GirlsGuideTo | Before You Dye: 5 Tips for Picking the Right Color

I'm a hair dye addict, and I'll be the first to admit I dye my locks a little too often. However, since high school I've been in love with the makeover a quick hair dye can accomplish. Over time I've made my fair share of mistakes, too, with a terrible ashy blonde shade and a too dark brown. The hair dye secret I've discovered is choosing a shade that complements your natural skin tone. Here are 5 tips so you can keep calm in the hair dye aisle and pick your best shade yet.

Determine Your Skin Tone
The most basic and important thing about your skin tone is whether it’s warm or cool. The quickest way to figure this out is by checking out the veins on your arm. If they’re green, then you’ve got a warm skin tone and if they’re blue, you’ve got a cool skin tone. There are a few other ways to determine skin tone here.

Find Your Ideal Colors
For the most part, it’s possible to go from a brunette to blonde and vice versa as long as you take into consideration which shades go with your skin tone.

For cool skin tones:
Bluish, ashy, and icy tones look best

Raven-black, ash browns, wheat, honey, and taupe shades are most flattering

Can also pull off “unnatural” colors like lipstick reds, burgundies, and purples

For warm skin tones:
Red-orange and gold bases look best

Dark warm brown, chestnut, golden brown, auburn, and golden blonde shades are most flattering

Highlighting with copper or golden brown or blonde shades works very well.

Go Virtual
There are countless ways to test a hair color before actually making the commitment. A great, free option to test our hair colors is using virtual makeover sites. There are countless, but Clairol has a great one on their site here.

Consult a Professional
They aren’t a professional without learning what hair colors and most flattering for different skin tones. If you’re considering a drastic change of color, it’s highly recommended you seek a professional’s opinion. You may not agree with their suggestions, but it’s important to take them into consideration because they really do know what they’re talking about.

Read the Fine Print
If you’re going the at-home hair dye route, this tip is probably most important. Do not judge a dye by the cover on the box. Sure, the model looks gorgeous, but you know nothing about her skin tone or natural hair shade. Pay attention to the writing on the package. The dye description could reveal if you’ve picked a shade with a golden or ashy undertone, which, as you now know, can make a huge difference in the results.

Do you dye your hair at home? Have any tips on picking the perfect color? Let us know in the comments!