| you ever seen a woman with a hair color you | | | | coffee-colored, or blue-black. Your hair, as it grays, |
| absolutely loved—you asked her what color it | | | | turns white. These are all cool tones. |
| was, she told you and you went right out and bought | | | | The trick to getting a hair color that looks good on you, |
| the same color. You applied it according to | | | | is to stay with the skin tone God gave you. People |
| directions—and your hair looked completely | | | | with warm skin tones look best in warm colors. Cool |
| wrong. I’ve learned the hard way that unless I | | | | skin tones look best with cool colors. Choosing a hair |
| have similar skin tone to the woman wearing the color | | | | that does not complement your natural coloring will |
| I love, I will save myself a lot of grief if I just | | | | result in an unpleasant disharmony, no matter how |
| complement her on her great color, and let it go. | | | | pretty the color is on the box. If the natural undertone |
| It is not just a matter of finding a color that looks great | | | | of your hair is warm, and you try putting a cool blue or |
| on the box. Your skin tone, your eye color, and your | | | | violet-based hair color on it, it is somewhat like mixing |
| natural hair color must be considered when you look | | | | yellow and blue. Your hair will probably have a greenish |
| for a hair color for you. | | | | cast. |
| First, and most important, you need to determine | | | | If you read the labels on the hair coloring boxes, most |
| whether your skin tone is warm or cool. The best way | | | | will give you a clue as to whether they are warm or |
| to determine this is to stand by a window and hold | | | | cool colors. The word “ash” on a label |
| your inner arm next to a sheet of white paper. | | | | means cool. As discussed in the previous paragraph, if |
| Is your skin primarily tan, peachy or gold? Or does your | | | | your coloring is warm, don’t use an |
| medium skin have a greenish undertone? If you are | | | | “ash”, or you may wind up getting green |
| brown-skinned, is there a gold or cinnamon undertone? | | | | looking hair. |
| If so, then your skin tone is warm. | | | | You can color your hair any color you would like. |
| Your eye color is probably green, hazel, golden brown, | | | | Blonde, red, brown, gray and black all come in warm or |
| or red-brown. You might have gold or brown fleck in | | | | in cool tones. The safest way is to follow your skin |
| your eyes. Your natural hair color as a child could have | | | | tone and choose a color that goes with that tone. You |
| ranged from a natural golden blonde, strawberry | | | | can go lighter, darker, or intensify—just stay with |
| blonde to red, golden brown or a deep brown with gold | | | | the same tone. |
| or red highlights. As you gray, your hair probably has a | | | | The same goes for highlighting your hair. Warm-toned |
| yellow cast. These are attributes of warm skin people. | | | | people lighten with pale gold, bright gold, russet, warm |
| If your skin has a cool tone, your arm will appear bluish | | | | brown. Cool-toned people lighten with white, platinum, |
| next to the white paper. Your skin will have a pink | | | | cocoa. |
| undertone. If your skin is brown it will be a deep brown | | | | Even the exciting crayon-color accents that you see |
| or a black brown. Your eyes will be blue, gray, hazel | | | | on young people can coordinate with skin tone. There |
| with white or blue flecks, or very dark brown. As a | | | | are yellows, oranges, lime-greens, and rusts for the |
| child, your hair color could have been very pale blonde, | | | | warm-toned, and fuchsia, electric blue, purple and black |
| or a darker blonde, or a medium to dark brown that did | | | | for the cool-toned. |
| not look gold in the sun; or your hair would have been | | | | |