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How to choose a hair colour for your skin tone?

Posted on by Inna Morozova

Changing your hair colour is a quick way to transform your look and lift your mood. To get the result you want, it’s worth knowing how to match hair colour to your skin tone, colouring type and eye colour.

Hair colour and your colour type

Before deciding, check your seasonal colour type – the most common system. Look at your skin tone, hair and eye colour.

  • Spring – pale skin, sometimes with a hazel or amber tone; often delicate, flushed skin, sometimes freckles. Natural hair: straw blonde, light red or golden brown.
  • Summer – porcelain or olive skin, with graphite, grey or grey-blue eyes.
  • Autumn – fair skin, freckles, red hair and green eyes.
  • Winter – porcelain, fair skin with dark hair, eyebrows and lashes.

The right hair colour can make you look younger, add gravitas or youthful charm and beautifully frame your eyes. Remember that not every shade suits every type.

Choosing a colour for your skin tone

First find out whether your skin is warm or cool. If the veins on your wrist look greenish, your skin tone is probably warm; bluish veins suggest a cool tone. Skin tones can be divided roughly into:

  • Alabaster – fair skin with a cool undertone; suits dark and light blondes, even dark brown or black.
  • Pink – fair skin with a pink undertone; goes well with light browns and blondes.
  • Peach – warm skin; looks great with warm blondes and browns, as well as copper and red shades.
  • Olive – fairly dark, warm skin; dark blondes, browns and black are recommended.
  • Dark – dark browns and black suit it best.

If you have skin prone to redness and visible capillaries, choose blonde or brown shades and avoid red and copper.

Colours for each colour type

  • Spring – warm blondes, light browns and copper tones.
  • Summer – cool blonde, light brown and ash shades.
  • Autumn – red or brown hair, especially warm browns and chocolate shades.
  • Winter – cool browns and deep black.

The perfect shade for your eye colour

  • Blue eyes – look great with blondes; with a cool skin tone, cool browns; with a warm one, subtle honey-copper tones.
  • Green eyes – warm reds, deep browns and blondes, depending on your skin tone.
  • Brown eyes – browns, black and cool blonde shades.
  • Grey eyes – versatile: light, copper and very dark hair all work.

Matching dye to your natural colour

Look closely at the hair at the roots – match the target colour to your natural regrowth, not just the ends. If you want a colour much lighter or darker than your natural shade, choosing a dye can be a real challenge – it’s best to go to a professional salon.

Trying colours virtually

Virtual hair-colour try-on tools are a simple, fast and safe way to see whether a shade suits you before you dye your hair.

Hair colouring – what to remember

A colour should not only match your skin tone – it also affects your overall look. Light blondes visually take years off; darker browns and black add class and gravitas. Consider how you feel in a colour, too. If you’re dealing with the first grey hairs, lighter shades make grey and regrowth less noticeable, so you can colour less often – choose dyes designed to cover grey.

Choose dye from a well-known brand, colour regularly and protect your hair with conditioners and products for coloured hair. A colour well matched to your skin tone, colour type and eyes brings out your natural beauty – so don’t choose at random.

→ Find your nearest Haircut Express salon and check colouring prices – no appointment needed.

FAQ

How can I tell if I have a warm or cool skin tone?

Look at the veins on your wrist in daylight: greenish – warm, blue or purple – cool, mixed – neutral. The jewellery test helps too: gold looks better on warm skin, silver on cool.

Which hair colour suits a warm skin tone?

Warm shades: honey and golden blonde, caramel, copper, warm chocolate browns. Ash and platinum shades on warm skin give a grey, tired look.

Which hair colour suits a cool skin tone?

Cool shades: ash and platinum blonde, cool browns (mocha, chestnut without red), black, burgundy. Very warm, orange tones emphasise redness in the skin.

How many tones can I change without risk?

Up to 2 tones lighter or darker than your natural colour – it matches your eyebrows and skin tone, and regrowth is barely visible. A bigger change needs lightening and a consultation with a hairdresser.

Will a Haircut Express hairdresser help me choose a colour?

Yes – we do colouring without appointments, and before dyeing the hairdresser will advise on a shade for your skin tone and eyes. Prices by hair length are in the price list.

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Inna Morozova