Choosing A Hair Color That Is Right For You

Thursday, 01 September 2011

Deciding to color your hair is always a major consideration, and one that is often a bit nerve wracking if you are not sure that what you pick will be right for you. Knowing a bit about your hair, and also what you wish to accomplish with changing your hair color can help the process and increase your comfort level with the decision. Before you make an appointment with the salon to make the change, consider a few simple questions to help you get the correct color and accents that you feel will suit you the most.

If you want to completely change your hair color, do you want to go monochromatic or multi-colored? In other words to you wish to have one color over your entire head, or do you wish to have a variety of colors, commonly called highlights and lowlights. Highlights are used to accentuate the color of your hair and are lighter or brighter in color than the lowlights, which are used to give depth to the hair color. Usually highlights are heavier around the face to bring attention to the facial area, and the lowlights are more concentrated on the underlying layers of hair to give an appearance of thickness and body. A good combination of colors will give a very natural look to your hair, and will prevent those nasty roots that show at the top of your head from being as noticeable as your color grows out.

Generally, it is a good idea to choose a hair color that matches your eyes and skin tones. The same is true for highlights and lowlights, unless you are being very brave and going to a completely unnaturally occurring color like pink, green or blue. Copper and red colors are very fashionable, but these colors also tend to fade or change the soonest, so be prepared to touch up frequently if you are selecting these tones. Generally speaking, fair to pink skin colors do best with the ash, blondes, honeys and neutral colors. Avoid golden blondes or reds. If you have a sallow or pale gold skin tone the best options are deep reds and auburns, avoiding any oranges, golds or yellows. Dark skin looks best with the darker browns and lowlights in reds or rich tones. In addition to these general guidelines it is best to go slightly lighter as you age. Not only will this give a more natural appearance but it will also help with covering and blending any natural grey hairs that may grow between trips to the salon.

A great option to decide what color is best for you is to try some color rinses or semi-permanent colors at home. These are generally easy to apply, and are a lot different from the old home hair color kits. Usually there is a virtually a foolproof set of instructions that includes a simple application of the color, timed leave-in, and then shampoo and conditioning. The rinse out or semi-permanent colors allow you to try several different colors and pick the tone or color that works best for you.

Once you know your color, your only decision is to do it yourself or go to a salon. With the home kits there is the advantage of being able to do it at a time that is convenient for you, but the salon offers professional stylists that can make suggestions and also cut or trim your hair to match your new color. Regardless of whether you chose a home or salon color, choose your color based on your skin tone and the effect that you wish to present. Subtle colors are more polished and professional looking, while wild or bold colors suggest someone that is creative and unique.