Bustle spoke to stylists who shared their best advice for selecting an appropriate hue to complement natural blonde, brunette, and redhead complexions. Stylists shared some valuable tips on finding your ideal shade.
Warm Tones
People with warm skin tend to have yellowish or golden undertones, and their complexion can look best with warm hair colors such as copper blond, golden brown, and red shades; chocolate-colored hair also works well on this complexion type. Even fun fantasy colors like pastel pink or baby blue suit this skin tone, provided they have cool undertones.
For help identifying whether your skin has cool or warm undertones, take a closer look at the veins on the insides of your wrists under natural lighting. You likely possess cooler skin undertones if they appear more blue than green. Your trusted salon pro can assist in helping identify these undertones to narrow down your choices.
Fair skin with warm undertones looks its best when accented by strawberry blonde or coppery honey hues; orange-red hues may wash out your complexion, and orange-red shades might thoroughly wash it away! If you want something darker, consider opting for rich cocoa hues, which will flatter warm undertones and add depth.
Cool Tones
If your complexion features blue or purple undertones, cool hair colors such as platinum and baby blond will work to complement it. Warm tones such as gold and copper could look odd against such skin tones.
To detect cool or neutral undertones accurately, hold a piece of white paper against your face in natural lighting and observe your skin tone in natural daylight. If it looks yellowish-toned, that indicates warm undertones; rosier skin indicates cool undertones. You could also look at your veins; greenish-hued veins indicate warm undertones, while bluer veins reveal cool ones.
Shades such as icy blond or blondes with golden copper tones may enhance your complexion if you have medium skin with cool undertones. Rich brunette shades such as strawberry blonde or milk chocolate also work well, and for medium-to-dark skin with cool undertones, vivid violet or purple-pink hues may make your complexion pop!
Medium Tones
Selecting the appropriate hues can make an extraordinary difference in your complexion, no matter if your skin tone is light, medium, or dark. Consider your undertones – cool or warm — when choosing colors; for instance, icy blondes for pale complexions may work better with cool undertones, while rich mahogany brown hues accentuate them more effectively for medium warm-toned faces.
To assess your skin’s undertone, examine the veins on your wrist in natural sunlight. If they look greenish-blue, that indicates warm tones, while blue or purple indicates cool tones.
People with neutral skin can experiment freely with bold fantasy pink, green, or blue colors that pop against their cool complexion. Pale neutral faces should opt for lighter, ashy shades that won’t wash out their complexions thoroughly.
Dark Tones
Dark skin tones offer you plenty of opportunities to experiment with various shades, but they must complement your undertones. A neutral shade like silver works great on women with cool undertones, while warm blonde or brown hues complement olive skin tones nicely.
If you have a pale, cool complexion, take inspiration from Michelle Williams and her beautiful icy blond locks; also, try using very light hues of purple or blue for cooler skin tones.
For medium to dark skin tones, golden brown is a classic yet chic choice that won’t overwhelm. Or try rich chocolate brown with subtle red highlights or even merlot wine hues for added radiance – as seen on Gabrielle Union, Tiffany Haddish, and Viola Davis! Celebrities like them all wear varied hair colors, but one thing remains consistent – matching their hair to their skin tones!
