What color to dye my hair: It’s hair color vs. skin color
Ok, so your question is what hair color would look good with my skin color? I get asked this question all the time from my clients. The best scenario is to leave it up to your hair stylist. But since you’ve already googled it, let’s talk about it shall we? Let’s be honest, a color that looks great on one person can look horrible on another person. If you find a picture in a magazine or online and bring it into a hair salon, know that if that stylist hasn’t really taken a good look at your skin tone, it could be a disaster.
Green or red = Warm or cool
Whitney
In the salon we would say warm or cool. On the internet we’ll say green or red. I’m referring to the under tones in the skin. I personally have red or warm undertones in my skin. I have a fraternal twin sister that has green or cool undertone in her skin. So the colors we would wear would be different based on that. The hair color that your stylist chooses for you should always consider undertones in your skin. In cosmetology school, we would determine skin undertones by looking at eye color. Typically someone with green, hazel or blue eyes would have cooler undertones. With brown eyes, warm undertones. But when you’re dealing with different ethnicities it may be harder to tell. People with cool undertones can wear the lighter blondes and the ash tone browns. Where the red tone people look good in auburns, warm golden blondes etc…
Dark or light
The darkest hair colors, dark brown or black, cannot be worn by every skin undertone. In
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order to pull off a very dark hair color, it’s best to have melanin or slight color to your skin. If a very pale white or lighter skinned person were to color their hair black, it can look very harsh against their skin. I personally don’t care for anyone wearing black hair color unless they are Asian because Asian people are one of the only ethnicities where you’ll find black to be a natural level that they’re born with. Everyone else has to fake it. You also have to be careful with very dark hair colors because they are hard to get out of the hair once they’ve been put in.
Whitney
Skin color
I get asked this question all the time working with women of different ethnicities. The question is always “is my skin too dark for this hair color”, or “am I too light or pale to wear this hair color?” The answer I always give them is you’re never too light or too dark for a hair color (besides black), I just have to decide which shade of that color is right for your skin tone. That’s where being the professional comes in. We are trained to figure out what the right shade is for you. I have dark skinned African American clients that can wear blonde highlights, with the right shade of blonde, it works. And I have pale skinned Caucasian clients that darken their hair, but I’ll add a little red to a medium brown so that it’s just right.
If you are considering coloring your hair, consult with a hair stylist. They will be able to guide you when it comes to making a choice in hair color. If you have any questions or feedback on this article, we would love to hear from you. See you next time!
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Freestyle is a digital only, monthly hair care magazine. We will feature insightful videos and articles for healthy hair care, review quality-tested products, and hear from hair professionals about daily hair management. We will also feature natural hair in different life events, such as weddings, corporate, and at home.
I get asked can you dye extensions a lot by women after they’ve worn a hair weave that is usually all one color for a while, and they’re ready for a change. Now, I am going to share with you how I feel about pre-colored store bought hair; I don’t like it at all.
Problem #1: Pre-highlighted or colored weave is never a believable hair color.
Here’s why; simply put, it’s not real hair. Which brings us to reason number one, when
Lakethia
store bought hair has been chemically processed to look like real believable hair, it cannot be colored. This hair is usually a yak mix hair, which is animal hair. Do you honestly think that real human hair would only cost $50 to $100 for a 4 ounce package?
Problem #2: Chemically processed hair can’t be colored.
I’m here to let you know that any hair that you buy from a beauty supply that is numbered in color, i.e. 1B, 4, 1 etc. is chemically processed and pre-colored. I tell my clients they should stay away from this hair completely. If the hair has been chemically processed to be all one color and texture or even pre-highlighted, what do you think that does to the quality of the hair? It demolishes it. This so called hair will last you only a few weeks, even less if you attempt to color it yourself.
Lakethia
Hair that can be colored is 100% VIRGIN hair. I’m not talking about REMY hair. Remy hair has been chemically altered to make it seem like each bundle has come from the same head. In fact, most store bought hair or even hair bought online has been chemically altered. Always ask them to send you a sample first. If you want to test the quality of your virgin hair; do a simple color test. Purchase powdered
lightener from your beauty supply and some 2o volume developer. Mix a small amount equal part and apply it to a 3 inch wide section of the weft. Wrap a piece of foil around the section. Let this sit for 15 minutes. If this section does not change color at all, this is not virgin high quality hair, it’s been chemically processed. If it only changes very slightly, leave it on longer to see how high it will pull. If its virgin hair it should start to look blonde at some point. If it’s not virgin hair, it may only pull up in spots making it look multi colored. I’ve had hair weave companies tell me that I would have to use a higher volume of developer if I want to lift the color of the hair. Well that’s just bull.
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Human hair that has not been treated with chemicals will lighten with 20 volume developer. That means they’ve processed the hair and they’re selling you a false product. The only processing that real virgin hair needs is cleaning, nothing else.
So yes, 100% VIRGIN hair can be colored. I always suggest getting your stylist to color the hair for you. You want to make sure it’s a professional color job, that way it will look even more believable. Can you dye extensions? Yes if it’s REAL VIRGIN hair. See you next time!
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Freestyle is a digital only, monthly hair care magazine. We will feature insightful videos and articles for healthy hair care, review quality-tested products, and hear from hair professionals about daily hair management. We will also feature natural hair in different life events, such as weddings, corporate, and at home.
Shannon
Thinking of coloring your own hair?
Box Hair Color: The ugly truth
I’ve dealt with many a client that has experimented with box color. And one thing never changes in my experience; the desired result is never accomplished. Ladies, please stop coloring your own hair! I don’t care how desperate you may be to save some money on going to a salon to pay a professional to color your hair. DO NOT USE BOX HAIR COLOR. It will cause permanent damage to your hair. You are taking a huge risk by attempting to color your hair on your own just to save a few bucks.
So you’re walking through Target and you see a box of hair color with the beautiful model and the beautiful hair. You think to yourself, “Wow, my hair could look like this?” The answer is no, plain and simple. Right now there is an epidemic of consumers with home hair color mishaps. This is why I think this article is so important if you’re thinking of taking that short cut and picking up that box of color. If you ask any hair stylist about what goes wrong when coloring your own hair with box color, they will tell you it has to do with these 3 factors.
Problem #1: Condition of the Hair Prior to Coloring
If your hair is not in the best condition to begin with, do not reach for that box color! Putting a chemical on top of hair that is already damaged will not fix the problem, it will make it worse. This is yet another reason why you go to a professional for this service. A licensed stylist can look at your hair and tell you if it’s even strong enough for a color process. Remember box hair color is even harsher than the hair color we use in hair salons. The reason for this is that they want a fast easy result. And any licensed stylist knows, the faster the process the harsher the chemical. Keep that in mind.
Problem #2: Color on Top of Color
This is probably the worse offense I’ve seen in all my years of doing hair. Any licensed stylist knows that color won’t lift color. Meaning if you have already put color in your hair, say a dark brown to cover some of that grey, you CANNOT go behind that with a lighter shade of box color thinking that color can be achieved! It’s virtually impossible! If color has been deposited onto the strand already, it is impossible to lift and tone to a lighter shade without using a harsh De-colorization method like BLEACH first.
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Problem #3: Understanding How to Achieve the Desired Level
Shannon
If your hair is a natural level 3 to begin with, and you want to lift it to a level 9, like the model on the box color, you will not be able to do that with a box color. Reason being the hair will only typically lift 3 to 4 levels. Trying to do this on your own is not only EXTREMELY damaging, you won’t get the desired result. Even worse is that now you have to pay a stylist even more money to fix the disaster you’ve created!
And this is not a normal color service after you’ve used this box color, it’s a corrective color, which will cost you sometimes double than what you would have paid if you had just gone to a salon in the first place! Now I know I probably confused you with all this talk about natural and desired levels of hair color, but I did that to make a point. We are the professionals when it comes to hair color, not you, that’s what you pay us for. Let us do our jobs. I guarantee, you will get the color you want.
If you’ve had a home hair color mishap and would like to ask me any questions, I may be able to help. Let me, know I would love to hear from you. We’ll l talk again soon.
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Freestyle is a digital only, monthly hair care magazine. We will feature insightful videos and articles for healthy hair care, review quality-tested products, and hear from hair professionals about daily hair management. We will also feature natural hair in different life events, such as weddings, corporate, and at home.
