It’s no secret that our skin tone and hair color are inextricably linked. The under tones of our skin are often mirrored in our natural hair color. For example, if you have warm tones in your skin, it’s likely that your hair will have yellow, orange or red undertones. The same rules apply for those of us with cool undertones and even neutral tones (yes, that is a thing).
While this all sounds like more of “deep dive” into hair color theory than you may be needing, your undertones play a HUGE role in determining not only which shade will look best on you. It also helps your colorist to know which color after care will work best to keep your tones fresh.
3 ways to find your undertones
There are many different ways to determine whether or not you have warm, cool, or natural undertones. One of the easiest is to look at your eye color:
- Brown, amber, or hazel eyes= warm undertones
- Blue, green, gray, or violet eyes = cool undertones
Keep in mind that this is a quick and easy method for determining your base undertone. If you want to get REALLY into it, you can start looking at different shapes and shades in the iris of your eye. This can help you find which specific color palette will look best on you, overall.
A second. Simple way to find your base undertone is to hold a piece of blank white paper up to your face. You can also put on a pure white t-shirt, as long as it’s plain and pure white.
- If your skin looks slightly blue-ish, and you like how it looks next to white, you likely have cool undertones.
- If your skin looks more yellow and you don’t like how it looks next to white, you probably have warmer undertones.
Finally, you can take a look at your jewelry collection. If you have lots of gold and/or rose gold jewelry and love how it looks on you, you are pulling warm. If you prefer silver, white gold, or platinum, you have cooler undertones in your skin.
How your hair color impacts your undertones
The undertone of the hair color that you choose, will either highlight or downplay your skin undertones. If you have a ruddy complexion that you are looking to counterbalance, it is best to choose a hair color with cool undertones. This will visually neutralize the appearance of rosiness in your skin.
The same effect can be applied if you want to “warm up” a naturally pale complexion. Choosing a new hair color with warm undertones can help to bring out rosiness in the skin. Want to highlight a naturally warm skin tone? You can bring out those gorgeous rosy, yellow, and orange skin tones with traditionally warm hair colors like copper, bronze and gold.
Olive tones, while traditionally considered on the warm side, often have a green undertone. This can be neutralized with a warm hair color that will help to highlight the natural warmth in your skin tone.
FAQs
Stylists often use eye color to gauge undertones. If you have amber or golden flecks in your iris, you most likely have warm undertones, making warm-toned hair colors a great choice for you. If your eyes are blue, green, or gray, you lean more toward cool undertones, and ashier hair colors may suit you better.
How to tell what your hair undertone is? ›
The under tones of our skin are often mirrored in our natural hair color. For example, if you have warm tones in your skin, it's likely that your hair will have yellow, orange or red undertones. The same rules apply for those of us with cool undertones and even neutral tones (yes, that is a thing).
How do I tell what my undertone is? ›
Examine the color of your veins on the underside of your wrists.
- If your veins are blue or purple in color, you most probably have a cool undertone.
- If you have greenish veins, you have a warm undertone.
- If you are not sure which color is most evident in your veins, you are likely to have a neutral undertone.
Put simply, the color tones we choose for our hair should be in harmony with those of our skin. Warm skin tones look best against warm hair colors, and cool tones look best in cool hair colors. Sounds simple, right? Well, kind of, once you've figured out the undertones of your skin - and that's where we come in.
What is the undertone level of hair? ›
undertone is the the color that accents the base color. Most adults fall in a range from a level 2 (natural black)-a level 8(light blond) the undertone would be say a level 6 (light brown) with a golden undertone running throughout the whole hair.
What hair color is most attractive? ›
Most women think brunette hair is the sexiest, as 25% of those polled favoured this option. Womens' second preference is blonde, which was voted as the sexiest hair colour by 19.6% of women. Again, red took third spot, accounting for 11.8% of womens' votes.
How to figure out your hair color? ›
Start by parting the back of your hair down the center. Then, cover up any dyed sections of hair so that you're able to focus on evaluating your scalp. Have a friend match the color against our color chart to figure out the color closest to your own. For best results, make sure you're in bright, natural lighting.
What hair color makes you look younger? ›
Ten out of ten colorists agree, shades that are warm-toned read more youthful than cool-toned hair colors. Spicy copper reds, rich caramel brunettes, and soft honey blondes will warm up your complexion for younger-looking skin (hold the retinol).
What is the most universally flattering hair color? ›
It's a medium blonde tone, making it approachable for a range of hair colors. Another reason our colorists selected Beachy Blonde as one of the most universally flattering hair colors is that it is a medium-blonde hair color.
How can I choose my hair color? ›
How to choose the best hair colour for me
- 1) Your complexion. The colour of your skin tone is actually one of the most important aspects of choosing the perfect hair colour. ...
- 2) Your eyes. To really enhance and intensify your eye colour your colourist might opt for a contrasting colour. ...
- 3) Personal style.
Whether you want your color neutralized or enhanced, choose the following toners based on these bases:
- Light Blonde. Purple toners for neutralizing unwanted oranges and yellows. ...
- Medium/Dark Blonde. Blue toners for neutralizing. ...
- Auburn/Red. Green toners for neutralizing. ...
- Brown. Ashy/beige blonde toners for calming. ...
- Black.
If your skin is more pink, red or blue those are cool undertones, whereas if you're more peachy, golden or yellow then you have warm undertones. Or if you're neutral, your undertones are a balance of warm and cool tones, and you'll suit a wider range of hair colours – lucky you!
What level and tone is my hair? ›
Identifying Your Hair Color Level
If your hair is dark brown or black, you're probably a level 1 to 4. If your hair is medium brown, you're likely a level 5 or 6. If your hair is a darker blonde or light brown, you're probably a level 7 or 8. And, if you have light blonde hair, you're likely a level 9 or 10.
Is My hair hot or brassy? ›
Hairstylist and colorist Jana Rago defines brassy hair as unwanted warm tones in the hair. Depending on your hair color, the brassy shade will show up differently.
How do I tell if my hair is red or brown? ›
The easiest way to determine if you have red pigment in your hair is to look at your natural hair color. If your hair is a light to medium brown with a reddish or copper tone, it's likely that you have red pigment in your hair.
