Hair Color 101: 5 Tips to Choose the Best Hair Color for you

Follow these five tips and you’ll never pick an unflattering hair colour again.

1 Understand the numbers on the box

Think of hair colour in terms of a 10-storey building in a busy city. The lower levels of the building are often darker because the light can’t access them, while the higher levels are lighter and brighter. It’s the same for Olia hair colour. The lowest number, 1, represents the darkest shade (the blackest of blacks) and the highest number, 11, is the lightest shade (platinum blonde). So the lighter the hair colour you want, the higher the number on the box should be.

Pro tip: If you want natural results, stick within two levels of your base colour. Remember that you probably think your natural colour is darker than it actually is—usually by one tone.

2 Determine your skin’s undertones

The right hair colour for you will enhance your complexion and the colour of your eyes. The best way to choose a flattering shade is to assess your skin’s undertones. Are they cool (pink), warm (yellow, olive) or neutral? If you have trouble identifying the undertones in your complexion, observe the colour of the veins in your wrist. If they are greenish, you have a warm complexion—which means your skin is yellow or olive. If they are purple, you have a cool, pink complexion. Also look at the jewellery you like to wear. Do you love silver? Your complexion is probably enhanced by cool shades. Do you prefer gold? You should warm up your skin with a hair colour that reflects warm tones.

3 Choose the undertones in your hair colour

Once you have determined the undertones of your skin, you can pick the hair colour undertones that will complement you. If you have a cool complexion, your colour should reflect cool tones such as ash, purple or matte. For Olia, the second number on the box—1 for ash, 2 for violet and 7 for matte—marks these undertones. If you have a warm complexion, shades that will enhance your skin include gold, copper and red. To find your shade in the drugstore aisle, look at boxes with numbers ending in 3 for gold, 4 for copper and 6 for red.

4 Correct your colour with the right reflective undertones

All colourists agree that successful colouring involves choosing the right undertones. In addition to giving your hair dimension and luminosity, the undertone can also correct unpleasant results, such as a blonde that turns yellow or brunette that looks orange. Keep these basics in mind:

.0 - Natural (the colour number ends with a 0): Choose 0 if you want extremely natural results.

.1 - Ash: To correct brown that has become orange, or blonde that has become too gold, opt for ash undertones.

.2 - Opalescent: If your blonde hair looks yellow, neutralize it with violet.

.3 - Gold: You want to add a bit of warmth to your winter tone or look like you just returned from a beach vacation? Choose gold.

.4 - Copper: If you want a more dynamic brown shade without bleaching it, consider spicing up your look with copper undertones.

.5 - Auburn: Having trouble deciding between red and purple? Why not try exotic wood tones like mahogany or auburn?

.6 - Red: Intense, vibrant reds—from the most pure red to the darkest burgundy—add oomph to a blonde or brunette who needs a change.

.9 - Bronze: Does your brown hair lack ambition? Bronze makes brown look regal.

5 Always choose gentle ammonia-free oil-based formulas

With new technology, it’s possible to colour your hair without damaging it. Olia’s formula ensures ammonia-free colour that penetrates into the core of the hair cortex and covers greys up to 100 percent. Even Super Blonde Extreme B++ or B+++ from Olia are ammonia-free and can lighten hair five to seven levels. All shades contain flower oils including sunflower and camellia to make your tresses soft and shiny. And if you want beautiful blonde, Neutra+ technology incorporated in the new Olia blondes 110 and 112 neutralizes brassiness through a unique combination of blue and purple undertones.