• If it is your first time coloring your hair you may want to start with a semipermanent color. Semipermanent colors wash out after a few shampoos, while permanent color must grow out.
• Don't go by the picture on the box, they are not true to the actual color. The color swatches and descriptions on the box are a little more accurate. Most hair color boxes will name the color (blonde, brown, black and red) and the shade of that color (light, medium and dark).
• Choose a hair color to compliment your natural skin tone and eye color. Most hair colors fall into either 'warm' or 'cool' tones. You are probably a 'warm' if you have golden, olive or dark skin and brown or dark eyes, you tan easily and the veins in your inner wrists are green (Latinas, Asians and African Americans will fall into this category. If you have fair skin and blue or green eyes, you burn before you tan and the veins in your wrists are blue, you are probably a 'cool'.
• Golden shades such as caramel and bronze look best on someone with a warm skin tone. Don't go too dark or too light to avoid looking washed out. Ash blondes and cool browns look best on someone with a cool skin tone.
• If you have dark hair and want to go to a blonde color, don't go too light or you could look washed out. The right mixture of highlights and lowlights are a good option to compliment warmer skin tones.• Almost everyone can pull off red, what's important is finding the right shade to complement your skin tone and eyes. Women with a cool or pink skin tone look best in red.
• Coloring gray hair can be tricky because of its coarse texture. If your hair is just beginning to gray, try a semi-permanent color that is no more than a shade lighter than your natural color, the gray should blend right in. If your hair is more than 30% gray, a permanent 'ashy' color, which will help your gray hair appear blonde.
• Do-it-yourself hair color is okay for people looking to go just a couple shades lighter or darker or to cover gray. If you have light brown hair, a dark blonde will look beautiful on you. For more dramatic changes, it's best to leave it to a professional.
