How to Choose Hair Color
Whether coloring your hair professionally or at home, choose the right haircolor to complement your skin tone. Be it all-over color, highlights, or lowlights, the right shade will make your look come to life.
Up next in Hair Color 101 (10 videos)
Want to try a new hair color? Learn how to color your hair at home with this Howcast video series.
You Will Need
- Hair stylist or packaged hair coloring
- Shade selector
- Color wheel
- Mirror
- Selected items from your wardrobe
Steps
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Step 1
Decide on professional salon, or do it yourself
Decide whether you're going to use a professional salon or an at-home coloring kit. Base your decision on whether you are covering gray, highlighting a natural hair color, or using hair color to completely change your image.
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Plan your commitment to hair coloring. Temporary hair colors wash out quickly, semi-permanent products typically last for a couple of months, and permanent dyes will need to be grown out or require frequent root touchups.
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Step 2
Use shade selector and color wheel
Get out your color shade selector and color wheel. Use a mirror to decide if you have a cool or warm complexion based on your skin tone, eye color, and natural hair color. Remember, the results on the box or swatch are only an approximation of the color.
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Cool complexions typically have deep brown or ash-colored hair, with dark brown or dark blue eye color and a medium to olive complexion. Warm complexions feature golden brown, green-blue to hazel eye color, with golden brown to strawberry blonde hair color and a fair to peachy complexion.
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Step 3
Examine wardrobe
Examine your wardrobe to get a feel of what hair color would suit you. Green, blue, and violet are cool shades. Warm hues are reds, oranges, and yellows.
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Step 4
try highlights or lowlights
Try highlights or lowlights if you're not ready to commit to all-over hair color. Add caramel highlights for a sunkissed look; copper highlights are great for warm complexions; and chunky lowlights add dimension and a modern flair.
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Step 5
Experiment
Experiment with your look. Go for the black Goth look you've always craved or see if blondes really do have more fun. Opt for a fiery red hue to match your fiery personality. Temporary dyes make experimenting a cinch -- after all, it's only color.
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Records from around 3400 B.C.E. indicate Ancient Egyptians used henna to dye their hair red.
