Did you know that your hair color may be fighting against you? Having the right shades that match your skin tones and features can truly make you look so much more youthful and fresh! Just like how different clothing colors look best on you, same applies to hair color. Sure, it’s easy to find a IG blogger’s hair photo and say, I’m going to try this! But, in all reality- it may not work on you like it does on her.

I want to show you ways to think about your next hair color in a different light, and help you get familiar with underlying pigment in skin.

Okay, so let’s start here - I want you to try something next time you see a great hair inspo photo… cover her face. Next, Cover her cute outfit. Cover everything but her hair in the photo and ask yourself this, what do you love about their hair now? What don’t you like about it? And do you feel that this suits your facial features and tones well? The answer, as well as your thoughts may surprise you.

It is natural to be drawn to the overall aesthetic, or look, of a photo… But, when covering all the parts of the photo besides the hair, it sometimes reveals parts you may not like about it. It helps get a clear vision of what you really want.

The first step to discovering what tones and hair colors will work for you is to determine your skin tone first.

Do you know weather your skin tone is warm or cool? You’ve probably gotten matched for your makeup at some point in life, but have you gotten matched for hair color? Luckily, It’s pretty similar. In the age of endless hair pictures at our fingertips, and overly photoshopped hair colors, I really want to focus on CUSTOM coloring in my chair. Custom meaning not only what matches your skin, but your eyes, features, face shape, and lifestyle!If you’re one of many who are unsure if your skin tone is cool or warm, these guidelines might help you get a more clear visual of which pertains to you best!

Let’s start with talking about tones, shall we?

Finding your UNDERTONES. One rule of thumb when it comes to skin tones is that warm skin tones will pull golden and yellow undertones, while cool skin tones will pull blue and pink.

Look at your WRISTS. If the tones in your complexion aren’t totally apparent to you, one great way is to check out the coloring in your wrists. Our wrists and veins will have a strong color pigment. (IE: pinks, reds, blues, greens, or yellows.) If your veins appear blue or purple, your skin is likely cool-toned, but if your veins are green, your skin is most likely warm-toned. So crazy, right?

Match up your JEWELRY. Many claim that one of the easiest ways to determine whether your skin is warm or cold is to hold up jewelry next to your face. If gold highlights your skin tone better, you’re likely warm-toned, and if silver highlights your skin tone better, you’re likely cool. Sometimes this one is hard because most of us have a preference between the two shades of metal.

Okay, next… Stare into your own EYES. If your eyes have a lot of blues and greens, you’re likely cool-toned. If your eyes are warm flecks inside your primary eye color, you’re probably warm-toned. You get the picture.

Flip through a magazine, CELEB ALERT. Creep the most recent celeb magazines or photos from their IG’s. Often it’s helpful to have a point of reference when it comes to skin tone, someone you find similar to your look. Try matching yourself up with a celebrity with a similar complexion. Check out the different hair colors and makeup looks that they’ve tried! Pay close attention to what’s worked best for their skin.

And lastly, You can always LEAVE IT TO THE PROS. If you’re still unsure of what skin tone you have, another great option to determine this is to get your skin tone read in-salon. Your stylist can most likely identify what your undertones are, and you can get an honest opinion about what would look best on you.

Here’s some examples of general hair color tones & which skin tones they match best, according to the experts.

Ash blonde is great for those that have cool skin with reddish or pink undertones.
Warm blonde look stunning on those with olive or cooler skin tones with blue undertones.
Cool brown shades look gorgeous on those with warm skin tones with yellow undertones.
Warm brown shades look perfect on those with warm skin tones with olive undertones.
Cool red shades are best for those with fair, cool skin with reddish undertones.
Warmer red shades look beautiful on those with fair skin with neutral or bluish undertones.
Cool toned blacks in shades look beautiful on those with deeper skin tones with warm, yellow undertones.
Warm black tones look perfect on those with deeper skin tones with cool undertones.

Keep in mind that you can also be neutral-toned! And for all of you neutral-toned beauties, the world is your oyster! You’ve got the best of both worlds, and most likely can effortlessly rock whatever color you want!

Beauty, along with art, is subjective. And being that it is so subjective, I truly believe that everyone is beautiful inside and out. Yes, I’m talking to you!

With that being said, I hope these fun tips on how to choose your undertones will help you in choosing a fresh new hair color, or just altering your current color to suit your authentic self. And at the end of the day, I hope you feel glowing no matter if your hair color matches the skintone “rules” or not! Happy hair coloring, babes!

All clothing provided by @jaydenpboutique & all photos taken by @laurenturori ; Hair+Makeup by @_anastasiarenee

WARM VS. COOL SKIN TONES & choosing hair color that is right for you