Choosing the Right Hair Color for Your Skin Tone (How to Choose the Right Hair Color For Your Skin Tone in Pottstown, PA)
Choosing the right hair color to suit your complexion and style is both an art and a science. If you are looking for the best hair salon in Pottstown, PA, visit Lords and Ladies Salon & Medical Spa.
Lords and Ladies Salon & Medical Spa is a family-owned business that opened its first of seven salons in Pottstown, PA in 1984. Our Pottstown Salon is housed in a historic Victorian home built in 1884. We have managed to blend modern-day technology and convenience with old-world charm. We employ 26 Hairstylists at this location.
Every hair appointment begins with a consultation where you can discuss your hair goals with your stylist. Our highly trained experts can assist you in choosing the right hairstyle and color to suit your style.
What is the perfect hair color for you? Turns out, stylists and fashionistas have a secret trick to find out: Just look at your skin tone. Evaluating your skin tone and its subtle, natural undertones can give you clues about the absolute best hair colors to suit your complexion.
Want to learn how to find the right hair color for your skin? Keep reading. In this blog post, our Pottstown crew shares how to identify your skin tone (some of the methods will surprise you!), suggestions for the best colors for a variety of skin tones, and more.
What IS Your Skin Tone?
Before we get to how to choose the right hair color for your skin tone, let’s talk a little more about skin tone.
Your skin is not just one color. When you look closely, you can see subtle undertones of all sorts of colors. These undertones will vary from person to person and range anywhere from peach and red to green, blue, and purple. (Really!) The dominant undertones in your skin can help you choose hair colors that tend to complement them.
What are the different skin tones based on undertones, and how can you figure out what yours are? Let’s start by breaking down the three basic categories of skin tones: Cool, Warm, and Neutral.
Cool
How can you tell if your skin tone is cool? As YouTuber Brad Mondo says, “Think of stormy weather.” Your skin tone is cool if it has a lot of blue, purple, gray, and generally cool-hued undertones.
Warm
Think: Warm and sunny. If your skin tone is warm, it has a lot of warm undertones in colors like yellow, peach, orange, and red.
Neutral
Not sure if you’re warm or cold? You might be a little bit of both. Welcome to the Goldilocks zone.
How to Figure Out Your Skin Tone
While there’s no universally accepted methodology for figuring out your skin tone, here are a few methods we’ve picked up over time — try a few and see which ones work for you.
Look at Your Veins
When was the last time you took a good hard look at your veins? Try it now. If you have blue or purple veins, you might be cool. Greenish or olive-toned veins are an indication that you’re warm. A little bit of both? You might be neutral.
What Kind of Jewelry Looks Best on You?
Which type of jewelry suits you better: Gold or silver? If it’s gold, you might have a warm skin tone — this type of complexion tends to work best with gold’s warm glow. On the flip side, silver’s cool tones may look better on cool-toned skin. Don’t have a preference, or think they both look great on you? Your skin tone might be neutral.
What Color are Your Eyes?
Cool-toned eyes — think blue, gray, or dark brown — may be a sign you have a cool skin tone. Chocolate, caramel-colored, hazel, or honey-colored eyes can be an indication your skin tone is warm. Neutral tones can have any eye color.
Look at Your Celeb Twin
Still not sure? Here’s a pro trick: Look for celebs who have the same skin tone and eye color as you. It won’t tell you if you’re warm, cool, or neutral, but it can give you an idea of what hair colors tend to flatter your skin tone.
Choosing the Right Hair Color for Your Skin Tone
Once you’ve figured out what your skin tone is, the next question is “How do I pick the right hair color for me?”.
As a general rule, pair like with like. Cool skin tones will typically pair best with cooler hair colors; warm skin tones will typically pair best with warmer hair colors. With neutral skin tones, you have a little more freedom to explore both cool and warm tones.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the best hair colors for various skin tones and shades:
Your “Right Hair Color for Skin Tone” Field Guide
Light skin, cool undertones: You’d nail a casting call for Elsa in Frozen — your complexion is perfectly suited to cool platinum shades. Ashy tones also work well on this skin tone, as do darker shades with blue or purple undertones. Brassy tones or yellowy blonde hair may not be the best pick for you, they may wash out your complexion.
Light skin, warm undertones: If you have light skin with warm undertones, play up that warmth to highlight your natural assets. Golden and honey blond hair can play up your warm complexion; if you prefer darker shades, warm brown shades — think chocolate and caramel — are also solid selections.
Light skin, neutral undertones: Lucky you! All of the options listed above are open to you. Read through the above entries and think about what hair colors best suit your style; or, make an appointment and consult with one of our stylists for a professional opinion.
Medium skin, cool undertones: Like with like is the name of the game here. Darker blond shades are ideal to keep your skin from looking ruddy. Or, you might opt for a rich, dark brunette hair color with cool undertones.
Medium skin, warm undertones: Amp up your warm undertones with honey-kissed brown hues or warm, medium-brown tones. (BTW — Balayage is a great choice with these types of hair colors.) Platinum or super-light blonde tones might not be quite right for you.
Medium skin, neutral undertones: With neutral undertones, you can go either warm or cool — but you may find that hair colors that are just a shade or two away from your natural color work best.
Dark skin, cool undertones: Keep it cool: Dark, cool browns or black or even blue-black may suit your style. Or, go for a dramatic contrast and go icy platinum.
Dark skin, warm undertones: Dark skin with warm undertones works well with a variety of hair colors, from warmer-toned blonde to brown with golden accents to dark brown with reddish undertones.
Dark skin, neutral undertones: See which side of the aisle suits you. Try either a warm or cool shade that’s not too far off from your natural hair color.
The Bottom Line: Choosing the Right Hair Color for Your Skin
When it comes to choosing the right hair color for your skin tone, there’s no wrong decision. While the tips in this article can point you in the right direction, ultimately it’s up to you what hair color will make you look and feel your best. If you’d like to consult with one of our stylists, or if you’re ready to take the plunge with your chosen color, reach out below to make an appointment in Pottstown, PA and say hello to your new look.