Find Your Perfect Hair Color in 5 Easy Steps

Step 1 —  Identify Your Skin Tone

It is much easier to choose your hair color based on your skin tone. This will help not only with a new hair color but also with clothing and cosmetics. There are three basic tones: light, medium, and dark. Before you begin, make sure your skin is clean and free of makeup. It’s also crucial that your body is at room temperature, not just after a hot shower. A resting area of ​​skin is essential; only this will give an accurate result. Use natural light to avoid distortion. Remember, skin tone can change depending on the season. For example, in strong sunlight in the summer and spring, your skin tone will appear darker due to your tan, while in winter, it will appear paler. Therefore, it’s best to base your skin tone on your undertone, which we’ll discuss below, and it will help us to pick the right hair color.

Step 2 — Identify Your Skin Undertone

Essentially, undertone is a result of the amount of melanin, or pigment, in the epidermis and is not affected by sun exposure or skin conditions like rosacea or acne. This means that even when a person’s skin becomes pale in winter or darker in summer, their undertone remains the same. The main skin undertones are:

• Warm has a yellowish or golden hue.
• Cold goes into the pink and red palette.
• Neutral has a distinct beige tint, as if the first two were mixed in a palette.
• Olive not only has a warm color in itself, but also a greenish tint, and is usually associated with people with dark skin.

The Vein Test

Look closely at the veins on your wrist or décolleté. If they’re green or greenish, you have a warm, olive undertone. If they appear more blue or purple, you’re cool. If you can’t see them clearly, you’re likely neutral.

The Jewelry Test

To identify your undertone, try wearing jewelry made of different metals. Gold jewelry looks best on those with warm and olive undertones. People with cool undertones are more likely to choose silver or platinum. If you’re having trouble deciding, you’re likely a neutral, and both gold and silver jewelry suit you.

The White Test

Hold a white sheet of paper up to your face. Looking in the mirror. Try to catch reflections from your skin on it. If the paper has a yellowish shadow, it most likely has a warm undertone. If it appears pinkish, blue, or bluish-red, you have a cool one. If it seems grey or hard to tell, your option is neutral.

Sun Reaction (how you tan)

Consider how your skin typically reacts to the sun. If you tan easily and rarely burn, you have more melanin and likely a warm or neutral undertone. Conversely, if you burn easily and don’t tan, you have less melanin and therefore a cooler undertone.

The Blusher Test

Use pink blush on the left side of your face and coral blush on the right. Pay attention and decide which suits you more. If your eye likes the coral blushes, it might be that you have a cold undertone. Pink or peach fits more than the warm and olive.

The Window Test

Natural light is the best way to determine your undertone. It shows your skin without distortion. Stand near a window during the day without makeup. This way, you’ll see your true skin tone. It’s best to finish testing beforehand, as the results will already have created a clear picture.

Step 3 — Find Your Seasonal Color Type

One proven system for discovering your color type is the seasons. It’s based on considering undertones and contrasts in your appearance. This way, you can choose a hair color that complements your eyes, eyebrows, and even lip color.

What is Seasonal Color Analysis

If your complexion and skin tone lean toward the cool spectrum, you’re likely a summer or winter person. While if you lean toward the warm spectrum, you’re likely to have a spring or fall. This system will help you with all the beauty routines. So after figuring out which hair color will suit you, plan your wardrobe and makeup bag. Within each group, there are distinct contrast divisions. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Warm undertones — Spring & Autumn palettes

• Spring. These are representatives of a less pronounced contrast with soft transitions between colors on the face. Spring skin has a peachy undertone. Eyes are usually blue or amber. Hair for this type can be shades of light brown or honey blonde.
• Autumn. In turn, they have a warm or golden skin tone. Their eyes are often more contrasting, with dark brown or green hues. Autumn people may also have freckles. Copper, chestnut, and bronze hair colors suit them.

Cool undertones — Summer & Winter palettes

• Summer. This option has muted tones with little contrast. Their skin is pale, light, and translucent, with a pinkish tint and visible blood vessels. It tans well, eventually turning a brownish-olive color. Because the skin is thin and translucent, redness and a slight blush are immediately noticeable. Summer hair often has indefinite shades, ranging from light platinum and ashy to dark blond. Eyes can be greenish, bluish, greyish, blue, or brown.
• Winter. Its representatives are the easiest to identify. Their appearance immediately reveals a strong contrast between hair and skin color. Winter hair is typically completely black with a bluish tint, or it has dark, soft tones like brown, chestnut, or ash. Winter hair can also be light, but always in cool shades. Winter skin is fair, even snow-white, with a bluish or pinkish tint. Southerners’ skin can have an olive-dark tone and tans well. Eyes are typically black, blue, brown, hazel, violet, and green. Moreover, they always contrast sharply with the clear, dazzling whites of their eyes. Silver suits the winter color type, as well as silvery shades of other colors: violet, blue, brown, and green.

Find Your Contrast Level

Of course, you can immediately figure out your options with tricks. To do this, you need to determine your contrast level. The contrast level of a photo’s appearance is determined in a graphics editor using a 10-level lightness scale. The photo is converted to black and white. Next, using the lightness scale, determine the lightest and darkest areas. The difference in lightness determines the contrast level:

1. Low: light hair and eyes
2. medium: hair is already getting darker, but eyes may be light brown or green
3. tall: darkest hair with white skin and pretty dark eyes.

You can also compare the difference between the lightest and darkest areas of your face. For example, your darkest hair and skin. How much difference do they make?

How to Decode Your Seasonal Color Type

Now that we’ve covered tone, undertone, and contrast level, let’s put it all together and decode our seasonal type. This system contains 12 categories in total. Essentially, it’s an expanded version of the four seasons. Such a detailed framework is necessary to provide a more personalised approach for each individual.

Spring

• Bright / Clear Spring. A contrasting yet warm appearance. Skin is usually golden or peachy. Eyes are vibrant: blue, green, or amber. Hair is blonde, red, or light brown with warmth.
• True / Warm Spring. A distinct warmth without excessive contrast. Warm, peachy skin, and golden, honey-colored hair. Eyes in various shades of green.
• Light Spring. A very delicate, translucent appearance. Fair skin with a slight golden glow. Blue or light green eyes. Light hair with a warm undertone.

Summer

• Light Summer. The contrast here is quite soft. The skin is porcelain or pinkish. The hair is light blond or ash. The eyes are light and mixed, with shades of blue and grey.
• True / Cool Summer. The skin takes on cool pink tones, and the hair is ash-grey. The eyes are cooler than in the previous version, more grey.
• Soft Summer. On the verge of autumn, a muted palette. Skin is neutral-cool. Eyes are grey-green, and hair is light brown, ash-brown.

Autumn

• Soft Autumn. This is a transitional phase between summer and autumn. Skin is warm, with beige and golden tones. Eyes are green or hazel. Hair tends to be chestnut or warm blond.
• True / Warm Autumn. The warmest combination. Peach or golden beige skin. Red and chestnut hair. Amber or warm green eyes.
• Deep / Dark Autumn. Contrasting, but with a warm base. Warm olive skin, dark brown hair. Brown, green-brown eyes.

Winter

• Deep / Dark Winter. This appearance is characterized by strong contrasts. The skin is neutral or cool. The hair is dark brown or even black. The eyes are brown or cool blue.
• True / Cool Winter. The coldest winter. The skin of this type is pinkish or very white, almost porcelain. Hair is black or ash-dark. Eyes are blue or gray-blue.
• Bright / Clear Winter. This option features maximum contrast. Skin is fair or olive. Hair will be very dark and cool-toned. Eyes of pure winter are bright, turquoise, or a contrasting brown.

Step 4 — Pick The Best Hair Colors for You

Each of the color types described above can highlight its natural beauty with a subtle hair color change. By choosing a hair dye color, you can highlight your individuality and become more vibrant.

Spring

You can allow yourself to play with different warm spectrums from light brown to blonde. When coloring your hair, opt for warm shades, golden tones, and highlighting individual strands. Soft curls or another feminine hairstyle will suit a spring woman. Be aware that the color of hair suits your skin tone.

• Deep spring: copper and gold tones will suit you. The colors must be vibrant.
• Soft spring: choose warm, strawberry, or peach blonde. It will beautifully complement your skin tone.
• Warm spring: here, it is better to go for darker colors like golden brown.

Summer

Summer hair colors tend to have low contrast. So keep it as neutral as possible. When changing your hair tone, consider a cool color palette and avoid strong contrasts between your hair and skin tones. For example, ash and cool blonde shades. This will emphasize the softness of your look and enhance the effect of your eye color.

• Deep summer. Ash brown and mocha are your choices. Add some cold hairlightening to make your look fresh.
• Bright summer. Treat yourself to an ash blonde that will enhance your individuality.
• Soft summer. Shades of light walnut, or choose blonde hair color with ashy shades. It will refresh your everyday look.

Autumn

Here, it’s worth considering earthy shades. Deep browns and cognacs will delight you. This type of look is medium-contrast. So you have a wide field for experimenting. When coloring your hair, avoid colors with blue pigments, such as ash, lilac, and violet.

• Deep autumn: consider chocolate and chestnut shades. They will contour the face.
• Soft Autumn: soft golds and browns add charm. Hair bleaching will give your hairstyle a more complicated character.
• Warm autumn: go for gold, red, and warm brown shades; this will highlight your eyes. You can also try some bronze shades.

Winter

For winter, it’s essential to highlight natural contrasts. Here, we choose either dark shades, sometimes even almost black, or, conversely, super-light platinum. As you can see, the hair color palette is quite wide. If you want to change it, do so within the boundaries of your color type.

• Deep winter. Dark brown shades are made for you. They will make your skin appear even lighter and your cheekbones sharper. Don’t be afraid of deep, rich colors.
• Cold winter. Elevate your look with equally vibrant contrasts. Opt for platinum blonde, which is especially good for grey coverage. Or, conversely, very dark brown shades.
• Clear winter. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how cool ash blonde and all its shades will enhance your appearance.

Step 5 — Make Your Decision

Now that we’ve thoroughly explored all the personality types, you’re probably ready to make a decision. While testing helps determine which color suits you in theory, there’s still the aspect of personal taste and acceptance of a particular color. Let’s look at a few techniques to help you make a final decision.

Test Your Choice (apps, wigs, filters)

Don’t go to the hair care services immediately after testing. Try wearing the wig and embrace your new look. Take advantage of new technology. Install special apps that will apply filters to your hair online, such as YouCam Makeup, StyleMyHair, and Modiface. Also, one of the options to try different hair colors is tape-in, sew-in, and clip-in extensions. Thanks to these devices, you will have a chance not only to understand your natural color but also to try some hair color trends.