"Wash that color right out of your face"

Now that the holidays are here, its that time of year where people are looking forward to switching up their haircuts and colors for something fun and different to help them welcome in the new year ! Recently I have been seeing a lot of guests who want to go warmer, richer, and darker with their color for the approaching winter months. While this is a great option for some people, you must be aware of your skin tone . This plays a BIG role in what i like to call " washing out". Below are some tips for making sure you stay within your "family of color" , which will ensure you don't choose a color that will wash you out:



Are you a cutie with a cool complexion?:
Do you have ...


natural hair color that is blue-black, dark brown, medium ash, or golden blonde?

pale skin with pink or no undertones?

golden, olive, or dark skin?

brown or bronze skin when tanned?

brown or dark eyes?


OR are you a sassy woman with a warm complexion ?
Do you have ...


natural hair color that is red, reddish or golden brown, deep brown, or strawberry blonde?

pale skin with peach or golden undertones?

brown skin with pink, golden, or copper undertones?

golden brown tone when tanned?

freckled skin?

blue or green eyes?



So .. now that you know your skin tone .. how does this apply to your hair , you ask ? (yeah, i thought you would )


Warm Complexions can pull off all over-tones like dark golden brown, chestnut, and auburn.
Not looking for ONE dimensional color?
Try adding red, cinnamon, or copper highlights for some spice or stick to a golden color for a more natural look, such as carmel or light brown highlights that are darker than your skin tone.

AND ALWAYS AVOID AN ALL OVER BLACK ....( trust me, not many people can pull that off, anyways..)

Cool Complexions can pull off hair colors like a true brown, red, and blonde with honey or ash highlights. Ash blondes and cool brunettes tend to neutralize the ruddiness in a cool tone person's skin tone. Beware of brassy, red, and copper highlights.. they do -nothing pretty- for your skin color.


Here is a perfect example of missing the skin tone target when it comes to changing your hair color

oh, Scarlett.. you are beautiful ! You really are ... I don't hate her brown locks, however i DO think its a shade or two too dark for her skin tone, but the blonde is a totally different story
She is way too orange/brassy... Can you see what that does to her skin color ? Yuck....

Here is a picture of a celebrity that took her skin tone into account when choosing which way to go as she transitioned from light to dark


so yummy, i LOVE fergie's light to dark transition. Notice her blonde is NEVER lighter than her skin tone and her brunette shade is the perfect mixture of chestnut and some darker brown. Both of these colors enhance her undertones instead of washing her out. Poor Scarlett goes from a beautiful brunette with perfect cool skin to a brassy hot mess ( literally ) and all the red/pink undertones in her skin are exposed and look awful next to that color !!


I know that being behind the chair and trying to talk to my guests about their vision of cool and warm tones vs. mine proves to be difficult. I always encourage my guests to look at celebrities that have the same eye color, natural hair color and undertones in their skin. This helps you get a clear idea of what will look best on you, or schedule a consultation with your hair professional and get out the color swatches and hold them up to your face, you can almost instantly see what tones will work better for you !!

Happy Haircoloring!!!