9 Amazing Tips for How to Pick the Right Hair Color for You ...

1. Consider Your Skin Color

One incredibly important, yet often overlooked, tip is the most important of all tips to pick the right hair color. Be sure to consider your skin color before you dye your hair. Why? Each person’s skin carries natural undertones that can be affected by the color of your hair. For instance, I think redheads are gorgeous, but I found out the hard way, I wasn’t meant to be one. Red hair causes my skin to look pale, lifeless, and it brings out the underlying blue tones in my skin. Black hair makes me look lifeless and dull and bright blonde hair makes my skin look the same. I was meant to be a brunette, plain and simple. Considering your skin tones is very important, and if you need some help learning what colors would work with your skin, you can visit Discovery Health’s helpful guide at: health.howstuffworks.com.

2. Consider Your Personality

Believe it or not, your hair color may be a physical cue to others of your personality. Are you bold, sultry and outgoing? Dark shades like black or black/brown, along with fiery red, send signals of that those types of personalities, as does bright blonde. These hair shades don’t necessarily make you a certain personality, but instead, give a sense to others that you might have one of those personalities. Or, if you’re incredibly quiet, shy, and don’t like to be the center of attention, natural browns, slight blonde highlights, plain dark brown, or golden blonde shades might work best for you. You can create a lot of attention by what shade you dye your hair, so choose a hair color based on what you’re looking to convey.

3. Your Makeup

If you prefer peachy shades of blush, pink shades of lip products and the same hues of eye shadows, I don’t suggest using red hair color, which will clash terribly. At the same time, if you enjoy dark colors like blacks, browns, greys and silver hues of makeup, you will probably need to avoid red as well. You want your overall look to complement you, so avoid clashing makeup and hair. By combining incredibly different color schemes in your hair and makeup, it cultivates a mismatched look you should avoid however possible.

4. Maintenance

Perhaps one of the most important things to consider before embarking on your next dye job is the maintenance your chosen shade will require. Shades that are the complete opposite, or several shades darker or lighter than your hair color will require a lot of maintenance and upkeep. If you’re not willing to partake in this upkeep, or can’t afford it, it might be best to just go one or two shades darker or lighter instead. Better safe than sorry!

5. Be Sure Your Hair is in Good Shape

If your hair is incredibly dried out, whether from the sun, a swimming pool, or multiple dye jobs, be very careful when dyeing your hair. If your hair is incredibly dry, that means it is more porous, which means it will soak up color faster, more intensely, and might even cause spotting since your hair probably isn’t as dry throughout your whole head as it is on the main surface and on the tips. Before you color your hair, get a really good moisturizing treatment and wait at least 3 days before your next dye job.

6. Don’t Wash Your Hair Right before

It’s best to wash your hair the morning of the day before your dye job. This gives your hair time to release its natural oils, which will protect your hair through the dye job. Again, dry hair will not give you the best dye job like moisturized hair will.

7. Consider a Hot Oil Treatment

Some stylists I’ve worked with have asked me to do an at home hot oil treatment three days before my dye appointment. This will, again, prevent the hair from being too dry for the best dye job possible. It will also prevent uneven tones of color to occur.

8. Try out Virtual Photos First

Did you know you can actually upload a photo to a website that lets you try on any color or style of hair color you’re thinking about? I used this tool once and I’m so glad I did! I saved myself the heartbreak of picking a color I am sure I would have been sorry of later. To reap the benefits of this helpful tool, just visit one of these websites: makeovr.com or thehairstyler.com.

9. Consider Your Emotions

Are you upset and just in need of something new in your life? Why is it I always felt the need to dye my hair after a breakup? I know many of you can probably empathize with me here, but I almost always regretted every dye job I made when I was upset since I usually went to extremes. My favorite dye jobs were made when my emotions were stable and I wasn’t in need of a dramatic change. Consider your emotions before you dye your hair. In a week, you might want something different anyway, and probably wish you had never dyed your hair to begin with. If you want a change, paint your nails a new color, buy a new shade of lip gloss or lipstick, or try out some new shampoo or style of jeans. These aren’t only easier on your budget, but also less impulsive.

Have you ever had a bad dye job? Share your experience and remember, there’s no shame here! We’ve all had a bad dye job, or three, right?