The Hair Factor

Well, let’s face it: if you wanna make a big change in your appearance, the best thing to do to avoid surprises… is to go to a good hair salon. But, if you really can’t afford it and want to color your hair at home, here are some tips to help you find the perfect fit for you in the vast jungle of the hair color system.

First things first: you have to find out if you belong in the warm tones (red, yellow, orange) or cool ones (blue and green). Normally, people with light skin and hair color look better in cool tone colors, unlike people with olive skin and dark hair, that look better in warm tones.

You can easily find out what color fits you best by looking at your clothes, cuz it’s the simplest way: if you look better in your warm tone clothes than your cool tone clothes, you are probably a warm tone person.

And, of course you need to know the color system. When you buy a hair coloring product, it has three numbers on the package, for example 7.35. Each number represents something. The first number (here, 7) represents the base and it can be from 1 to 10. So we have:

-      1: Black

-      2: Very Dark Brown

-      3: Dark Brown

-      4: Brown

-      5: Light Brown

-      6: Dark Blonde

-      7: Blonde

-      8: Very Blonde

-      9: Extra Blonde

-      10: Platinum Blonde

The second number (in this case, 3) is the tone and it can be from 1 to 7. So, we have:

-      1: Blue Ash

-      2: Purple

-      3: Gold

-      4: Bronze

-      5: Purple Red

-      6: Red

-      7: Green

The third number (here, 5) represents the secondary tone, which is in a smaller amount of product than the first tone in the hair color. Supposedly, every hair color fits everyone no matter the hair’s natural color, as long as it has the right tones.

If you look better in warm tones, you have to choose tones from the second number list: 3, or 4, or 5 or 6. If you look better in cool tones, your tones should be chosen again from the second color list, and those would be 1, or 2 or 7.

If there is a 0 in the color number (for example, 7.0), it means that the color will come out more vibrant. Or, if it is 7.60 (6 is the color for red), it means that the red will come out more vibrant.

Ever since I learned and followed these rules, I have been coloring my hair at home and the result hasn’t disappointed me. You can always ask for help from your family and friends on your first try, until you get the hang of things. You should also avoid huge changes on your own (if you’re a black 1, don’t try to go to a blonde 9): you could end up with a very bad result or even a bold head. Go easy on it and experiment with your new hobby and have fun with it!

Good Luck  
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