Why do you need to colour your mane? Ask yourself this question in advance and not after you are disaster personified. Choosing your hair colour is like choosing the right clothes to wear. You wouldn’t just wear something unless it suits you, would you? Even when a dress looks good on you, you still shuffle through the myriad choices that are available at the store, making you perplexed. Choosing a hair colour is a lot more difficult. The array of brilliant colours available can leave you confused. Not to mention there are times when a colour would look amazing on the palette, but not so good on your beautiful tresses. There are many factors to analyze before choosing a hair colour and here’s how we break it down for you:
Understanding your Skin Colour
Before jumping to conclusions of those few colours you find sexy and ravishing, the cardinal rule is to sit back and analyse your skin tone. What is the colour of your skin? Does it have hues of pink, is it pale or dusky? Understanding the colour of your skin can help adopt shades that will best suit you. Figure out what your skin tone is, based on which you can choose colours that will blend into your skin. Famous hair expert Jawed Habib agrees, “Hair colour to the hair these days has become what lipstick is to lips! It reflects everything about you. And while choosing a hair colour, the skin colour is of foremost importance. India is a culture oriented country. The colour range is limited here and for Indians, subtle shades are what suit the skin best. No matter what colour, be it blonde, copper or red, brown is often the base.” There is definitely much more to hair colouring than just aesthetics. “You should also remember that the choice of colour for your tresses reflects who you are and your lifestyle. Another important factor that should be considered while determining the best, suitable colour is age, it cannot be ignored.”
One of the easiest ways to determine your skin tone comes down to your everyday attire. Pick out clothes of a varying colour range, moving from warm tints to cold. Try them all on and see which ones look best on you. If oranges, reds and yellows make you look gorgeous, then the warmer ones will be the perfect colours for your hair. Likewise, if blues, icy silver, greens are nice on you, the corresponding hues will be just fine for your tresses.
For the Perfect Look
Determining the skin tone is not the only factor in choosing a hair colour. It is only the beginning to choose the right shade. Just because warm colours suit you, doesn’t mean any one of them will suit you. It’s not only the hair that glorifies you, the rest of you matters just as much. Hence, the basic idea is to make the colour look natural and make it blend beautifully to your entire look. Ask your stylist to give you a picture of how you would look eventually or you can always fall back on the new age technology called the internet.
PRISMATIC PREFERENCES
While some colours stand out and give you the lady gaga look, others are classy and popular. If you want the latter, here’s a list of what to look out for:-
Brown
For most Indian skin tones, brown is a safe bet. One of the advantages that this colour has is that it is low-maintenance unlike most of the other colours. Here are some of the shades you can try if you choose to have a change that isn’t too drastic: golden brown, natural brown, red brown, burgundy, ash brown, chocolate brown, black brown, copper brown and the list goes on. You can decide on the density of the shade as you wish:
Red
Red is all rage today. It gives the edgy look. If you are pink skinned, go for dark icy or cold shades of red. But if you are pale, you will look good in pretty much any shade; it could be vivid or something as natural as ginger. Eventually, it comes down to what you think best suits you. In case you are olive or dark skinned, dark red-brown will look stunning. Even shades of auburn are a good option.
Blonde
Remember to go for golden or warmer blondes or icy blondes depending on the hue of your skin. Warmer skin tones will go best with golden shades while those with cool tones will look nice in cold shades of blonde.
Note: If you want to be bold and try shades of neon, leopard prints, vivid blues and vibrant reds, don’t hesitate. Nevertheless, be sure to pull it off!
COLOUR DISASTER ALERT!
- Blondes and silvers are high-maintenance colours. They are going to need all the attention they can get. So be careful before you jump in. Constant root-touch ups will be needed.
- Silver or white tones can be extra damaging to your hair as they do not extract natural hair colour and add a new colour to them. Instead, they strip your hair off its colour, in other words, they bleach it. Go for this only if you have healthy hair.
- Conditioning is necessary. Your hair is bound to be deprived of vitalities and can become frizzy or dry. So take good care and lock the moisture.
- Some colours may not have the effect you expected; the outcome might be lighter, especially in the case of blond. This may be because your hair is darker than you thought. Hence, check on your undertones before colouring.
- If it is your first time, it is advisable to go to a professional than trying to colour your hair yourself at home.