Hair by Ilham Mestour. Photographed by Domen & Van De Velde for Vogue Arabia
Picking a new hair color can often be challenging. You want it to refresh your look while also complementing everything about you. The best way to ensure that is by using the hues in your skin tone as a reference; and for most brown complexions, this means going for colors that suit your skin’s warm or neutral undertones.
If you are unsure of your skin’s undertone, an easy way of finding out is by checking the color of the veins on your wrist. If they appear green, it means your skin has a warm undertone, and if they appear to match the color of your skin, or look like a mixture of blue and green, then you may have a neutral undertone.
“Warm skin tones should predominantly choose warmer colors i.e. golden, caramel, browns,” advises Karl Warner, Senior Stylist at Pastels Salon Ritz Carlton, Dubai. “If someone with a warmer skin tone wants to go with more of an ashy tone, they need to be aware that it won’t look natural as it will be too much of a contrast to their skin tone.”
However, if you can’t help but go for the coveted ashy locks, Warner suggests keeping the root color warmer and then going cooler towards the ends to make up for the contrast. “Also, if you have naturally dark hair color and a warm skin tone it’s better to keep your color darker and warmer than even opting for a warm blonde, which will look unnatural unless you keep the roots dark.”
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As neutral skin tones are a combination of warm and cool, a wide range of colors can complement those hues in your skin instead of clashing with them. “Those with a neutral skin tone are very fortunate as they can carry off either warm or cool colors i.e. ash, gold, reds, coppers and it would look quite natural, depending on the depth of color and technique used,” says Warner.
If you are on the lookout for a new hair color that is the one for you, consider going beyond just your skin’s undertone as reference. “Aside from skin tone, you should also consider eyebrow color and eye color,” suggests the hairstylist. “All three work in harmony and should be considered to achieve the color best suited to you. For instance, you may be a contrast i.e. have cool-toned blue eyes but have a warm skin tone and in such cases, you can wear cooler hair colors due to your eye color compared to those with warm skin tones and warmer-toned (usually hazelnut or brown) eyes.”
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