What Colour Should I Dye My Hair?

What’s the difference between skin tone and undertone?

Knowing how to choose hair colour hues that suit your complexion comes down to your skin tone and undertone, and it’s important to identify the two in order to correctly match hair colour with skin tone.

Skin tone is the colour that’s found on the surface of your skin and most people will fall under light, fair, medium or dark. Undertones as the name suggests, is the colour that’s underneath your skin and can be a little trickier to define.

Generally, there are three undertone colours, which are cool, warm and neutral. Those with cool undertones will have skin with a blue, pink or red tinge, while those with warm undertones will have skin that appears peachy, yellow or golden. If you fall into the neutral category, you’ll be a balance between warm and cool, and as an upside, you’ll find a wider range of hair colour tones that suit you.

How to determine your skin’s undertones

So, are you cool, warm or neutral? You can start by looking at the colour of the veins in your wrists in natural light. If your veins are blue or purple, you’ll likely fall into the cool category, but if your veins are green, you’ll generally have warm undertones. If your veins appear to be a mixture of the two then you have neutral undertones.

Another indicator is looking at the natural colour of your hair. Generally, those with darker hair could classify themselves as warm, whereas those with lighter coloured hair would fall into the cool category. If you fall between the two then you’re neutral 

If you are wondering "What colour should I dye my hair" according to your undertone then see our guide below.

What hair colour suits pale skin?

If your skin is pale and holds pink undertones, there’s a range of hair colour tones that will work with your complexion.

Cool undertones: If you want to go blonde look to hues such as an icy platinum blonde or soft baby blonde hair colour. Brunettes can go for blue-based, taupe or neutral brown hair dyes, and for red shades, you can’t go past an auburn hue. When choosing hair colour that’s less conventional, try a warm pastel shade such as light pink.

Warm undertones: Blonde shades such as gold, caramel and champagne are a great match, while going brunette, you can opt for a rich brown such as Olia 5.0 Brown Hair Colour. If you’re looking for a deep red, consider a copper hue. To add colour, a pastel purple or ocean blue works well.

What hair colour suits fair skin?

Finding the right hair colour for skin tone is about finding hues that will pop against your complexion. Luckily, there are some great options for fair skin.

Cool undertones: When going blonde try a gold, caramel or honey hue or a warm platinum such as Olia Very Light Blonde Permanent Hair Colour. If you’re going brunette, consider mahogany, chestnut or toffee. For the ideal red you can’t go past a dark strawberry blonde or bright crimson. If you want to go down the rainbow hue path, you’ll find your perfect match in a soft pink.

Warm undertones: Go for ash, silver, sandy or beige tones if you’re going blonde, and if you want to go darker into brunette territory, a golden copper shade will work beautifully with your skin tone. For reds, it’s still about embracing different shades of copper. When it comes to the less conventional colour route, you can’t go wrong with a pale purple or soft blue shade.

What hair colour suits tan skin?

As far as hair colour tones go, there are several options for tan skin.

Cool undertones: You’ll need a warmer tone of blonde to complement the cool undertones of your skin, so opt for a rich caramel, gold or honey hues. For brunettes, a rich chocolate brown hair colour works beautifully. If you’re going red, you can opt for auburn or burgundy shades such as Olia Intense Deep Red Hair Colour.

Warm undertones: When it comes to the best hair colour for warm skin tones, you can’t go wrong with bronde shades, or hues such as ash and champagne. For brunettes, opt for dark mahogany, chocolate and chestnut shades. Fire up your colour with a red that falls into the copper or rust reds family. And if you’re feeling experimental, you can go for jewel-toned blue or aqua colour.

What hair colour suits dark skin?

There are a range of complementary hair colour tones for dark skin. Whether you’re choosing hair colours for warm undertones or looking for just the right hue for cool undertones, consider these options.

Cool undertones: Blondes should embrace an ash blonde like the Nutrisse Medium Ash Blonde Hair Colour, while brunettes can go for an inky black or blue-black shade. While a blackberry shade would be a winning option for redheads. Vivid violets and bright purple-pinks are great less conventional colour choices.

Warm undertones: For blondes, try a balayage or platinum ombre effect, while brunettes will find their best pairing with a deep brown offset by highlights in bronzes and lighter browns. When it comes to reds, opt for a violet red or go bold with a fire engine red. You can also have a little fun with hues like plum and ruby for the best vibrant shades to complement your skin tone.