How To Find The Right Hair Colour For Your Skin Tone

Thanks to Pinterest inspiration boards and the damage preventing lifesaver that is Olaplex, we’re switching up our hair colour like never before. It feels like there isn’t a shade on this planet we haven’t experimented with but picking something based on how cool it is rather than how much it suits your skin tone is a rookie mistake.

It’s all about balancing the pink or yellow undertones in your skin and figuring out where you sit on the cool to warm scale. Obviously if you have your heart set on a specific colour then you should totally go for it! But knowing the shades that work for you is useful in switching up the tone so it’s more flattering.

It’s not as confusing as it sounds though, you just need to look at your veins and makeup free face before seeing our checklist below. Once you’ve done that keep scrolling to find your skin colour/undertone and to get your perfect shade. Let’s go!

If you have a cool skin tone: Your veins will be blue or purple and your skin will have a pink or red undertone.

If you have a warm skin tone: Your veins will be green or olive and your skin will have a yellow or golden undertone.

Neutral skin tone: If you’re a mixture of the above then your skin tone is neutral. You’re lucky as you have way more options and won’t have to spend as much time trying to balance out your undertones.

Porcelain Cool

For pale, cool toned skin you need to pick a colour that’s going to balance out your red undertones. Auburn would be the best choice, especially Jessica Chastain’s rich copper or a strawberry blonde as it complements the flush in your cheeks. If you’re blonde then platinum would be amazing for you as well as grey which is really on trend. Just make sure to keep it cool as yellow blondes will make you look even more pink. For brunettes stick to ash brown and don’t go too dark as it will wash you out.

Porcelain Warm

For porcelain skin with a warm undertone go for a colour with an orange hue that will brighten up your complexion. For brunettes stick to rich dark browns or if you’re auburn try a cool toned cinnamon shade. As for pastel colours a dusky pink or peach will be the most flattering.

Porcelain Neutral

As your undertone isn’t too cool or warm you can experiment a little more with your colour. If you love Coco Rocha or Dita Von Teese then you’re in luck because dark brown or black can be a really nice contrast with pale, neutral toned skin. Champagne blondes and ash browns look really good on you too as well as pretty much any pastel shade.

Olive Cool

Olive skin tones with a cool undertone have a darker red blush so you need to avoid anything too ashy as it can make you look sallow. Eek! Instead opt for something super rich like butterscotch blonde or spicy copper instead that will brighten up your face. If you want something more unusual plum shades look amazing on you and will help to balance out the red tones.

Olive Warm

Olive skin with warm undertones has a really golden glow so going for something ashy will help to make your skin look extra glowy. Dark chocolates are a really gorgeous contrast as well as chestnut as it’s very rich and works with the yellow tones in your skin. As for blonde shades go for something cool toned like a platinum or ash blonde as the contrast works well with the red undertones in your skin.

Olive Neutral

You’re lucky as having a neutral skin tone means you can pretty much rock any hair colour. If you’re thinking of going blonde then stick to warmer shades as you’ll avoid bringing out the green undertone in your skin. Lastly if you want to go for a pastel shade then try rose gold as it would be perfect for brightening up your complexion.

Deep Cool

If you have dark skin with a cool undertone, then black hair will be perfect for you. Espresso or dark chocolate brown will balance out the blue tones in your skin so they’re also really good options. If you want to go blonde keep it really cool with an ash, platinum or beige as anything too golden will make your skin look sallow.

Deep Warm

Your golden undertone is more coppery so honey blonde, toffee or auburn would be a really good shout. As a general rule sticking to bronze, copper or golden shades will ensure you keep your skin looking super glowy. If you want to go darker try a mahogany or coffee shade that’s slightly more rich over cool toned browns.

Deep Neutral

For deep skin with a neutral undertone you can be as experimental as you like. Any pastel shades or bright colours will work for you. As you have dark skin honey blondes and caramel browns are really flattering along with dark brown or black.