How to Pick Your Perfect Hair Color

Studio 5 Beauty & Style Contributor Holly Stone explains how to pick your perfect hair color.

There are three questions to ask before you choose to color your hair:

1) How often am I willing to get it colored?
If you do a full color process, you will have to visit your colorist more frequently than if you were to choose high/low lights.

2) What is my budget for color maintenance?
There are low maintenance color options and high maintenance color options. The more you deviate from you natural hair color, the more maintenance is required. Red is the highest maintenance color followed closely by blonde.

3) Do I want a complete color change or simply highlights?
High/low lights are strategically placed strands of lighter, or darker shades intermixed with your natural hair color. Complete color change requires root to end color.

For a full process color, select from the following 4 color groups:

• Blonde

• Brown

• Black

• Red

To select the shade of color within the color groups above, consider 3 things: natural hair color, eye color, skin tone. Determine the 2 most dominant for warm or cool. Choose the hair color temperature that is most dominant in your personal coloring for the most flattering, natural look.

Blonde

Dark Brown

Light Brown

Red

Because your hair frames your face, your skin tone is a dominant trait to look at. If you have strong undertones in your skin, be cautious even when selecting a shade regardless if it is cool or warm. Hair color should complement or neutralize skin tone.

Pink Undertone:

If you have a lot of pink in your skin, avoid shades of red, or golden blonde. These colors will emphasize your skin making it appear ruddy or flushed. Instead select ash tones such as ash blonde, ash brown, platinum, champagne, cool burgundy or even jet black.

Yellow Undertone:

If your skin is yellow, avoid shades of yellow, orange or a lot of gold. These colors will emphasize your yellow making your skin appear sallow and tired. Select reds, strawberry blonde, auburn, or chocolate brown.

Olive Undertone:

If your skin is olive, darker colors usually suit best. Try mahogany, chestnut, espresso, auburn

Light, Medium Dark Tone:

If your skin is simply a tone and does not have either a pink or a yellow undertone, then follow the color temperature that flatters your personal coloring. However, pale skin can suit just about any color.

Online Extra: Holly’s Picks & Tricks for Preserving Your Hair Color

1) Don’t blow-dry hair every single day. If you can get away with it, wash and blow dry every 2-3 days.

2) When styling heat (curling iron, flat iron, hot curlers), use a heat protectant product. Just 3-4 sprays can not only help your color from fading, it can help protect your hair from the heat.

Try: Nexxus Y Serum Restorative Treatment, $19.99, Taylor Maid

3) Red is the hardest color to maintain. Regardless of the tips you choose to follow, this shade will change almost from shampoo to shampoo. Don’t be alarmed by the rapid fade.

4) Have your colorist give you a deep conditioning treatment immediately after getting your hair colored. This helps to protect the hair shaft and prevent premature fading.

5) Stay out of the sun or wear a hat. The sun will fade any hair color much quicker.

6) Use shampoo and conditioner specifically for color treated hair. It is gentler.

Try: Keratonics Hydrating Shampoo, Deep Moisturizing conditioner, $20.00, www.neways.com

7) Deep Condition your hair once a week. This helps with moisture retention which allows the hair to hold onto the color longer.

Try: Clairol Nice ‘n Easy Color Seal, $4.49, Wal-mart