Ever had a hair colour that you felt just didn't look right? The key lies in your skin complexion. Understanding the nuances of skin tone can mean the difference between choosing a good hair colour and your most flattering colour ever, so take a look at our handy hair colour to skin tone guide below.
The three main categories for skin tones are Light, Medium and Deep. These are then further subdivided into undertones – Cool, Neutral and Warm, which are a key factor in finding the right shade for your hair.
If you’re not sure what your skin undertones are, it’s very easy to do yourself. First, take a look at the veins on the underside of your wrist. If they look greenish, then you’re likely to have warm skin undertones. People with blue or purplish-looking veins usually have cooler skin undertones. Neutral skin undertones can make your veins appear colourless or a combination of greens and blues.
Next, think about the kind of jewellery you prefer to wear. Warmer skin tones tend to gravitate towards traditional yellow gold jewellery, because they like the way it looks against their skin, just as cooler skin tones will wear silver and platinum. If you tend to look good in both silver and gold, then you may have neutral skin undertones.
If your skin appears more ashen or grey, then you could have a natural olive skin tone. This isn’t as common as warm, cool, or neutral skin tones, but is instead a combination of undertones. Olive skin has both natural and warm undertones along with green, an undertone that is considered unique to olive skin only. What hair colours suit olive skin tone? If you have olive skin, then you might find that certain hair colours in all three undertones suit your skin.
You may be asking 'do I suit cool or warm hair?'. Read on below for our handy guide...
Icy blondes and ash-based browns tend to complement cooler skin undertones, but if you are very fair then you might find that a platinum blonde hair or a very dark smoky brunette hair will wash you out. For hair colours for a fair skin tone, choose a baby blonde or vanilla crème hair colour shade and maintain your hair colour by using a violet tinted semi-permanent hair treatment like the Josh Wood Colour Icy Blonde Gloss every 2-3 weeks for up to 5 minutes.
For those who have darker hair, medium to light ash brown or dark blonde toned down with a Smoky Brunette or Icy Blonde Shade Shot, or Gloss will suit you best.
If you want to make a statement, the fiery red Cherry Gloss Hair Treatment is the shade for you. It’s a cool, crisp red, with just a hint of fuchsia in the mix, creating striking contrast when paired with porcelain skin tone that has blue/purple undertones. Brunettes looking for a more sophisticated shade might prefer Berry Brunette Gloss, which is a more blueish red colour – think burgundy wine with sharp, raspberry accents. You might find that this helps tone down a red complexion or reduce redness in the face.
Those with warm skin undertones will find that golden hues and coppery tones are the most flattering. Lighter hair types should choose a sun kissed honey hair colour or a creamy gold shade.
Copper Gold hair colour can look particularly striking on those with very fair skin, but taking Josh’s advice to “always complement,” this shade works best with warm skin undertones. It can be used to spice up naturally red hair, or to create a strawberry blonde or copper finish on light brunette hair, blonde hair or balayaged ends.
Dark blonde to medium brunette shades will fall in love with Caramel Gloss Hair Treatment. The buttery, toasted tones add a beautiful dimension that both elevates and deepens warm skin tones. Rose Brunette Gloss also works wonderfully for medium to deep skin tones with warm undertones. Its dusky, reddish brown hue creates more depth than a flat red, making it a flattering choice.
Dark blondes and brunettes with warm undertones have a wealth of hair colour shades to choose from. To find the hair colour that will flatter you the most, try looking for a shade that complements your eye colour. A golden brown like the Caramel Gloss will really accentuate hazel eyes and make them appear more vibrant. Its buttery, toasted tones both elevate and deepen dark blonde to medium brunette shades, and the gold tones in your hair will bring out the gold tones in your eyes.
In this same sense, rich mahogany and chocolatey brown hair colour will enhance darker eyes by bringing out the copper tones present within. Try a Chestnut Brunette Gloss, with deep red and golden undertones. Vibrant reds like Cherry will emphasise green eyes, as it is the contrasting shade.
If your skin tone is Neutral, you're lucky enough that most hair colours will suit you. Try picking undertones that will highlight your eyes for a radiant look.
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