD GREY HAIR SUIT ME?
This is the matter that slips away any other typology. Why did we give this non-standard colour a separate paragraph? Because, firstly, most of us will eventually have some grey hair, and secondly, because lately this colour became a massive hit among celebrities and Instagram influencers. First of all don’t freak out because you start to notice a grey hair here and there – embrace it! Especially since grey hair has been quite popular among young people recently. Have you seen platinum (almost silver) phase of Kim Kardashian? Or steel version of Meryl Streep in “Devil wears Prada”? Maybe your grey hair will look good on you? If you do not feel comfortable wearing grey hair, you can obviously always dye them, it’s all a matter of personal preference. However, you may have eyes of a given colour, spring, summer, autumn or winter type of beauty, but grey hair is always complicated and troublesome, since not every hair dye will perfectly cover your silver hair. If your skin is a bit yellowish or olive, go for neutral grey, for example platinum (definitely avoid blue hues), and if your skin is a bit pink or beige, opt for silver with blue hints.
WHAT ABOUT CURLY HAIR?
Curls… That’s another story. When it comes to curly hair, you should take some precautions and think through your decision on dyeing your hair. Unfortunately, it is possible that going from dark hair to full blonde or bleaching it, or too drastic change of colour, may damage the structure of your curly hair and cause temporary loss of flexibility. So if you’re not sure whether it is a good idea or you have no experience in dyeing your hair, simply leave changing your hair colour to the specialist. The best option is to change it gradually, thus it’s better to plan this process with the hairdresser.
TWO LAST TIPS
When not to dye your hair or get a semi-permanent instead?
If you have dry and damaged hair, wait a bit with colouring. Although currently dyes are much more caring and contain significantly less harmful ingredients than hair dyes which our moms used to buy, they still may be a bit harsh on fine, dry hair or splitting ends. Dyes usually contain a range of chemical ingredients that may dry out or irritate your scalp and lead to damage of your hair. Which hair dyes should you choose? First of all, select products that are ammonia-free and don’t contain ingredients like peroxide or p-phenylenediamine. Also if you have naturally dry hair try to dye it while wet – some brands actually encourage it since it is less detrimental for your hair condition. As always, read the label of chosen product first or ask in the store which tints are recommended to be applied on dry hair, and if you’re not sure, better go to hair styling salon to have it done by an expert.
If you haven’t dyed your hair your whole life and you’re afraid to change its colour with permanent hair dye, experiment with semi permanent means, for example by using a colour shampoo if you have naturally light hair. However, it may not work as root touch up, especially if you have grey hair. Gradual change is also advisable – don’t go for drastic makeover from blonde to black (chiefly because it may be hard to go back to your natural colour), but opt for tone by tone change until you reach the result that actually was on your mind for some time. Also, if ever in doubt, which colour will be best for you, ask a colourist for advice.
BEFORE DYEING YOUR HAIR…
And when it comes to hair care, give yourself a treatment with professional conditioner and rich oil, refrain from imposing too much heat on your hair and only then try to experiment a bit, but definitely not with too light colours and categorically not with bleaching. If your hair is brittle or prone to splitting, opt for refreshing only your roots, when possible.
You know, which hair colour is best for green, blue or brown eyes, and you know how to match it with your complexion! Perfectly matched hair colour is a compliment for woman’s good looks so you should not underestimated this matter. Yet, when it comes to fashion and beauty, experiment, try out new trends and tricks and enjoy looking for the best colour for you and have fun with this process!